DocsGPT vs Vane
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 platform for AI agents that answer from your own documents, with any model.
Open source · MIT
A self-hosted AI answering engine that searches the web and cites its sources.
The short answer
Choose DocsGPT if you need…
- Teams that want an internal assistant over their own documents and wikis
- Developers who want to embed a documentation chatbot on a product site
- People who need to keep data inside their own infrastructure
- Users who want to run local models through Ollama or vLLM
Choose Vane if you need…
- People who want AI-written answers with links to sources
- Users who prefer to run their own search setup instead of a hosted service
- People who want to use local models through Ollama
- Developers who want a self-hosted starting point for AI search
Side-by-side
| DocsGPT | Vane | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 18.4k | 38k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | See the README | Run with Docker |
| Main language | Python | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 2 months ago |
What each one is
DocsGPT
DocsGPT turns your documents, websites and connected apps into AI agents that answer questions and cite their sources. You can build agents and visual workflows, give them tools, and embed them in a website, an OpenAI-compatible API, or an MCP server. The README says it can run entirely in your own environment with cloud or local models.
Vane
Vane is an AI answering engine you run on your own machine. You ask a question, it searches the web through SearxNG and uses a language model you choose to write an answer with cited sources. It can use local models through Ollama or cloud providers such as OpenAI, Claude, and Groq.
Best for
DocsGPT
- Teams that want an internal assistant over their own documents and wikis
- Developers who want to embed a documentation chatbot on a product site
- People who need to keep data inside their own infrastructure
- Users who want to run local models through Ollama or vLLM
Vane
- People who want AI-written answers with links to sources
- Users who prefer to run their own search setup instead of a hosted service
- People who want to use local models through Ollama
- Developers who want a self-hosted starting point for AI search
Strengths
DocsGPT
- Self-hosting and the MIT license let you keep data in your environment
- Supports many model providers, including local models
- Answers include citations to the source documents
Vane
- Can run with local models so queries stay on your hardware
- Supports many AI providers and lets you mix models
- Includes a bundled SearxNG so setup can be a single Docker command
Not ideal for
DocsGPT
- People who only want a quick hosted chatbot and no setup, since the cloud option is a separate service and the self-hosted route needs Docker and configuration
- Non-technical users without someone to run the install and manage upgrades, backups and security settings
- Teams that need guarantees about model quality, as the README does not make claims about answer accuracy beyond citing sources
Vane
- People who want a zero-setup hosted service, since the README centers on running it yourself with Docker or Node.js
- Users who need features the README lists as coming soon, such as Tavily and Exa search support
- People without a model provider or local LLM, since Vane needs one to produce answers
Trade-offs
DocsGPT
- Self-hosting involves several services (API, worker, Postgres, Redis, vector store), so it takes real setup effort
- The README is truncated here, so detailed requirements and limits are not fully visible
- Features like guardrails and deep research depend on configuration the README does not fully detail
Vane
- Answer quality depends on the model and provider you connect, and the README does not compare them
- Some listed features, such as Tavily and Exa support, are described as coming soon
- Connecting local models like Ollama can require network and firewall changes on Linux
Getting started
DocsGPT
Install on macOS or Linux (one command, from README)
curl -fsSL https://docs.ac/install | bashInstall on Windows PowerShell (from README)
irm https://docs.ac/install.ps1 | iexVane
Run with Docker (includes SearxNG)
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 -v vane-data:/home/vane/data --name vane itzcrazykns1337/vane:latestClone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ItzCrazyKns/Vane.gitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between DocsGPT and Vane?
DocsGPT: Self-hosted platform for AI agents that answer from your own documents, with any model. Vane: A self-hosted AI answering engine that searches the web and cites its sources. DocsGPT suits teams that want an internal assistant over their own documents and wikis, while Vane suits people who want ai-written answers with links to sources.
Are DocsGPT and Vane free?
DocsGPT: Free and open source. Vane: Free and open source.
Is DocsGPT or Vane more popular?
Vane has more GitHub stars (38k) than DocsGPT (18.4k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to DocsGPT and Vane?
Other options people compare them with include AnythingLLM, LlamaGPT, Open SaaS, doccano, DB-GPT.
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.