5 Open Source alternatives to ChatGPT Plus in 2026
We compare 5 self-hostable tools you can deploy on your own server in minutes, with license, tech stack and a ready-to-copy docker-compose.
Quick comparison
Sorted by featured first, then GitHub stars as a tiebreaker — the same rule we use across the whole site.
| Tool | License | Minimum RAM | Docker | GitHub |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open WebUI Most popular on GitHub1-Click Deploy | MIT | ~1GB | ✅ | ★ ~62,000 |
| PrivateGPT Lightest option100% FOSS | Apache-2.0 | ~256MB | ✅ | ★ ~55,000 |
| AnythingLLM Lightest option100% FOSS1-Click Deploy | MIT | ~256MB | ✅ | ★ ~24,000 |
| LibreChat 100% FOSS1-Click Deploy | MIT | ~1GB | ✅ | ★ ~22,000 |
| Khoj 100% FOSS | AGPL-3.0 | ~512MB | ✅ | ★ ~15,000 |
Detailed profile of each alternative
Alternative to ChatGPT Plus
Self-hosted chat interface for LLMs, an alternative to ChatGPT Plus.
Alternative to ChatGPT Plus
Personal AI assistant over your documents, an alternative to ChatGPT Plus.
Alternative to ChatGPT Plus
Multi-user RAG chat over your documents, an alternative to ChatGPT Plus.
Alternative to ChatGPT Plus
Multi-provider chat with history and plugins, an alternative to ChatGPT Plus.
Alternative to ChatGPT Plus
Ask your documents with 100% private LLMs, an alternative to ChatGPT+docs.
How much does ChatGPT Plus cost, and how much can you save?
ChatGPT Plus charges a recurring monthly fee. Self-hosting the alternative, you only pay for the server — usually a few dollars a month.
Calculate your exact savings in the SaaS Audit →Already know which one you want?
Add Open WebUI to the Stack Builder and generate a ready-to-deploy docker-compose.yml, alone or alongside the rest of your stack.
Build my stackFrequently asked questions
Do I need Docker to self-host a ChatGPT Plus alternative?
Yes, for all 5: each one has a ready-to-copy docker-compose.yml. You just need Docker installed on your server.
How much RAM do I need at minimum?
The lightest option on this list is PrivateGPT, which runs on as little as 256MB of RAM — enough for a cheap VPS.
Are they all 100% free, or are there paid features like on ChatGPT Plus?
4 out of 5 are 100% FOSS. The rest are Open-Core: the core is free and self-hostable, but some advanced feature may stay paid — we call it out on each tool's page.