Ollama vs PrivateGPT
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
PrivateGPT
Ask questions about your documents fully offline
| Feature | Ollama | PrivateGPT |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Local LLM Runners | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 178,027 | ★ 57,416 |
| First released | 2023 | 2023 |
| Replaces | ChatGPT, OpenAI API | ChatGPT |
Why pick each one
Choose PrivateGPT if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 57.4k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Ollama or PrivateGPT better?
Ollama is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider PrivateGPT if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Ollama and PrivateGPT free and open-source?
Yes. Ollama is licensed under MIT and PrivateGPT under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ollama and PrivateGPT with Docker?
Ollama: yes. PrivateGPT: yes.