Ollama vs Open WebUI
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?
Ollama
Run large language models locally with a simple CLI and API
VS
Open WebUI
Feature-rich self-hosted web interface for local LLMs
| Feature | Ollama | Open WebUI |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Local LLM Runners | AI Chat UIs |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 178,027 | ★ 148,193 |
| First released | 2023 | 2023 |
| Replaces | ChatGPT, OpenAI API | ChatGPT, Poe |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Ollama or Open WebUI better?
Neither is universally better. Ollama has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Ollama and Open WebUI free and open-source?
Yes. Ollama is licensed under MIT and Open WebUI under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ollama and Open WebUI with Docker?
Ollama: yes. Open WebUI: yes.