ollama vs open-webui: Which to Choose in 2026?

A comprehensive side-by-side comparison of ollama and open-webui covering stars, language, license, quality, and community activity.

Comparison Table

Feature ollama open-webui
Stars ★ 167.9k ★ 129.8k
Forks 15,401 18,372
Category AI Tool MCP Server
Language Go Python
License MIT
Last Updated 2026-04-07 2026-04-03
Overall Score 51/100 54/100
Quality Score 40.2/100 55.24/100
Open Issues 2,865 264
Total Commits
Created 2023-06-26 2023-10-06

ollama

Ollama Start building with open models. Download macOS or download manually Windows or download manually Linux Manual install instructions Docker The official Ollama Docker image is available on Docker Hub.

View Details → GitHub →

open-webui

Open WebUI 👋 Open WebUI is an extensible, feature-rich, and user-friendly self-hosted AI platform designed to operate entirely offline. It supports various LLM runners like Ollama and OpenAI-compatible APIs, with built-in inference engine for RAG, making it a powerful AI deployment solution.

View Details → GitHub →

Quick Verdict

  • Both have comparable community adoption (167.9k vs 129.8k stars)
  • open-webui has a higher quality score (55.24 vs 40.2)

The best choice ultimately depends on your specific needs, tech stack, and project scale. Both tools have their strengths.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between ollama and open-webui?

ollama is a ai tool with 167.9k GitHub stars, primarily written in Go. open-webui is a mcp server with 129.8k GitHub stars, primarily written in Python. Get up and running with Kimi-K2.5, GLM-5, MiniMax, DeepSeek, gpt-oss, Qwen, Gemma and other models.

Which is more popular, ollama or open-webui?

ollama currently has more GitHub stars (167.9k) compared to open-webui (129.8k), indicating broader community adoption.

Should I use ollama or open-webui for my project?

The best choice depends on your specific needs. ollama is built with Go and categorized as AI Tool. open-webui is built with Python and categorized as MCP Server. Consider your tech stack, project requirements, and community support when deciding.

Are ollama and open-webui free to use?

ollama is released under the MIT license. Check open-webui's repository for license details.

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