Quivr vs RAGFlow
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosted ai options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Quivr | RAGFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 39,553 | ★ 91,238 |
| First released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Replaces | NotebookLM | NotebookLM |
What are Quivr and RAGFlow?
Quivr
Quivr is an open-source RAG framework that helps developers build personal knowledge assistants over documents. It focuses on making retrieval-augmented generation simple and embeddable into products.
- RAG framework
- Document ingestion
- Embeddable into apps
- Many file types
RAGFlow
RAGFlow is an open-source retrieval-augmented generation engine built around deep document understanding. It parses complex documents accurately, chunks them intelligently, and provides grounded, citation-backed answers.
- Deep document parsing
- Citation-grounded answers
- Knowledge base management
- Visual chunking
Quivr vs RAGFlow: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Quivr is the lighter option, starting around 2,048 MB of RAM against 8,192 MB for RAGFlow. RAGFlow has the considerably larger community, at 91,238 GitHub stars versus 39,553.
Why pick each one
Choose Quivr if…
- Developer-friendly RAG core
- Embeds into products
- Many file formats
Watch out for
- Requires LLM API keys
- Project scope shifted often
Choose RAGFlow if…
- Excellent document parsing
- Citation-backed answers
- Broad LLM support
Watch out for
- Heavy resource requirements
- Complex multi-container stack
Frequently asked questions
Is Quivr or RAGFlow better?
Neither is universally better. RAGFlow has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Quivr and RAGFlow free and open-source?
Yes. Quivr is licensed under Apache-2.0 and RAGFlow under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Quivr and RAGFlow with Docker?
Quivr: yes. RAGFlow: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Quivr or RAGFlow?
Quivr has the smaller minimum footprint at 2,048 MB of RAM, compared to about 8,192 MB for RAGFlow. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.