MaxKB vs PrivateGPT
Short answer
MaxKB: Enterprise knowledge-base and agent platform with RAG and workflows. PrivateGPT: API-first private document Q&A that sits on top of your own LLM server. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Choose PrivateGPT if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Copyleft (GPL)) and larger community (57.6k vs 23.0k GitHub stars).
PrivateGPT 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
MaxKB vs PrivateGPT side by side
| MaxKB | PrivateGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | Enterprise knowledge-base and agent platform with RAG and workflows. | API-first private document Q&A that sits on top of your own LLM server. |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| License type | Copyleft (GPL) | Permissive |
| License conditions | Free to use internally and commercially. If you distribute a modified version, you must release its source under GPL-3.0. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 23.0k | 57.6k |
| Last commit | Oct 21, 2026 | Oct 20, 2026 |
| Latest release | v2.10.8-lts | v1.0.1 |
| Minimum hardware | 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €35.99/mo | Not estimated |
| Deploy method | Docker | uv (Python) or Docker |
| Known gotchas | 2 listed | 2 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | Not documented |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Paid / enterprise only (OIDC paid · SAML paid · LDAP paid) | Paid / enterprise only (LDAP paid) |
| Audit log | Paid / enterprise only | Paid / enterprise only |
| RBAC | Paid / enterprise only | Paid / enterprise only |
| Details | Full MaxKB guide → | Full PrivateGPT guide → |
Key differences
- License: MaxKB: GPL-3.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). PrivateGPT: Apache-2.0 (Permissive).
- Official hardware: MaxKB: minimum 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk. PrivateGPT: not published.
- Est. server cost: MaxKB: from €35.99/mo. PrivateGPT: not estimated (no official RAM figure).
- Deploy: MaxKB: Docker · single container. PrivateGPT: uv (Python) or Docker · uv (Python) or Docker.
- GitHub stars: MaxKB: 23.0k. PrivateGPT: 57.6k.
- Last commit: MaxKB: Oct 21, 2026. PrivateGPT: Oct 20, 2026.
- Latest release: MaxKB: v2.10.8-lts (Oct 22, 2026). PrivateGPT: v1.0.1 (Jun 18, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; GPU: not required or not stated; Status: Active.
MaxKB vs PrivateGPT: FAQ
MaxKB or PrivateGPT: which should a small business choose?
Choose PrivateGPT if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Copyleft (GPL)) and larger community (57.6k vs 23.0k GitHub stars). PrivateGPT publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, MaxKB or PrivateGPT?
MaxKB: from €35.99/mo. PrivateGPT: 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 MaxKB and PrivateGPT need?
MaxKB: minimum 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk. PrivateGPT: not published.
What is the license difference between MaxKB and PrivateGPT?
MaxKB: GPL-3.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). Free to use internally and commercially. If you distribute a modified version, you must release its source under GPL-3.0. PrivateGPT: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is MaxKB or PrivateGPT more actively maintained?
MaxKB: Active, last commit Oct 21, 2026. PrivateGPT: Active, last commit Oct 20, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, MaxKB or PrivateGPT?
MaxKB installs via Docker (single container); PrivateGPT via uv (Python) or Docker (uv (Python) or Docker). MaxKB lists 2 known gotchas and PrivateGPT lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- MaxKB self-hosting guide · PrivateGPT self-hosting guide
- All MaxKB alternatives, ranked
- All PrivateGPT alternatives, ranked
- AnythingLLM vs MaxKB
- AnythingLLM vs PrivateGPT
- Coze Studio vs MaxKB
- Dify vs MaxKB
- FastGPT vs MaxKB
- FastGPT vs PrivateGPT
- MaxKB vs Onyx (formerly Danswer)
- MaxKB vs Open Notebook
- MaxKB vs RAGFlow
- Onyx (formerly Danswer) vs PrivateGPT
- Open Notebook vs PrivateGPT
- PrivateGPT vs RAGFlow
- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- MaxKB GitHub repository: github.com/1Panel-dev/MaxKB
- MaxKB documentation, MaxKB hardware requirements: docs.fit2cloud.com/maxkb/installation/offline_installtion
- MaxKB license: github.com/1Panel-dev/MaxKB/blob/v2/LICENSE
- MaxKB deploy instructions: github.com/1Panel-dev/MaxKB#quick-start
- PrivateGPT GitHub repository: github.com/zylon-ai/private-gpt
- PrivateGPT documentation, PrivateGPT hardware requirements: docs.privategpt.dev/getting-started/quickstart
- PrivateGPT license: github.com/zylon-ai/private-gpt/blob/main/LICENSE
- PrivateGPT deploy instructions: github.com/zylon-ai/private-gpt#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.