# Open WebUI vs LibreChat

> Pick Open WebUI for a polished ChatGPT-style front end centred on local models via Ollama; pick LibreChat for a multi-provider chat app with agents and a permissive MIT license.

## Verdict

Open WebUI is the quickest way to put a friendly chat interface, RAG and user management on top of Ollama or any OpenAI-compatible server. LibreChat fits teams that mix many hosted providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Azure, Bedrock) and want agents and MCP tools under a plain MIT license. Check Open WebUI's branding clause if you plan to white-label it for more than 50 users.

- Best for Open WebUI: Running local LLMs from Ollama with a polished, all-in-one UI
- Best for LibreChat: Teams mixing many cloud AI providers who want an MIT-licensed app

## Key differences

| Aspect | Open WebUI | LibreChat |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open WebUI License: BSD-3-style plus a clause forbidding branding removal above 50 users (older code stays BSD-3) | MIT |
| Language/stack | Python (FastAPI) backend with a Svelte front end | Node.js backend with a React front end |
| Database | SQLite by default, PostgreSQL supported | MongoDB required, with Meilisearch for conversation search |
| Model providers | Ollama built in, plus any OpenAI-compatible API | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Azure, AWS Bedrock, Ollama and other custom endpoints |
| Standout features | Built-in RAG on documents, pipelines and functions, model builder, role-based access | Agents with MCP tool support, artifacts, presets and conversation forking |

## GitHub numbers

| Metric | Open WebUI | LibreChat |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 154,037 | 45,318 |
| Forks | 22,514 | 9,291 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 4,746 | 2,074 |
| Last commit | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Latest release | v0.11.4 | v0.8.8 |
| License | Open WebUI License (BSD-3-Clause plus branding clause) | MIT |
| License type | Source-available | Open source |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| Repository | https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui | https://github.com/LibreChat-AI/LibreChat |

App pages: [Open WebUI](https://appsgit.com/apps/open-webui), [LibreChat](https://appsgit.com/apps/librechat)

## FAQ

### Is Open WebUI still open source?

Its code is public and mostly BSD-3-style, but since 2025 the Open WebUI License forbids removing its branding for deployments with more than 50 users in 30 days unless you have permission or an enterprise license. Code from before the change keeps the original BSD-3 terms.

### Which is easier to deploy?

Open WebUI runs as a single Docker container with SQLite. LibreChat's Docker Compose setup also starts MongoDB and Meilisearch, so it has more moving parts.

### Can both use local models?

Yes. Open WebUI connects to Ollama natively, and LibreChat supports Ollama and other OpenAI-compatible servers as custom endpoints.

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/compare/open-webui-vs-librechat
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