Onyx vs Danswer
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosted ai options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Onyx
AI assistant connected to your company's knowledge
VS
Danswer
AI assistant connected to your company's documents and apps
| Feature | Onyx | Danswer |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 31,496 | ★ 31,496 |
| First released | 2023 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Glean, ChatGPT Enterprise | Glean, Guru |
Why pick each one
Choose Onyx if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 31.5k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Onyx or Danswer better?
Neither is universally better. Onyx has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Onyx and Danswer free and open-source?
Yes. Onyx is licensed under MIT and Danswer under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Onyx and Danswer with Docker?
Onyx: yes. Danswer: yes.