--- title: "jan vs ray-llm" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/janhq-jan-vs-ray-project-ray-llm" tools: ["janhq-jan", "ray-project-ray-llm"] --- # jan vs ray-llm *GraphCanon updated Jul 12, 2026* ## Verdict Pick jan when tags unique to jan: chatgpt, gpt, llamacpp, localai; pick ray-llm when tags unique to ray-llm: llm-serving, ray. [jan](https://jan.ai/) reports 43k GitHub stars, 2.9k forks, and 387 open issues, last pushed Jul 10, 2026. [ray-llm](https://docs.ray.io/en/latest/) has 1.3k stars, 90 forks, and 0 open issues, last pushed Mar 13, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [jan's repository](https://github.com/janhq/jan) and [ray-llm's repository](https://github.com/ray-project/ray-llm). | | [jan](/tools/janhq-jan.md) | [ray-llm](/tools/ray-project-ray-llm.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally | RayLLM - LLMs on Ray (Archived). Read README for more info. | | Stars | 43,499 | 1,263 | | Forks | 2,896 | 90 | | Open issues | 387 | 0 | | Language | TypeScript | - | | 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 | - | | 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) | [ray-llm](/tools/ray-project-ray-llm.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Archived (8%) | | Days since push | 1d | 485d | | Archived on GitHub | No | Yes | | Open issues (now) | 387 | 0 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/janhq-jan/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/ray-project-ray-llm/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… - Tags unique to jan: chatgpt, gpt, llamacpp, localai. - - If you require an offline-capable AI assistant for environments without internet access. - More GitHub stars (43k vs 1.3k) - visibility, not fit. ### Choose ray-llm if… - Tags unique to ray-llm: llm-serving, ray. - Leaner open-issue backlog (0). ## 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 ray-llm - ray-llm is archived on GitHub. Prefer an active alternative unless you maintain a private fork or need a frozen dependency. - 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 ray-llm? jan: open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally. ray-llm: RayLLM - LLMs on Ray (Archived). Read README for more info.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose jan over ray-llm? Choose jan over ray-llm when Tags unique to jan: chatgpt, gpt, llamacpp, localai; - If you require an offline-capable AI assistant for environments without internet access; More GitHub stars (43k vs 1.3k) - visibility, not fit. ### When should I choose ray-llm over jan? Choose ray-llm over jan when Tags unique to ray-llm: llm-serving, ray; Leaner open-issue backlog (0). ### 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 ray-llm? ray-llm is archived on GitHub. Prefer an active alternative unless you maintain a private fork or need a frozen dependency. 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 ray-llm more popular on GitHub? jan has more GitHub stars (43,499 vs 1,263). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are jan and ray-llm open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub. ### Where can I find alternatives to jan or ray-llm? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [jan alternatives](/tools/janhq-jan/alternatives) and [ray-llm alternatives](/tools/ray-project-ray-llm/alternatives) ([jan markdown twin](/tools/janhq-jan/alternatives.md), [ray-llm markdown twin](/tools/ray-project-ray-llm/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-ray-project-ray-llm.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, jan or ray-llm? jan: Very active. ray-llm: Archived. 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 ray-llm? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [jan trust report](/tools/janhq-jan/trust); [ray-llm trust report](/tools/ray-project-ray-llm/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/_