Chatbot UI vs LibreChat
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Self-hosted open-source web chat app for talking to AI models, backed by Supabase.
Open source · MIT
Self-hosted, open-source chat interface for many AI models, with agents, tools, and multi-user login.
The short answer
Choose Chatbot UI if you need…
- Developers who want a self-hosted chat interface for OpenAI or Azure OpenAI models
- People comfortable running Docker and a Node.js project locally
- Anyone who wants to try local models through Ollama alongside hosted ones
- Teams who want to customize an open-source chat front end
Choose LibreChat if you need…
- Teams that want one shared chat interface across several AI providers
- People who want to self-host a ChatGPT-style interface and keep their data on their own server
- Developers who want to connect custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints or local models
- Organizations that need multi-user login and role-based access
Side-by-side
| Chatbot UI | LibreChat | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 33.3k | 46.6k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 2 years ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Chatbot UI
Chatbot UI is a web app that gives you a chat interface for AI models, which you can run on your own machine or server. It stores chats and settings in a Supabase (Postgres) database, and the README says it can also connect to local Ollama models. A hosted version is available from the maintainer if you don't want to run it yourself.
LibreChat
LibreChat is a free, open-source web app that looks like ChatGPT but lets you connect to many AI providers, such as OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Google, Azure, and local models through compatible APIs. You run it on your own server, so conversations and accounts stay under your control. It also includes agents, tool integrations via MCP, file handling, and code execution.
Best for
Chatbot UI
- Developers who want a self-hosted chat interface for OpenAI or Azure OpenAI models
- People comfortable running Docker and a Node.js project locally
- Anyone who wants to try local models through Ollama alongside hosted ones
- Teams who want to customize an open-source chat front end
LibreChat
- Teams that want one shared chat interface across several AI providers
- People who want to self-host a ChatGPT-style interface and keep their data on their own server
- Developers who want to connect custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints or local models
- Organizations that need multi-user login and role-based access
Strengths
Chatbot UI
- Open source under the MIT license, so you can read and modify the code
- Stores data in Supabase (Postgres) instead of only in browser storage, as the README explains
- Has an official hosted version for people who don't want to self-host
LibreChat
- Supports many AI providers and any OpenAI-compatible API in one interface
- Open source under the MIT license and self-hostable
- Has a large user base, with over 46,000 GitHub stars
Not ideal for
Chatbot UI
- Non-technical users who want a simple install: setup requires Docker, Supabase CLI, and editing SQL migration files
- People needing a polished mobile experience, since the README says improved mobile layouts are still planned
- People who want the 2.0 code's latest deployment simplification: the README says simpler deployment is still on the way
LibreChat
- People who just want to chat with AI and do not want to run a server; a hosted service is simpler
- Users with no hosting or Docker experience, since setup involves configuring a server and API keys
- Those who need features the README marks as experimental, such as attached code workspaces, to be stable
Trade-offs
Chatbot UI
- Setup has many steps, including Docker, the Supabase CLI, and manual SQL edits, and the README says deployment is still being simplified
- The README states that the project's maintainer is working on a big update and that the 1.0 code lives on a legacy branch
- Issues about setup are redirected to Discussions, and the README says the contributing guide is still in progress
LibreChat
- Self-hosting requires technical setup and ongoing maintenance
- Some newer features, such as attached workspaces, are labeled highly experimental
- The README is truncated here, so detailed install steps could not be verified from this excerpt
Getting started
Chatbot UI
Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/mckaywrigley/chatbot-ui.gitInstall dependencies
npm installLibreChat
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/LibreChat-AI/LibreChatFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Chatbot UI and LibreChat?
Chatbot UI: Self-hosted open-source web chat app for talking to AI models, backed by Supabase. LibreChat: Self-hosted, open-source chat interface for many AI models, with agents, tools, and multi-user login. Chatbot UI suits developers who want a self-hosted chat interface for openai or azure openai models, while LibreChat suits teams that want one shared chat interface across several ai providers.
Are Chatbot UI and LibreChat free?
Chatbot UI: Free and open source. LibreChat: Free and open source.
Is Chatbot UI or LibreChat more popular?
LibreChat has more GitHub stars (46.6k) than Chatbot UI (33.3k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Chatbot UI and LibreChat?
Other options people compare them with include AnythingLLM, OpenWhispr, One API, MCP for Unity, AI Website Cloner.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.