KoboldCpp vs Page Assist
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted local llm runners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | KoboldCpp | Page Assist |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Local LLM Runners | Local LLM Runners |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,854 | ★ 8,228 |
| First released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Replaces | ChatGPT | ChatGPT |
What are KoboldCpp and Page Assist?
KoboldCpp
KoboldCpp is an easy-to-use, single-executable tool for running GGUF language models locally. It is popular for AI writing and roleplay, bundling a UI, an API, and image and speech features.
- Single-file executable
- Bundled UI and API
- Image and TTS support
- Storytelling features
Page Assist
Page Assist is a browser extension that adds a sidebar and web UI for interacting with local AI models. It can chat about the current web page and perform retrieval over its content using Ollama.
- Browser sidebar chat
- Chat with current page
- Local model RAG
- Works offline
KoboldCpp vs Page Assist: key differences
KoboldCpp is written in C++, while Page Assist is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for KoboldCpp versus MIT for Page Assist. Page Assist is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 8,192 MB for KoboldCpp.
Why pick each one
Choose KoboldCpp if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 11.9k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Choose Page Assist if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 8.2k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is KoboldCpp or Page Assist better?
Neither is universally better. KoboldCpp has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are KoboldCpp and Page Assist free and open-source?
Yes. KoboldCpp is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Page Assist under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KoboldCpp and Page Assist with Docker?
KoboldCpp: check the project docs for container support. Page Assist: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, KoboldCpp or Page Assist?
Page Assist has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 8,192 MB for KoboldCpp. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.