--- title: "anything-llm vs refly" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/mintplex-labs-anything-llm-vs-refly-ai-refly" tools: ["mintplex-labs-anything-llm", "refly-ai-refly"] --- # anything-llm vs refly *GraphCanon updated Jul 15, 2026* ## Verdict Pick anything-llm when anything-llm is primarily JavaScript; refly is TypeScript; pick refly when refly is primarily TypeScript; anything-llm is JavaScript. [anything-llm](https://anythingllm.com) reports 63k GitHub stars, 6.9k forks, and 317 open issues, last pushed Jul 15, 2026. [refly](https://refly.ai) has 7.4k stars, 720 forks, and 93 open issues, last pushed Mar 25, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [anything-llm's repository](https://github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm) and [refly's repository](https://github.com/refly-ai/refly). | | [anything-llm](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm.md) | [refly](/tools/refly-ai-refly.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Self-hosted agent experience with deployment scripts for multiple environments | The first open-source agent skills builder. Define skills by vibe workflow, run on Claude Code, Cursor, Codex & more. Build Clawdbot 🦞· APIs for Lovable · Bots for Slack & Lark/Feishu · Skills are in | | Stars | 63,345 | 7,435 | | Forks | 6,931 | 720 | | Open issues | 317 | 93 | | Language | JavaScript | TypeScript | | Adopt for | Self-hosted AI agent experience with robust deployment scripts across multiple environments. | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Other | | Categories | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | AI Agents, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [anything-llm](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm.md) | [refly](/tools/refly-ai-refly.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 0d | 111d | | Open issues (now) | 317 | 93 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/refly-ai-refly/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: anything-llm - **Adopt for:** Self-hosted AI agent experience with robust deployment scripts across multiple environments. ## Choose when ### Choose anything-llm if… - anything-llm is primarily JavaScript; refly is TypeScript. - License: anything-llm is MIT, refly is Other. - Tags unique to anything-llm: agent-computer, agent-harness, agentic-ai, llm. - Also covers Inference & Serving. - When you need flexibility in deploying your AI agents on various cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, Digital Ocean, and more. ### Choose refly if… - refly is primarily TypeScript; anything-llm is JavaScript. - License: refly is Other, anything-llm is MIT. - Tags unique to refly: agent, agent-skills, automation, claude. - Also covers LLM Frameworks. ## When NOT to use anything-llm - Avoid if you require an agent without additional setup or prefer SaaS solutions over self-managed deployments. - Not suitable for users who are looking for no-code alternatives as setting up AnythingLLM might necessitate some coding knowledge despite offering multiple scripts and methods. ## When NOT to use refly - Last GitHub push was 112 days ago (slowing maintenance, Mar 25, 2026). Validate activity before betting a new project on refly. - AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. - 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 anything-llm and refly? anything-llm: Self-hosted agent experience with deployment scripts for multiple environments. refly: The first open-source agent skills builder. Define skills by vibe workflow, run on Claude Code, Cursor, Codex & more. Build Clawdbot 🦞· APIs for Lovable · Bots for Slack & Lark/Feishu · Skills are in. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose anything-llm over refly? Choose anything-llm over refly when anything-llm is primarily JavaScript; refly is TypeScript; License: anything-llm is MIT, refly is Other; Tags unique to anything-llm: agent-computer, agent-harness, agentic-ai, llm; Also covers Inference & Serving; When you need flexibility in deploying your AI agents on various cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, Digital Ocean, and more. ### When should I choose refly over anything-llm? Choose refly over anything-llm when refly is primarily TypeScript; anything-llm is JavaScript; License: refly is Other, anything-llm is MIT; Tags unique to refly: agent, agent-skills, automation, claude; Also covers LLM Frameworks. ### When should I avoid anything-llm? Avoid if you require an agent without additional setup or prefer SaaS solutions over self-managed deployments. Not suitable for users who are looking for no-code alternatives as setting up AnythingLLM might necessitate some coding knowledge despite offering multiple scripts and methods. ### When should I avoid refly? Last GitHub push was 112 days ago (slowing maintenance, Mar 25, 2026). Validate activity before betting a new project on refly. AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. ### Is anything-llm or refly more popular on GitHub? anything-llm has more GitHub stars (63,345 vs 7,435). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are anything-llm and refly open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (anything-llm: MIT, refly: Other). ### Where can I find alternatives to anything-llm or refly? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [anything-llm alternatives](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm/alternatives) and [refly alternatives](/tools/refly-ai-refly/alternatives) ([anything-llm markdown twin](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm/alternatives.md), [refly markdown twin](/tools/refly-ai-refly/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/mintplex-labs-anything-llm-vs-refly-ai-refly.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, anything-llm or refly? anything-llm: Very active. refly: 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 anything-llm and refly? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [anything-llm trust report](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm/trust); [refly trust report](/tools/refly-ai-refly/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=mintplex-labs-anything-llm`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=mintplex-labs-anything-llm) - 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/_