ChatBot UI vs Hollama
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted ai chat uis options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ChatBot UI | Hollama |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 36 · At risk | 44 · Fair |
| Category | AI Chat UIs | AI Chat UIs |
| License | free | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33,348 | ★ 1,186 |
| First released | 2022 | 2024 |
| Replaces | ChatGPT | ChatGPT |
What are ChatBot UI and Hollama?
ChatBot UI
⚠️ Removal Notice: ChatBot UI has been removed from the Umbrel App Store because the packaged version is no longer maintained and is not compatible with the current upstream app architecture. Existing installs will continue to work as normal. ChatBot UI is an advanced chatbot kit for OpenAI's chat models aiming to mimic ChatGPT's interface and functionality. Simply add your OpenAI API key and start chatting! This version of ChatBot UI supports both GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 models. Conversations are stored locally within your browser. You can export and import conversations to safeguard against data l.
- ChatGPT-style interface
- Multiple model providers
- Prompt library
- Conversation import and export
Hollama
Hollama is a minimal, fast web interface for chatting with Ollama and OpenAI-compatible models. It stores everything in the browser and requires no server-side database.
- Minimal interface
- Browser-side storage
- No database required
- Ollama and OpenAI support
ChatBot UI vs Hollama: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — free for ChatBot UI versus MIT for Hollama. Hollama is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for ChatBot UI. ChatBot UI is the more established project (first released 2022), while Hollama arrived in 2024. ChatBot UI has the considerably larger community, at 33,348 GitHub stars versus 1,186.
Why pick each one
Choose ChatBot UI if…
- Familiar ChatGPT-style interface
- Easy Docker deployment
- Conversation import and export
Watch out for
- No longer actively maintained
- OpenAI API key required
Choose Hollama if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatBot UI or Hollama better?
Neither is universally better. ChatBot UI has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ChatBot UI and Hollama free and open-source?
Yes. ChatBot UI is licensed under free and Hollama under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ChatBot UI and Hollama with Docker?
ChatBot UI: yes. Hollama: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, ChatBot UI or Hollama?
Hollama has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for ChatBot UI. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.