--- title: "Star-Attention vs open-webui" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/nvidia-star-attention-vs-open-webui-open-webui" tools: ["nvidia-star-attention", "open-webui-open-webui"] --- # Star-Attention vs open-webui *GraphCanon updated Jul 11, 2026* ## Verdict Pick Star-Attention when license: Star-Attention is Apache-2.0, open-webui is Other; pick open-webui when license: open-webui is Other, Star-Attention is Apache-2.0. [Star-Attention](https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.17116) reports 393 GitHub stars, 23 forks, and 0 open issues, last pushed Jun 25, 2025. [open-webui](https://openwebui.com) has 145k stars, 21k forks, and 391 open issues, last pushed Jul 10, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [Star-Attention's repository](https://github.com/NVIDIA/Star-Attention) and [open-webui's repository](https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui). | | [Star-Attention](/tools/nvidia-star-attention.md) | [open-webui](/tools/open-webui-open-webui.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Efficient LLM Inference over Long Sequences | User-friendly AI Interface (Supports Ollama, OpenAI API, ...) | | Stars | 393 | 145,029 | | Forks | 23 | 21,005 | | Open issues | 0 | 391 | | Language | Python | Python | | Adopt for | - | Suitable for developers working with large language models who require a user-friendly interface and support for multiple APIs including Ollama and OpenAI. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Other | | Categories | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [Star-Attention](/tools/nvidia-star-attention.md) | [open-webui](/tools/open-webui-open-webui.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 380d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 0 | 391 | | Security scan | No lockfile | No MCP manifest | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/nvidia-star-attention/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/open-webui-open-webui/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: open-webui - **Adopt for:** Suitable for developers working with large language models who require a user-friendly interface and support for multiple APIs including Ollama and OpenAI. ## Choose when ### Choose Star-Attention if… - License: Star-Attention is Apache-2.0, open-webui is Other. - Tags unique to Star-Attention: attention mechanism, large-language-models, llm-inference, python. - Leaner open-issue backlog (0). ### Choose open-webui if… - License: open-webui is Other, Star-Attention is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to open-webui: ai, llm, openai, self-hosted. - When you need to integrate multiple AI services, such as Ollama and OpenAI, into a unified user interface. ## When NOT to use Star-Attention - Last GitHub push was 381 days ago (dormant maintenance, Jun 25, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on Star-Attention. - 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. ## When NOT to use open-webui - When looking for tooling that exclusively supports APIs other than Ollama and OpenAI, as these are specific areas of focus for open-webui. - If the requirement is a highly specialized interface tailored to specific tasks rather than a general AI interaction platform. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between Star-Attention and open-webui? Star-Attention: Efficient LLM Inference over Long Sequences. open-webui: User-friendly AI Interface (Supports Ollama, OpenAI API, ...). See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose Star-Attention over open-webui? Choose Star-Attention over open-webui when License: Star-Attention is Apache-2.0, open-webui is Other; Tags unique to Star-Attention: attention mechanism, large-language-models, llm-inference, python; Leaner open-issue backlog (0). ### When should I choose open-webui over Star-Attention? Choose open-webui over Star-Attention when License: open-webui is Other, Star-Attention is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to open-webui: ai, llm, openai, self-hosted; When you need to integrate multiple AI services, such as Ollama and OpenAI, into a unified user interface. ### When should I avoid Star-Attention? Last GitHub push was 381 days ago (dormant maintenance, Jun 25, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on Star-Attention. 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. ### When should I avoid open-webui? When looking for tooling that exclusively supports APIs other than Ollama and OpenAI, as these are specific areas of focus for open-webui. If the requirement is a highly specialized interface tailored to specific tasks rather than a general AI interaction platform. ### Is Star-Attention or open-webui more popular on GitHub? open-webui has more GitHub stars (145,029 vs 393). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are Star-Attention and open-webui open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (Star-Attention: Apache-2.0, open-webui: Other). ### Where can I find alternatives to Star-Attention or open-webui? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [Star-Attention alternatives](/tools/nvidia-star-attention/alternatives) and [open-webui alternatives](/tools/open-webui-open-webui/alternatives) ([Star-Attention markdown twin](/tools/nvidia-star-attention/alternatives.md), [open-webui markdown twin](/tools/open-webui-open-webui/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/nvidia-star-attention-vs-open-webui-open-webui.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, Star-Attention or open-webui? Star-Attention: Dormant. open-webui: Very active. 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 Star-Attention and open-webui? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [Star-Attention trust report](/tools/nvidia-star-attention/trust); [open-webui trust report](/tools/open-webui-open-webui/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=nvidia-star-attention`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=nvidia-star-attention) - 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/_