We package OpenWebUI with Ollama as an AWS AMI, so weigh that against everything below, including the part that doesn't favor us. OpenWebUI vs LibreChat used to be a straightforward feature comparison. It changed in April 2025, when OpenWebUI moved off a fully open source license, a detail worth knowing before you build on either one.
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OpenWebUI: deep Ollama integration, source-available since April 2025
OpenWebUI connects to Ollama (local or remote) and any OpenAI-compatible API, and layers on RAG, knowledge bases, image generation, voice, team workspaces, and granular user permissions. Setup is a straightforward Docker or Kubernetes deployment. In April 2025, the project moved from BSD-3 to a custom "Open WebUI License": self-hosted deployments under 50 users can still fully rebrand and modify freely, but deployments of 50 or more users must retain OpenWebUI branding, and contributions now require a CLA. That's not OSI-approved open source anymore, though it remains source-available and free to self-host.
Key facts
- Deep native integration with Ollama, plus any OpenAI-compatible API
- Built-in RAG, knowledge bases, and team workspaces
- Custom "Open WebUI License" (April 2025): branding required above 50 users, CLA for contributions
- Granular permissions and user groups for team deployments
LibreChat: MIT licensed, the broadest provider list out of the box
LibreChat is MIT licensed with no deployment-size threshold or branding requirement of any kind, fully permissive regardless of scale. Out of the box it supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Azure OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, Groq, Mistral, Cohere, OpenRouter, and any OpenAI-compatible API including Ollama, a broader default provider list than most self-hosted chat interfaces ship with. It also covers Agents, Model Context Protocol (MCP) support, Artifacts, Code Interpreter, custom actions, and secure multi-user authentication.
Key facts
- MIT licensed, no branding requirement or user-count threshold at any scale
- Broadest out-of-the-box provider support: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Bedrock, Groq, Mistral, Cohere, and more
- Agents, MCP support, Artifacts, and Code Interpreter built in
- Secure multi-user authentication for team deployments
The licensing change worth knowing about
This is the part most existing OpenWebUI vs LibreChat comparisons either miss or gloss over, and it matters regardless of which product we sell. OpenWebUI's license change in April 2025 introduced a mandatory branding requirement for deployments of 50 or more users, combined with a contributor license agreement, terms that fall outside OSI's definition of open source. For a small internal team, this changes nothing in practice, you can self-host, modify, and even rebrand it freely under that threshold. For a larger organization, or anyone planning to resell a branded product built on top of it, the terms are worth reading directly rather than assuming "open source" means what it used to for this specific project. LibreChat's MIT license has no equivalent condition at any scale.
Provider support
Both connect to Ollama for local models and support OpenAI-compatible APIs generally, but LibreChat's out-of-the-box provider list is broader by default, native support for Anthropic, Gemini, Bedrock, Groq, Mistral, Cohere, and OpenRouter without additional configuration. OpenWebUI covers Ollama and OpenAI-compatible endpoints natively and can reach other providers through compatible API layers, but LibreChat's default breadth is a genuine advantage if you want to switch between many commercial model providers without extra setup work.
Setting each one up
OpenWebUI's setup is close to one command: a single Docker container pointed at an existing Ollama instance, which is why we build our AMI around it, the Ollama connection is already configured on first boot. LibreChat setup takes a few more steps, it ships as a multi-container Docker Compose stack (the app, MongoDB, meilisearch for search, and optionally a vector store for RAG), and you configure provider API keys through a YAML file or environment variables before your first login. Neither is difficult for anyone comfortable with Docker, but if you want the fastest path to a working Ollama-backed chat UI with zero configuration, OpenWebUI gets there first. If you want one interface wired up to five different model providers on day one, the extra LibreChat setup steps pay for themselves.
OpenWebUI vs LibreChat: feature comparison
| Criterion | OpenWebUI | LibreChat |
|---|---|---|
| License | Custom "Open WebUI License" (since April 2025) | MIT |
| Branding requirement | Yes, above 50 users aggregate | None, at any scale |
| Ollama integration | Deep, native | Supported via OpenAI-compatible API |
| RAG / knowledge bases | Built in | Available via configuration |
| Out-of-the-box providers | Ollama, OpenAI-compatible | OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Bedrock, Groq, Mistral, Cohere, more |
| Agents / MCP support | Extensible via functions/pipelines | Built in (Agents, MCP) |
| Team workspaces | Yes, with granular permissions | Yes, multi-user auth |
Where each one falls short
OpenWebUI
- No longer OSI-approved open source, branding required above 50 users
- Contributor license agreement now required for code contributions
- Narrower default provider list than LibreChat without added configuration
LibreChat
- Ollama integration is less deeply native than OpenWebUI's purpose-built connection
- RAG and knowledge base features need more manual configuration to match OpenWebUI's built-in experience
- Smaller built-in permissions and workspace system than OpenWebUI's team features
OpenWebUI vs LibreChat comes down to whether you're optimizing for Ollama-native features or license certainty at scale. OpenWebUI's RAG and team workspace features are genuinely deeper, and for most self-hosted deployments under 50 users, the license change is a non-issue in practice. LibreChat's MIT license removes that question entirely and pairs it with the broadest provider list of the two, a real advantage if you expect to grow past that threshold or resell what you build.
Our OpenWebUI with Ollama deployment guide covers the self-hosted setup in full. If you're pairing either tool with a specific self-hosted model, our Llama 3 and Mistral developer guides cover the model side, and our Flowise developer guide covers a visual, API-first alternative if a chat UI isn't quite what you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
OpenWebUI vs LibreChat: which should I self-host?
OpenWebUI if you're already running Ollama and want built-in RAG, knowledge bases, and team workspaces. LibreChat if provider flexibility and an unconditionally permissive license matter most, it supports more providers out of the box and stays MIT licensed regardless of deployment size.
Is OpenWebUI still open source?
It's source-available, not OSI-approved open source anymore. In April 2025, OpenWebUI moved from BSD-3 to a custom license requiring branding retention for deployments of 50 or more users, plus a contributor agreement. Smaller self-hosted deployments can still fully rebrand.
What is a good self hosted chatgpt ui with no licensing restrictions?
LibreChat. It's MIT licensed with no branding requirement or deployment-size threshold of any kind, unlike OpenWebUI's current license, which only stays fully unrestricted under 50 users.
What are the best open webui alternatives if licensing matters to you?
LibreChat is the clearest one, MIT licensed and provider-agnostic. Other options exist too, but LibreChat specifically matches OpenWebUI's feature ambitions (multi-provider chat, agents, artifacts) while keeping a fully permissive license.
What providers does LibreChat support out of the box?
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Azure OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, Groq, Mistral, Cohere, OpenRouter, and any OpenAI-compatible API including Ollama and LM Studio, a broader out-of-the-box list than most self-hosted chat UIs ship with.
Does OpenWebUI's license change affect a small self-hosted deployment?
Not much. The branding requirement only applies once a deployment reaches 50 or more users in aggregate. Below that threshold, you can self-host and fully rebrand OpenWebUI without restriction, the license change mainly affects larger or resold deployments.
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