LobeHub (LobeChat) vs Open WebUI
Short answer
LobeHub (LobeChat): Polished multi-model chat and agent workspace with plugins and knowledge bases. Open WebUI: Feature-rich self-hosted chat UI for Ollama and OpenAI-compatible APIs. Both are in our Private ChatGPT-style chat category.
Choose Open WebUI if you want: larger community (156k vs 83.4k GitHub stars) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
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
LobeHub (LobeChat) vs Open WebUI side by side
| LobeHub (LobeChat) | Open WebUI | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Private ChatGPT-style chat | Private ChatGPT-style chat |
| What it is | Polished multi-model chat and agent workspace with plugins and knowledge bases. | Feature-rich self-hosted chat UI for Ollama and OpenAI-compatible APIs. |
| License | LobeHub Community License (Apache-2.0 with conditions) | Open WebUI License (BSD-3-Clause style with branding clause) |
| License type | Custom / conditional | Custom / conditional |
| License conditions | Commercial use is allowed as a frontend and backend service without modifying the source. Developing and distributing a derivative work requires a commercial license from LobeHub. | 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 | 83.4k | 156k |
| Last commit | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 16, 2026 |
| Latest release | v2.2.20 | v0.12.3 |
| Minimum hardware | 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 20 GB disk | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 50 GB disk | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | 896 MiB idle, 909 MiB working (our test, v0.12.3, Oct 22, 2026) |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €19.99/mo (recommended spec: €35.99/mo) | from €11.99/mo (based on our test, not official) |
| Deploy method | Docker Compose (setup script) | Docker |
| Known gotchas | 3 listed | 2 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | Off by default (opt-in) |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Yes, by default |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Free (OIDC free) | Free (OIDC free · LDAP free) |
| Audit log | Not documented | Yes, free |
| RBAC | Not documented | Yes, free |
| Details | Full LobeHub (LobeChat) guide → | Full Open WebUI guide → |
Key differences
- License: LobeHub (LobeChat): LobeHub Community License (Apache-2.0 with conditions) (Custom / conditional). Open WebUI: Open WebUI License (BSD-3-Clause style with branding clause) (Custom / conditional).
- Official hardware: LobeHub (LobeChat): minimum 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 50 GB disk). Open WebUI: not published.
- Est. server cost: LobeHub (LobeChat): from €19.99/mo. Open WebUI: not estimated (no official RAM figure).
- Deploy: LobeHub (LobeChat): Docker Compose (setup script) · multi-container stack. Open WebUI: Docker · single container.
- GitHub stars: LobeHub (LobeChat): 83.4k. Open WebUI: 156k.
- Last commit: LobeHub (LobeChat): Oct 22, 2026. Open WebUI: Oct 16, 2026.
- Latest release: LobeHub (LobeChat): v2.2.20 (Oct 18, 2026). Open WebUI: v0.12.3 (Oct 16, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Private ChatGPT-style chat; GPU: not required or not stated; Status: Active.
LobeHub (LobeChat) vs Open WebUI: FAQ
LobeHub (LobeChat) or Open WebUI: which should a small business choose?
Choose Open WebUI if you want: larger community (156k vs 83.4k GitHub stars) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack). Open WebUI publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, LobeHub (LobeChat) or Open WebUI?
LobeHub (LobeChat): from €19.99/mo. Open WebUI: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Our estimate is the cheapest Hetzner Cloud plan that meets each project's official RAM and vCPU figure; it covers the server only.
How much hardware do LobeHub (LobeChat) and Open WebUI need?
LobeHub (LobeChat): minimum 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 50 GB disk). Open WebUI: not published.
What is the license difference between LobeHub (LobeChat) and Open WebUI?
LobeHub (LobeChat): LobeHub Community License (Apache-2.0 with conditions) (Custom / conditional). Commercial use is allowed as a frontend and backend service without modifying the source. Developing and distributing a derivative work requires a commercial license from LobeHub. 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 LobeHub (LobeChat) or Open WebUI more actively maintained?
LobeHub (LobeChat): 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, LobeHub (LobeChat) or Open WebUI?
LobeHub (LobeChat) installs via Docker Compose (setup script) (multi-container stack); Open WebUI via Docker (single container). LobeHub (LobeChat) lists 3 known gotchas and Open WebUI lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- LobeHub (LobeChat) self-hosting guide · Open WebUI self-hosting guide
- All LobeHub (LobeChat) alternatives, ranked
- All Open WebUI alternatives, ranked
- AnythingLLM vs LobeHub (LobeChat)
- AnythingLLM vs Open WebUI
- Jan vs LobeHub (LobeChat)
- Jan vs Open WebUI
- LibreChat vs LobeHub (LobeChat)
- LibreChat vs Open WebUI
- LobeHub (LobeChat) vs NextChat
- NextChat vs Open WebUI
- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- LobeHub (LobeChat) GitHub repository: github.com/lobehub/lobehub
- LobeHub (LobeChat) documentation, LobeHub (LobeChat) hardware requirements, LobeHub (LobeChat) deploy instructions: lobehub.com/docs/self-hosting/platform/docker-compose
- LobeHub (LobeChat) license: github.com/lobehub/lobehub/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.