12 picks · data-backed ranking
Best MIT-licensed self-hosted apps
The best MIT-licensed self-hosted apps are Ollama, Langflow and Uptime Kuma. Ollama leads with 185,075 GitHub stars.
Candidates: the 343 apps whose declared license is exactly MIT (dual- or multi-licensed apps are left out).
The MIT license is one of the most permissive open-source licenses: you can use, modify and embed the code, commercially too, as long as you keep the copyright notice.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Ollama
ollama/ollama
Get up and running with Llama 3.3, DeepSeek-R1, Phi-4, Gemma 3, and other large language models.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
AI & LLM ToolsGoDockerAI-nativeStands out for the most GitHub stars. Ollama has 185,075 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,263 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT.
- Rank 2:
Langflow
langflow-ai/langflow
Visual framework for building and deploying AI agents and RAG workflows.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
AI & LLM ToolsPythonDockerAI-nativeStands out for a permissive MIT license. Langflow has 156,084 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,758 commits in the last year.
- Rank 3:
Uptime Kuma
louislam/uptime-kuma
Easy-to-use self-hosted uptime monitor with status pages and 90+ notification channels.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Monitoring & Status PagesJavaScriptDockerStands out for an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide. Uptime Kuma has 93,018 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,361 commits in the last year; it replaces Datadog and Uptime Robot.
At a glance
MIT-licensed self-hosted apps compared
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ollama | the most GitHub stars | MIT | 185,075 | 1,263 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Langflow | a permissive MIT license | MIT | 156,084 | 2,758 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Uptime Kuma | an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide | MIT | 93,018 | 1,361 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| OpenHands | the most commits in the last 12 months (3,361) | MIT | 92,067 | 3,361 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Excalidraw | the longest track record (since 2020) | MIT | 134,690 | 285 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| AnythingLLM | – | MIT | 67,665 | 998 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Memos | – | MIT | 64,135 | 1,007 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Traefik | – | MIT | 65,398 | 920 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| MeiliSearch | – | MIT | 59,692 | 2,096 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Gitea | – | MIT | 58,738 | 1,909 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
Full ranking
All 12 picks, ranked
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
- 1
Ollama
Get up and running with Llama 3.3, DeepSeek-R1, Phi-4, Gemma 3, and other large language models.
AI & LLM ToolsDockerAI-nativeStands out for the most GitHub stars. Ollama has 185,075 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,263 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT.
- 2
Langflow
Visual framework for building and deploying AI agents and RAG workflows.
AI & LLM ToolsDockerAI-nativeStands out for a permissive MIT license. Langflow has 156,084 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,758 commits in the last year.
- 3
Uptime Kuma
Easy-to-use self-hosted uptime monitor with status pages and 90+ notification channels.
Monitoring & Status PagesDockerStands out for an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide. Uptime Kuma has 93,018 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,361 commits in the last year; it replaces Datadog and Uptime Robot.
- 4
OpenHands
Platform for AI software development agents that write code and run commands.
AI & LLM ToolsDockerAI-nativeStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (3,361). OpenHands has 92,067 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 3,361 commits in the last year.
- 5
Excalidraw
Virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard for diagrams and sketches.
UtilitiesDockerStands out for the longest track record (since 2020). Excalidraw has 134,690 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 285 commits in the last year; it replaces Figma and Lucidchart.
- 6
AnythingLLM
All-in-one desktop & Docker AI application with built-in RAG, AI agents, No-code agent builder, MCP compatibility, and more.
AI & LLM ToolsDockerAI-nativeAnythingLLM has 67,665 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 998 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT.
- 7
Memos
Knowledge base that works with a SQLite db file.
Note-taking & EditorsDockerMemos has 64,135 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,007 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Google Keep.
- 8
Traefik
HTTP reverse proxy and load balancer that makes deploying microservices easy.
Web Servers & Reverse ProxiesDockerTraefik has 65,398 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 920 commits in the last year.
- 9
MeiliSearch
Ultra relevant, instant and typo-tolerant full-text search API.
Search EnginesDockerMeiliSearch has 59,692 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,096 commits in the last year; it replaces Algolia.
- 10
Gitea
Git with a cup of tea! Painless self-hosted all-in-one software development service, including Git hosting, code review, team collaboration, package registry and CI/CD.
Project ManagementDockerGitea has 58,738 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,909 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab.
- 11
code-server
VS Code in the browser, hosted on a remote server.
Developer ToolsDockercode-server has 79,721 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 336 commits in the last year.
- 12
Hoppscotch Community Edition
Fast and beautiful API request builder.
API ManagementDockerHoppscotch Community Edition has 80,706 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 311 commits in the last year; it replaces Postman.
Is Ollama free?
Yes. Ollama is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I self-host these apps with Docker?
Yes, all of them. Ollama, Langflow and Uptime Kuma publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose.
Are all of these apps open source?
All 12 apps on this list are open source. You can self-host and modify each one under its license.
Which of these apps is the most actively developed?
OpenHands, with 3,361 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, v1.34.0, from October 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
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