--- title: "open-webui vs tome" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/open-webui-open-webui-vs-runebookai-tome" tools: ["open-webui-open-webui", "runebookai-tome"] --- # open-webui vs tome *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick open-webui if open WebUI is a Python-based web interface for interacting with AI models and APIs, including Ollama and OpenAI. It supports self-hosting and can be installed via pip or Docker, with options for CUDA acceleration; pick tome if tome is a Svelte-built desktop client for LLMs and MCP that targets broad accessibility. [open-webui](https://openwebui.com) reports 152k GitHub stars, 22k forks, and 300 open issues, last pushed Sep 18, 2026. [tome](https://gettome.app) has 631 stars, 45 forks, and 2 open issues, last pushed Oct 20, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [open-webui's repository](https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui) and [tome's repository](https://github.com/runebookai/tome). | | [open-webui](/tools/open-webui-open-webui.md) | [tome](/tools/runebookai-tome.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | User-friendly AI Interface | LLM desktop client for anyone | | Stars | 152,445 | 631 | | Forks | 22,306 | 45 | | Open issues | 300 | 2 | | Language | Python | Svelte | | Adopt for | Open WebUI is a Python-based web interface for interacting with AI models and APIs, including Ollama and OpenAI. It supports self-hosting and can be installed via pip or Docker, with options for CUDA acceleration. | tome is a Svelte-built desktop client for LLMs and MCP that targets broad accessibility. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Other | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [open-webui](/tools/open-webui-open-webui.md) | [tome](/tools/runebookai-tome.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Archived (8%) | | Days since push | 0d | 334d | | Archived on GitHub | No | Yes | | Open issues (now) | 300 | 2 | | Stars delta | +3.6k (30d) | +4 (30d) | | Open issues delta | -98 (30d) | -13 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/open-webui-open-webui/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/runebookai-tome/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: open-webui - **Adopt for:** Open WebUI is a Python-based web interface for interacting with AI models and APIs, including Ollama and OpenAI. It supports self-hosting and can be installed via pip or Docker, with options for CUDA acceleration. ## Decision facts: tome - **Adopt for:** tome is a Svelte-built desktop client for LLMs and MCP that targets broad accessibility. ## Choose when ### Choose open-webui if… - open-webui is primarily Python; tome is Svelte. - License: open-webui is Other, tome is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to open-webui: ai, llm, llm-ui, llm-webui. - open-webui ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - When you need a user-friendly web interface to interact with AI models and APIs, including Ollama and OpenAI. ### Choose tome if… - tome is primarily Svelte; open-webui is Python. - License: tome is Apache-2.0, open-webui is Other. - Tags unique to tome: gemini, llm-client, localai, mcp-client. - You require a no-code local client to interface with various LLM services and MCP ## When NOT to use open-webui - If you do not require a web-based interface and prefer command-line interaction with AI models. - When you are working with Python versions other than 3.11, as Open WebUI may have compatibility issues. - If you do not have the necessary Nvidia CUDA container toolkit installed for CUDA support. - When you need a solution that does not require preserving the 'Open WebUI' branding as per the license. ## When NOT to use tome - You need capabilities beyond just a desktop client, such as comprehensive model training or large-scale server administration features - Advanced customization of the frontend is important as tome's Svelte framework might restrict deeper modifications without significant workarounds ## Common questions ### What is the difference between open-webui and tome? open-webui: User-friendly AI Interface. tome: LLM desktop client for anyone. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose open-webui over tome? Choose open-webui over tome when open-webui is primarily Python; tome is Svelte; License: open-webui is Other, tome is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to open-webui: ai, llm, llm-ui, llm-webui; open-webui ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When you need a user-friendly web interface to interact with AI models and APIs, including Ollama and OpenAI. ### When should I choose tome over open-webui? Choose tome over open-webui when tome is primarily Svelte; open-webui is Python; License: tome is Apache-2.0, open-webui is Other; Tags unique to tome: gemini, llm-client, localai, mcp-client; You require a no-code local client to interface with various LLM services and MCP. ### When should I avoid open-webui? If you do not require a web-based interface and prefer command-line interaction with AI models. When you are working with Python versions other than 3.11, as Open WebUI may have compatibility issues. If you do not have the necessary Nvidia CUDA container toolkit installed for CUDA support. When you need a solution that does not require preserving the 'Open WebUI' branding as per the license. ### When should I avoid tome? You need capabilities beyond just a desktop client, such as comprehensive model training or large-scale server administration features Advanced customization of the frontend is important as tome's Svelte framework might restrict deeper modifications without significant workarounds ### Is open-webui or tome more popular on GitHub? open-webui has more GitHub stars (152,445 vs 631). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are open-webui and tome open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (open-webui: Other, tome: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to open-webui or tome? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [open-webui alternatives](/tools/open-webui-open-webui/alternatives) and [tome alternatives](/tools/runebookai-tome/alternatives) ([open-webui markdown twin](/tools/open-webui-open-webui/alternatives.md), [tome markdown twin](/tools/runebookai-tome/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/open-webui-open-webui-vs-runebookai-tome.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, open-webui or tome? open-webui: Very active. tome: 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 open-webui and tome? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [open-webui trust report](/tools/open-webui-open-webui/trust); [tome trust report](/tools/runebookai-tome/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=open-webui-open-webui`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=open-webui-open-webui) - 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/_