Onyx (formerly Danswer) vs PrivateGPT
Short answer
Onyx (formerly Danswer): AI chat and enterprise search connected to 50+ workplace apps. 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 Open core) and larger community (57.6k vs 32.8k 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
Onyx (formerly Danswer) vs PrivateGPT side by side
| Onyx (formerly Danswer) | PrivateGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | AI chat and enterprise search connected to 50+ workplace apps. | API-first private document Q&A that sits on top of your own LLM server. |
| License | MIT (Community Edition) + Onyx Enterprise License (ee directories) | Apache-2.0 |
| License type | Open core | Permissive |
| License conditions | The Community Edition is MIT. Code in "ee" directories is under the Onyx Enterprise License. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 32.8k | 57.6k |
| Last commit | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 20, 2026 |
| Latest release | v4.9.2 | v1.0.1 |
| Minimum hardware | 4 vCPU · 10 GB RAM · 32 GB disk | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | 8 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 500 GB disk | 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 €69.99/mo | Not estimated |
| Deploy method | Install script (Docker Compose) | uv (Python) or Docker |
| Known gotchas | 2 listed | 2 listed |
| Telemetry | On by default | Not documented |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not documented | Paid / enterprise only (LDAP paid) |
| Audit log | Not documented | Paid / enterprise only |
| RBAC | Paid / enterprise only | Paid / enterprise only |
| Details | Full Onyx (formerly Danswer) guide → | Full PrivateGPT guide → |
Key differences
- License: Onyx (formerly Danswer): MIT (Community Edition) + Onyx Enterprise License (ee directories) (Open core). PrivateGPT: Apache-2.0 (Permissive).
- Official hardware: Onyx (formerly Danswer): minimum 4 vCPU · 10 GB RAM · 32 GB disk (recommended 8 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 500 GB disk). PrivateGPT: not published.
- Est. server cost: Onyx (formerly Danswer): from €69.99/mo. PrivateGPT: not estimated (no official RAM figure).
- Deploy: Onyx (formerly Danswer): Install script (Docker Compose) · multi-container stack. PrivateGPT: uv (Python) or Docker · uv (Python) or Docker.
- GitHub stars: Onyx (formerly Danswer): 32.8k. PrivateGPT: 57.6k.
- Last commit: Onyx (formerly Danswer): Oct 22, 2026. PrivateGPT: Oct 20, 2026.
- Latest release: Onyx (formerly Danswer): v4.9.2 (Oct 15, 2026). PrivateGPT: v1.0.1 (Jun 18, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; GPU: not required or not stated; Status: Active.
Onyx (formerly Danswer) vs PrivateGPT: FAQ
Onyx (formerly Danswer) or PrivateGPT: which should a small business choose?
Choose PrivateGPT if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core) and larger community (57.6k vs 32.8k GitHub stars). PrivateGPT publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, Onyx (formerly Danswer) or PrivateGPT?
Onyx (formerly Danswer): from €69.99/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 Onyx (formerly Danswer) and PrivateGPT need?
Onyx (formerly Danswer): minimum 4 vCPU · 10 GB RAM · 32 GB disk (recommended 8 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 500 GB disk). PrivateGPT: not published.
What is the license difference between Onyx (formerly Danswer) and PrivateGPT?
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. PrivateGPT: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is Onyx (formerly Danswer) or PrivateGPT more actively maintained?
Onyx (formerly Danswer): Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. PrivateGPT: Active, last commit Oct 20, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Onyx (formerly Danswer) or PrivateGPT?
Onyx (formerly Danswer) installs via Install script (Docker Compose) (multi-container stack); PrivateGPT via uv (Python) or Docker (uv (Python) or Docker). Onyx (formerly Danswer) lists 2 known gotchas and PrivateGPT lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- Onyx (formerly Danswer) self-hosting guide · PrivateGPT self-hosting guide
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Sources
- 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
- 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.