Lobe Vidol vs SillyTavern
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosted ai options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Lobe Vidol | SillyTavern |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 14 · At risk | 98 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 991 | ★ 33,723 |
| First released | 2024 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Character.AI | Character.AI |
What are Lobe Vidol and SillyTavern?
Lobe Vidol
Lobe Vidol is an open-source application for chatting with AI-driven virtual idols using 3D and Live2D models. It combines large language models with text-to-speech and motion to create interactive virtual characters.
- 3D and Live2D characters
- Voice chat
- Custom personas
- Browser-based
SillyTavern
SillyTavern is a locally installed interface for LLM-powered character chat and roleplay. It supports many backends, character cards, group chats, extensions, and rich customization.
- Character card support
- Many LLM backends
- Group chats
- Extension ecosystem
Lobe Vidol vs SillyTavern: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Lobe Vidol's repository is archived and no longer developed, while SillyTavern is actively maintained. Lobe Vidol is written in TypeScript, while SillyTavern is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Lobe Vidol versus AGPL-3.0 for SillyTavern. SillyTavern has the considerably larger community, at 33,723 GitHub stars versus 991.
Why pick each one
Choose Lobe Vidol if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Watch out for
- Niche use case
- Requires LLM API
Choose SillyTavern if…
- Supports many backends
- Deep customization options
- Active extension ecosystem
Watch out for
- Niche roleplay focus
- Cluttered interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Lobe Vidol or SillyTavern better?
Neither is universally better. SillyTavern has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Lobe Vidol and SillyTavern free and open-source?
Yes. Lobe Vidol is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SillyTavern under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lobe Vidol and SillyTavern with Docker?
Lobe Vidol: yes. SillyTavern: yes.