--- title: "jan vs catai" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/janhq-jan-vs-withcatai-catai" tools: ["janhq-jan", "withcatai-catai"] --- # jan vs catai *GraphCanon updated Jul 15, 2026* ## Verdict Pick jan when license: jan is Other, catai is MIT; pick catai when license: catai is MIT, jan is Other. [jan](https://jan.ai/) reports 43k GitHub stars, 2.9k forks, and 387 open issues, last pushed Jul 10, 2026. [catai](https://withcatai.github.io/catai/) has 497 stars, 39 forks, and 2 open issues, last pushed Nov 16, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [jan's repository](https://github.com/janhq/jan) and [catai's repository](https://github.com/withcatai/catai). | | [jan](/tools/janhq-jan.md) | [catai](/tools/withcatai-catai.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally | Run AI ✨ assistant locally! with simple API for Node.js 🚀 | | Stars | 43,499 | 497 | | Forks | 2,896 | 39 | | Open issues | 387 | 2 | | Language | TypeScript | 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 | 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) | [catai](/tools/withcatai-catai.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 1d | 240d | | Open issues (now) | 387 | 2 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/janhq-jan/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/withcatai-catai/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… - 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. ### 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 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 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. ## 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](/tools/janhq-jan/alternatives) and [catai alternatives](/tools/withcatai-catai/alternatives) ([jan markdown twin](/tools/janhq-jan/alternatives.md), [catai markdown twin](/tools/withcatai-catai/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-withcatai-catai.md) 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](/tools/janhq-jan/trust); [catai trust report](/tools/withcatai-catai/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/_