AnythingLLM vs Onyx (formerly Danswer)
Short answer
AnythingLLM: All-in-one private chat with your documents, agents and an embeddable widget. Onyx (formerly Danswer): AI chat and enterprise search connected to 50+ workplace apps. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Choose AnythingLLM if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €69.99/mo), lighter official minimum (2 GB vs 10 GB RAM), fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core), larger community (67.4k vs 32.8k GitHub stars) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
AnythingLLM vs Onyx (formerly Danswer) side by side
| AnythingLLM | Onyx (formerly Danswer) | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | All-in-one private chat with your documents, agents and an embeddable widget. | AI chat and enterprise search connected to 50+ workplace apps. |
| License | MIT | MIT (Community Edition) + Onyx Enterprise License (ee directories) |
| License type | Permissive | Open core |
| License conditions | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the copyright notice. | The Community Edition is MIT. Code in "ee" directories is under the Onyx Enterprise License. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 67.4k | 32.8k |
| Last commit | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 22, 2026 |
| Latest release | v1.18.0 | v4.9.2 |
| Minimum hardware | 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk | 4 vCPU · 10 GB RAM · 32 GB disk |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | 8 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 500 GB disk |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €19.99/mo | from €69.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker | Install script (Docker Compose) |
| Known gotchas | 2 listed | 2 listed |
| Telemetry | On by default | On by default |
| Calls home by default | No (documented) | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not documented | Not documented |
| Audit log | Not documented | Not documented |
| RBAC | Not documented | Paid / enterprise only |
| Details | Full AnythingLLM guide → | Full Onyx (formerly Danswer) guide → |
Key differences
- License: AnythingLLM: MIT (Permissive). Onyx (formerly Danswer): MIT (Community Edition) + Onyx Enterprise License (ee directories) (Open core).
- Official hardware: AnythingLLM: minimum 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk. Onyx (formerly Danswer): minimum 4 vCPU · 10 GB RAM · 32 GB disk (recommended 8 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 500 GB disk).
- Est. server cost: AnythingLLM: from €19.99/mo. Onyx (formerly Danswer): from €69.99/mo.
- Deploy: AnythingLLM: Docker · single container. Onyx (formerly Danswer): Install script (Docker Compose) · multi-container stack.
- GitHub stars: AnythingLLM: 67.4k. Onyx (formerly Danswer): 32.8k.
- Latest release: AnythingLLM: v1.18.0 (Oct 13, 2026). Onyx (formerly Danswer): v4.9.2 (Oct 15, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; GPU: not required or not stated; Status: Active; Last commit: Oct 22, 2026.
AnythingLLM vs Onyx (formerly Danswer): FAQ
AnythingLLM or Onyx (formerly Danswer): which should a small business choose?
Choose AnythingLLM if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €69.99/mo), lighter official minimum (2 GB vs 10 GB RAM), fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core), larger community (67.4k vs 32.8k GitHub stars) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Which is cheaper to self-host, AnythingLLM or Onyx (formerly Danswer)?
AnythingLLM: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €69.99/mo).
How much hardware do AnythingLLM and Onyx (formerly Danswer) need?
AnythingLLM: minimum 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk. Onyx (formerly Danswer): minimum 4 vCPU · 10 GB RAM · 32 GB disk (recommended 8 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 500 GB disk).
What is the license difference between AnythingLLM and Onyx (formerly Danswer)?
AnythingLLM: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the copyright notice. Onyx (formerly Danswer): MIT (Community Edition) + Onyx Enterprise License (ee directories) (Open core). The Community Edition is MIT. Code in "ee" directories is under the Onyx Enterprise License. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is AnythingLLM or Onyx (formerly Danswer) more actively maintained?
AnythingLLM: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. Onyx (formerly Danswer): Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, AnythingLLM or Onyx (formerly Danswer)?
AnythingLLM installs via Docker (single container); Onyx (formerly Danswer) via Install script (Docker Compose) (multi-container stack). AnythingLLM lists 2 known gotchas and Onyx (formerly Danswer) lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- AnythingLLM self-hosting guide · Onyx (formerly Danswer) self-hosting guide
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- All Onyx (formerly Danswer) alternatives, ranked
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- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- AnythingLLM GitHub repository: github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm
- AnythingLLM documentation, AnythingLLM hardware requirements: docs.anythingllm.com/installation-docker/system-requirements
- AnythingLLM license: github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm/blob/master/LICENSE
- AnythingLLM deploy instructions: github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm/blob/master/docker/HOW_TO_USE_DOCKER.md
- Onyx (formerly Danswer) GitHub repository: github.com/onyx-dot-app/onyx
- Onyx (formerly Danswer) documentation, Onyx (formerly Danswer) hardware requirements: docs.onyx.app/deployment/getting_started/resourcing
- Onyx (formerly Danswer) license: github.com/onyx-dot-app/onyx/blob/main/LICENSE
- Onyx (formerly Danswer) deploy instructions: github.com/onyx-dot-app/onyx#readme
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-22): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.