SHSelfHostIndex

LocalAI vs New API

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
LO LocalAI Drop-in OpenAI-compatible API for local inference VS NE New API Next-gen LLM gateway and AI asset management system
FeatureLocalAINew API
CategoryAI Image GenerationLocal LLM Runners
LicenseMITMIT
LanguageGoGo
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM8,192 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, binarydocker
GitHub stars★ 48,315★ 44,636
First released20232024
ReplacesOpenAI API, ElevenLabsOpenRouter, OpenAI API

Why pick each one

Choose LocalAI if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 48.3k GitHub stars
LocalAI details

Choose New API if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 44.6k GitHub stars
  • Written in Go
New API details

Frequently asked questions

Is LocalAI or New API better?

Neither is universally better. LocalAI has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are LocalAI and New API free and open-source?

Yes. LocalAI is licensed under MIT and New API under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run LocalAI and New API with Docker?

LocalAI: yes. New API: yes.

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