RAGFlow vs Verba
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosted ai options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | RAGFlow | Verba |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 91,238 | ★ 7,704 |
| First released | 2024 | 2023 |
| Replaces | NotebookLM | NotebookLM |
What are RAGFlow and Verba?
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
Verba
Verba is an open-source retrieval-augmented generation application that lets you query and chat with your data. Built around Weaviate, it offers a customizable interface and supports many model providers.
- End-to-end RAG app
- Weaviate integration
- Many model providers
- Customizable UI
RAGFlow vs Verba: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Verba's repository is archived and no longer developed, while RAGFlow is actively maintained. Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for RAGFlow versus BSD-3-Clause for Verba. Verba 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 7,704.
Why pick each one
Choose RAGFlow if…
- Excellent document parsing
- Citation-backed answers
- Broad LLM support
Watch out for
- Heavy resource requirements
- Complex multi-container stack
Choose Verba if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 7.7k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is RAGFlow or Verba better?
Neither is universally better. RAGFlow has the larger community, while Verba is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are RAGFlow and Verba free and open-source?
Yes. RAGFlow is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Verba under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run RAGFlow and Verba with Docker?
RAGFlow: yes. Verba: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, RAGFlow or Verba?
Verba 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.