AnythingLLM vs RAGFlow
Short answer
AnythingLLM: All-in-one private chat with your documents, agents and an embeddable widget. RAGFlow: RAG engine with deep document parsing (OCR, layout and tables) and cited answers. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Choose AnythingLLM if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €69.99/mo) 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 RAGFlow side by side
| AnythingLLM | RAGFlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | All-in-one private chat with your documents, agents and an embeddable widget. | RAG engine with deep document parsing (OCR, layout and tables) and cited answers. |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| License type | Permissive | Permissive |
| License conditions | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the copyright notice. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 67.4k | 92.6k |
| Last commit | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 22, 2026 |
| Latest release | v1.18.0 | v1.0.0-rc2 |
| Minimum hardware | 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 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 | Docker Compose |
| Known gotchas | 2 listed | 2 listed |
| Telemetry | On by default | Not documented |
| Calls home by default | No (documented) | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not documented | Free (OIDC free) |
| Audit log | Not documented | Not documented |
| RBAC | Not documented | Basic free, more in paid plan |
| Details | Full AnythingLLM guide → | Full RAGFlow guide → |
Key differences
- License: AnythingLLM: MIT (Permissive). RAGFlow: Apache-2.0 (Permissive).
- Official hardware: AnythingLLM: minimum 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk. RAGFlow: recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk (no separate minimum published).
- Est. server cost: AnythingLLM: from €19.99/mo. RAGFlow: from €69.99/mo.
- Deploy: AnythingLLM: Docker · single container. RAGFlow: Docker Compose · multi-container stack.
- GitHub stars: AnythingLLM: 67.4k. RAGFlow: 92.6k.
- Latest release: AnythingLLM: v1.18.0 (Oct 13, 2026). RAGFlow: v1.0.0-rc2 (Oct 16, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; GPU: not required or not stated; Status: Active; Last commit: Oct 22, 2026.
AnythingLLM vs RAGFlow: FAQ
AnythingLLM or RAGFlow: which should a small business choose?
Choose AnythingLLM if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €69.99/mo) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Which is cheaper to self-host, AnythingLLM or RAGFlow?
AnythingLLM: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €69.99/mo).
How much hardware do AnythingLLM and RAGFlow need?
AnythingLLM: minimum 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk. RAGFlow: recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk (no separate minimum published).
What is the license difference between AnythingLLM and RAGFlow?
AnythingLLM: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the copyright notice. RAGFlow: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is AnythingLLM or RAGFlow more actively maintained?
AnythingLLM: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. RAGFlow: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, AnythingLLM or RAGFlow?
AnythingLLM installs via Docker (single container); RAGFlow via Docker Compose (multi-container stack). AnythingLLM lists 2 known gotchas and RAGFlow lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- AnythingLLM self-hosting guide · RAGFlow self-hosting guide
- All AnythingLLM alternatives, ranked
- All RAGFlow alternatives, ranked
- AnythingLLM vs FastGPT
- AnythingLLM vs LibreChat
- AnythingLLM vs LobeHub (LobeChat)
- AnythingLLM vs MaxKB
- AnythingLLM vs Onyx (formerly Danswer)
- AnythingLLM vs Open Notebook
- AnythingLLM vs Open WebUI
- AnythingLLM vs PrivateGPT
- Coze Studio vs RAGFlow
- Dify vs RAGFlow
- FastGPT vs RAGFlow
- MaxKB vs RAGFlow
- 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
- RAGFlow GitHub repository: github.com/infiniflow/ragflow
- RAGFlow documentation, RAGFlow hardware requirements, RAGFlow deploy instructions: github.com/infiniflow/ragflow#-get-started
- RAGFlow license: github.com/infiniflow/ragflow/blob/main/LICENSE
- 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.