Comparison
jan vs catai
Verdict
Pick jan when license: jan is Other, catai is MIT; pick catai when license: catai is MIT, jan is Other.
Markdown twin · jan alternatives · catai alternatives
GraphCanon updated today
Trust & integrity
| Signal | jan | catai |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (1d since push) As of 4d · github_public_v1 | Slowing (240d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of 4d · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of today · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 4d · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of today · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- jan
- open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally
- catai
- Run AI ✨ assistant locally! with simple API for Node.js 🚀
Stars
- jan
- 43k
- catai
- 497
Forks
- jan
- 2.9k
- catai
- 39
Open issues
- jan
- 387
- catai
- 2
Language
- jan
- TypeScript
- catai
- TypeScript
Adopt for
- jan
- Jan is a TypeScript-based, self-hosted chatbot application that acts as an offline alternative to services like ChatGPT.
- catai
- -
Persona
- jan
- -
- catai
- -
Runtime
- jan
- -
- catai
- -
License
- jan
- Other
- catai
- MIT
Last pushed
- jan
- Jul 10, 2026
- catai
- Nov 16, 2025
Categories
- jan
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
- catai
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Maintenance
- jan
- Very active (96%)
- catai
- Slowing (36%)
Days since push
- jan
- 1d
- catai
- 240d
Open issues (now)
- jan
- 387
- catai
- 2
Full report
- jan
- Trust report
- catai
- Trust report
Choose jan if…
- License: jan is Other, catai is MIT.
- Tags unique to jan: gpt, llamacpp, llm, localai.
- - If you require an offline-capable AI assistant for environments without internet access.
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.
Choose catai if…
- License: catai is MIT, jan is Other.
- Tags unique to catai: ai, ai-assistant, catai, chatbot.
- Leaner open-issue backlog (2).
When NOT to use catai
- Last GitHub push was 240 days ago (slowing maintenance, Nov 16, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on catai.
- 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.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (janhq/jan) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (janhq/jan) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (janhq/jan) · observed Jul 10, 2026
- License file (Other) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (withcatai/catai) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub forks (withcatai/catai) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Last push (withcatai/catai) · observed Nov 16, 2025
- License file (MIT) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: jan 43k · catai 497 (synced Jul 11, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between jan and catai?
- jan: open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally. catai: Run AI ✨ assistant locally! with simple API for Node.js 🚀. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose jan over catai?
- Choose jan over catai when License: jan is Other, catai is MIT; Tags unique to jan: gpt, llamacpp, llm, localai; - If you require an offline-capable AI assistant for environments without internet access.
- When should I choose catai over jan?
- Choose catai over jan when License: catai is MIT, jan is Other; Tags unique to catai: ai, ai-assistant, catai, chatbot; Leaner open-issue backlog (2).
- 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 catai?
- Last GitHub push was 240 days ago (slowing maintenance, Nov 16, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on catai. 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 catai more popular on GitHub?
- jan has more GitHub stars (43,499 vs 497). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are jan and catai open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (jan: Other, catai: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to jan or catai?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at jan alternatives and catai alternatives (jan markdown twin, catai markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, jan or catai?
- jan: Very active. catai: 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 catai?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: jan trust report; catai trust report.