GraphRAG vs R2R
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosted ai options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | GraphRAG | R2R |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 99 · Excellent | 52 · Fair |
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 36,085 | ★ 8,004 |
| First released | 2024 | 2024 |
| Replaces | OpenAI Assistants | OpenAI Assistants |
What are GraphRAG and R2R?
GraphRAG
GraphRAG is a research project from Microsoft that uses LLM-generated knowledge graphs to improve retrieval-augmented generation over private datasets. It can be run locally to index documents and answer complex queries.
- LLM-generated knowledge graphs
- Global and local query modes
- Community summarization
- Works on private data
R2R
R2R (RAG to Riches) is a retrieval-augmented generation engine that bundles ingestion, hybrid search, knowledge graphs, and agentic reasoning behind a single API. It is designed for self-hosted production deployment of document question answering.
- Hybrid and graph search
- Document ingestion pipeline
- Agentic RAG endpoints
- User and collection management
GraphRAG vs R2R: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. GraphRAG has the considerably larger community, at 36,085 GitHub stars versus 8,004. R2R lists first-class Docker deployment; GraphRAG does not.
Why pick each one
Choose GraphRAG if…
- Better multi-hop answers
- Microsoft research backing
- Works on private data
Watch out for
- Expensive indexing runs
- Research-oriented tooling
Choose R2R if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is GraphRAG or R2R better?
Neither is universally better. GraphRAG has the larger community, while R2R is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are GraphRAG and R2R free and open-source?
Yes. GraphRAG is licensed under MIT and R2R under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GraphRAG and R2R with Docker?
GraphRAG: check the project docs for container support. R2R: yes.