RAGFlow vs Spacebot
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosted ai options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
RAGFlow
RAG engine with deep document understanding
VS
Spacebot
AI agent for teams, communities, and multi-user environments
| Feature | RAGFlow | Spacebot |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | Apache-2.0 | free |
| Language | Go | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 87,057 | ★ 2,354 |
| First released | 2024 | 2022 |
| Replaces | NotebookLM | — |
Why pick each one
Choose RAGFlow if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 87.1k GitHub stars
Choose Spacebot if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Active community (2.4k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is RAGFlow or Spacebot better?
Neither is universally better. RAGFlow has the larger community, while Spacebot is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are RAGFlow and Spacebot free and open-source?
Yes. RAGFlow is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Spacebot under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run RAGFlow and Spacebot with Docker?
RAGFlow: yes. Spacebot: yes.