Vanna vs Wren AI
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosted ai options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Vanna | Wren AI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 95 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,811 | ★ 17,737 |
| First released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Replaces | ThoughtSpot | ThoughtSpot |
What are Vanna and Wren AI?
Vanna
Vanna is an open-source Python framework that generates accurate SQL queries from natural language by training a RAG model on your schema. It works with many databases and LLM providers.
- Natural language to SQL
- Trains on your schema
- Many database connectors
- Self-hostable
Wren AI
Wren AI is an open-source conversational analytics agent that turns natural language questions into SQL and charts. It connects to many databases and provides a semantic layer for accurate answers.
- Text-to-SQL queries
- Semantic data modeling
- Charts and dashboards
- Many database connectors
Vanna vs Wren AI: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Vanna's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Wren AI is actively maintained. Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Vanna versus AGPL-3.0 for Wren AI. Vanna is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Wren AI. Wren AI lists first-class Docker deployment; Vanna does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Vanna if…
- Natural language to SQL
- Many database connectors
- Flexible LLM support
Watch out for
- Upstream development stopped
- Accuracy needs training data
Choose Wren AI if…
- Natural language SQL
- Semantic layer accuracy
- Many database connectors
Watch out for
- LLM key required
- Multi-container deployment
Frequently asked questions
Is Vanna or Wren AI better?
Neither is universally better. Vanna has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Vanna and Wren AI free and open-source?
Yes. Vanna is licensed under MIT and Wren AI under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Vanna and Wren AI with Docker?
Vanna: check the project docs for container support. Wren AI: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Vanna or Wren AI?
Vanna has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Wren AI. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.