Jan vs Open WebUI
Short answer
Jan: Offline desktop ChatGPT alternative that runs models on each employee's computer. Open WebUI: Feature-rich self-hosted chat UI for Ollama and OpenAI-compatible APIs. Both are in our Private ChatGPT-style chat category.
Choose Jan if you want: no server to rent (desktop app) and fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Custom / conditional).
Choose Open WebUI if you want: larger community (156k vs 45.0k GitHub stars).
Open WebUI publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
Jan vs Open WebUI side by side
| Jan | Open WebUI | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Private ChatGPT-style chat | Private ChatGPT-style chat |
| What it is | Offline desktop ChatGPT alternative that runs models on each employee's computer. | Feature-rich self-hosted chat UI for Ollama and OpenAI-compatible APIs. |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Open WebUI License (BSD-3-Clause style with branding clause) |
| License type | Permissive | Custom / conditional |
| License conditions | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. | BSD-style terms plus a branding condition. You may not alter or remove the "Open WebUI" branding unless your deployment has no more than 50 end users in any rolling 30 days, you have written permission, or you hold an enterprise license. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 45.0k | 156k |
| Last commit | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 16, 2026 |
| Latest release | v0.8.7 | v0.12.3 |
| Minimum hardware | 8 GB RAM · 10 GB disk | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | 16 GB RAM | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | 896 MiB idle, 909 MiB working (our test, v0.12.3, Oct 22, 2026) |
| GPU | 6 GB VRAM minimum for GPU acceleration | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | No server (desktop app) | from €11.99/mo (based on our test, not official) |
| Deploy method | Desktop installer | Docker |
| Known gotchas | 2 listed | 2 listed |
| Telemetry | Off by default (opt-in) | Off by default (opt-in) |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Yes, by default |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not documented | Free (OIDC free · LDAP free) |
| Audit log | Not documented | Yes, free |
| RBAC | Not documented | Yes, free |
| Details | Full Jan guide → | Full Open WebUI guide → |
Key differences
- License: Jan: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Open WebUI: Open WebUI License (BSD-3-Clause style with branding clause) (Custom / conditional).
- Official hardware: Jan: minimum 8 GB RAM · 10 GB disk (recommended 16 GB RAM). Open WebUI: not published.
- GPU: Jan: optional / see notes. Open WebUI: not required or not stated.
- Est. server cost: Jan: no server (desktop app). Open WebUI: not estimated (no official RAM figure).
- Deploy: Jan: Desktop installer · desktop installer on each computer. Open WebUI: Docker · single container.
- GitHub stars: Jan: 45.0k. Open WebUI: 156k.
- Last commit: Jan: Oct 22, 2026. Open WebUI: Oct 16, 2026.
- Latest release: Jan: v0.8.7 (Oct 20, 2026). Open WebUI: v0.12.3 (Oct 16, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Private ChatGPT-style chat; Status: Active.
Jan vs Open WebUI: FAQ
Jan or Open WebUI: which should a small business choose?
Choose Jan if you want: no server to rent (desktop app) and fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Custom / conditional). Choose Open WebUI if you want: larger community (156k vs 45.0k GitHub stars). Open WebUI publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, Jan or Open WebUI?
Jan: no server to rent (desktop app).
How much hardware do Jan and Open WebUI need?
Jan: minimum 8 GB RAM · 10 GB disk (recommended 16 GB RAM). Open WebUI: not published.
What is the license difference between Jan and Open WebUI?
Jan: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. Open WebUI: Open WebUI License (BSD-3-Clause style with branding clause) (Custom / conditional). BSD-style terms plus a branding condition. You may not alter or remove the "Open WebUI" branding unless your deployment has no more than 50 end users in any rolling 30 days, you have written permission, or you hold an enterprise license. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is Jan or Open WebUI more actively maintained?
Jan: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. Open WebUI: Active, last commit Oct 16, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Jan or Open WebUI?
Jan installs via Desktop installer (desktop installer on each computer); Open WebUI via Docker (single container). Jan lists 2 known gotchas and Open WebUI lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- Jan self-hosting guide · Open WebUI self-hosting guide
- All Jan alternatives, ranked
- All Open WebUI alternatives, ranked
- AnythingLLM vs Open WebUI
- Jan vs LibreChat
- Jan vs llama.cpp
- Jan vs LobeHub (LobeChat)
- Jan vs LocalAI
- Jan vs NextChat
- Jan vs Ollama
- LibreChat vs Open WebUI
- LobeHub (LobeChat) vs Open WebUI
- NextChat vs Open WebUI
- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- Jan GitHub repository: github.com/janhq/jan
- Jan documentation, Jan hardware requirements, Jan deploy instructions: docs.jan.ai/desktop/install/linux
- Jan license: github.com/janhq/jan/blob/main/LICENSE
- Open WebUI GitHub repository: github.com/open-webui/open-webui
- Open WebUI documentation, Open WebUI hardware requirements: docs.openwebui.com/getting-started/quick-start/
- Open WebUI license: github.com/open-webui/open-webui/blob/main/LICENSE
- Open WebUI deploy instructions: github.com/open-webui/open-webui#installation-with-default-configuration
- 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.