ChatBot UI vs Open WebUI
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 | Open WebUI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 36 · At risk | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | AI Chat UIs | AI Chat UIs |
| License | free | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33,348 | ★ 152,950 |
| First released | 2022 | 2023 |
| Replaces | ChatGPT | ChatGPT, Poe |
What are ChatBot UI and Open WebUI?
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⚠️ Removal Notice: ChatBot UI has been removed from the Umbrel App Store because the packaged version is no longer maintained and is not compatible with the current upstream app architecture.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
Open WebUI
Open WebUI is an extensible, offline-capable web interface for interacting with local and remote LLMs. It supports Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible API, with chat history, RAG document uploads, multi-user accounts, and a plugin pipeline system.
- Polished ChatGPT-style UI
- Built-in RAG and web search
- Multi-user with roles
- Model and prompt management
ChatBot UI vs Open WebUI: key differences
ChatBot UI is written in TypeScript, while Open WebUI is built with Python. Licensing differs — free for ChatBot UI versus BSD-3-Clause for Open WebUI. ChatBot UI is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Open WebUI. Open WebUI has the considerably larger community, at 152,950 GitHub stars versus 33,348.
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- No longer actively maintained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 Open WebUI if…
- Very active development
- Works with many backends
Watch out for
- Feature set can feel overwhelming
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatBot UI or Open WebUI better?
Neither is universally better. Open WebUI has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ChatBot UI and Open WebUI free and open-source?
Yes. ChatBot UI is licensed under free and Open WebUI under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ChatBot UI and Open WebUI with Docker?
ChatBot UI: yes. Open WebUI: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, ChatBot UI or Open WebUI?
ChatBot UI has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Open WebUI. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.