--- title: "jan vs prism" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/janhq-jan-vs-prism-php-prism" tools: ["janhq-jan", "prism-php-prism"] --- # jan vs prism *GraphCanon updated Jul 15, 2026* ## Verdict Pick jan when jan is primarily TypeScript; prism is PHP; pick prism when prism is primarily PHP; jan is TypeScript. [jan](https://jan.ai/) reports 43k GitHub stars, 2.9k forks, and 387 open issues, last pushed Jul 10, 2026. [prism](https://prismphp.com) has 2.4k stars, 305 forks, and 112 open issues, last pushed Mar 20, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [jan's repository](https://github.com/janhq/jan) and [prism's repository](https://github.com/prism-php/prism). | | [jan](/tools/janhq-jan.md) | [prism](/tools/prism-php-prism.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally | A unified interface for working with LLMs in Laravel | | Stars | 43,499 | 2,403 | | Forks | 2,896 | 305 | | Open issues | 387 | 112 | | Language | TypeScript | PHP | | Adopt for | Jan is a TypeScript-based, self-hosted chatbot application that acts as an offline alternative to services like ChatGPT. | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Other | MIT | | Categories | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [jan](/tools/janhq-jan.md) | [prism](/tools/prism-php-prism.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 1d | 116d | | Open issues (now) | 387 | 112 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/janhq-jan/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/prism-php-prism/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: jan - **Adopt for:** Jan is a TypeScript-based, self-hosted chatbot application that acts as an offline alternative to services like ChatGPT. ## Choose when ### Choose jan if… - jan is primarily TypeScript; prism is PHP. - License: jan is Other, prism is MIT. - Tags unique to jan: chatgpt, gpt, llamacpp, localai. - - If you require an offline-capable AI assistant for environments without internet access. ### Choose prism if… - prism is primarily PHP; jan is TypeScript. - License: prism is MIT, jan is Other. - Tags unique to prism: ai, anthropic, claude, hacktoberfest. ## When NOT to use jan - - If you require real-time updates to the AI model, since Jan uses static local models which may not get frequent updates. - - When a vast knowledge base or continuous learning capabilities are essential, as Jan's offline nature constrains its ability to stay current with new information. ## When NOT to use prism - Last GitHub push was 116 days ago (slowing maintenance, Mar 20, 2026). Validate activity before betting a new project on prism. - Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. - LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between jan and prism? jan: open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally. prism: A unified interface for working with LLMs in Laravel. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose jan over prism? Choose jan over prism when jan is primarily TypeScript; prism is PHP; License: jan is Other, prism is MIT; Tags unique to jan: chatgpt, gpt, llamacpp, localai; - If you require an offline-capable AI assistant for environments without internet access. ### When should I choose prism over jan? Choose prism over jan when prism is primarily PHP; jan is TypeScript; License: prism is MIT, jan is Other; Tags unique to prism: ai, anthropic, claude, hacktoberfest. ### When should I avoid jan? - If you require real-time updates to the AI model, since Jan uses static local models which may not get frequent updates. - When a vast knowledge base or continuous learning capabilities are essential, as Jan's offline nature constrains its ability to stay current with new information. ### When should I avoid prism? Last GitHub push was 116 days ago (slowing maintenance, Mar 20, 2026). Validate activity before betting a new project on prism. Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. ### Is jan or prism more popular on GitHub? jan has more GitHub stars (43,499 vs 2,403). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are jan and prism open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (jan: Other, prism: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to jan or prism? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [jan alternatives](/tools/janhq-jan/alternatives) and [prism alternatives](/tools/prism-php-prism/alternatives) ([jan markdown twin](/tools/janhq-jan/alternatives.md), [prism markdown twin](/tools/prism-php-prism/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/janhq-jan-vs-prism-php-prism.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, jan or prism? jan: Very active. prism: Slowing. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for jan and prism? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [jan trust report](/tools/janhq-jan/trust); [prism trust report](/tools/prism-php-prism/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=janhq-jan`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=janhq-jan) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_