Open-source alternatives to ChatGPT
The most popular self-hosted, open-source alternatives to ChatGPT (AI chat assistants) are Ollama (183,749 GitHub stars), Open-WebUI (156,087 GitHub stars) and LobeHub (83,311 GitHub stars). SelfHostHub lists 12 options below, taken from its Generative Artificial Intelligence category; 12 support Docker and all of them can run on your own server.
Comparison of self-hosted ChatGPT alternatives
| Project | GitHub stars | Licence | Language / platform | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ollama | 183,749 | MIT | Docker, Python | Get up and running with Llama 3.3, DeepSeek-R1, Phi-4, Gemma 3, and other large language models. |
| Open-WebUI | 156,087 | BSD-3-Clause | Docker, Python | User-friendly AI Interface, supports Ollama, OpenAI API. |
| LobeHub | 83,311 | ⊘ Proprietary | Nodejs, Docker | Modern design AI chat framework supporting multiple AI providers, one click install MCP Marketplace and Artifacts / Thinking. |
| AnythingLLM | 67,288 | MIT | Nodejs, Docker | All-in-one desktop & Docker AI application with built-in RAG, AI agents, No-code agent builder, MCP compatibility, and more. |
| LocalAI | 49,623 | MIT | Docker, K8S | Run your AI models locally and generate images and audio (alternative to OpenAI and Claude). |
| LibreChat | 45,935 | MIT | Nodejs, Docker | Enhanced ChatGPT-compatible AI chat interface supporting multiple AI providers, with multi-user auth, message search, and plugin support. |
| Khoj | 37,738 | AGPL-3.0 | Python, Docker | Your AI second brain. Get answers from the web or your docs. Build custom agents, schedule automations, do deep research. Turn any online or local LLM into your personal, autonomous AI. |
| Vane | 37,388 | MIT | Docker | AI-powered search engine (alternative to Perplexity AI). |
| Onyx Community Edition | 32,564 | MIT | Docker, K8S | Chat UI that works with any LLM. It comes loaded with advanced features like agents, web search, RAG, MCP, deep research, Connectors to 40+ knowledge sources, and more. |
| Local Deep Research | 9,302 | MIT | Docker, Python | AI-powered deep research tool with multi-source search (arXiv, PubMed, web), PDF text extraction, and encrypted local storage. |
| Agenta | 4,844 | MIT | Docker | LLMOps platform for prompt management, LLM evaluation, and observability. Build, evaluate, and monitor production-grade LLM applications with collaborative prompt engineering. |
| LLM Harbor | 3,249 | Apache-2.0 | Docker, Shell | Containerized LLM toolkit. Run LLM backends, APIs, frontends, and additional services via a concise CLI. |
Star counts and licences come from the awesome-selfhosted dataset and may lag GitHub slightly.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best open-source alternative to ChatGPT?
By GitHub stars, Ollama is the most popular self-hosted alternative to ChatGPT listed here, followed by Open-WebUI and LobeHub. The best fit depends on the features and stack you need.
Is there a free self-hosted alternative to ChatGPT?
Yes. All 12 projects on this page are open source and can be self-hosted at no licence cost; you pay only for your own server.
Which licences do these ChatGPT alternatives use?
The most common licences among them are MIT (8), BSD-3-Clause (1) and ⊘ Proprietary (1).
Can I run a ChatGPT alternative with Docker?
12 of the 12 alternatives list Docker as a supported platform.