GraphRAG vs LLMWare
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?
GraphRAG
Graph-based retrieval-augmented generation system
VS
LLMWare
Framework for enterprise RAG with small language models
| Feature | GraphRAG | LLMWare |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | source | source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 35,323 | ★ 14,857 |
| First released | 2024 | 2023 |
| Replaces | OpenAI Assistants | OpenAI Assistants |
Why pick each one
Choose GraphRAG if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 35.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Choose LLMWare if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 14.9k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is GraphRAG or LLMWare better?
Neither is universally better. GraphRAG has the larger community, while LLMWare is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are GraphRAG and LLMWare free and open-source?
Yes. GraphRAG is licensed under MIT and LLMWare under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GraphRAG and LLMWare with Docker?
GraphRAG: check the project docs for container support. LLMWare: yes.