8 Best NextChat Alternatives in 2026 (Open Source)
NextChat — ✨ Light and Fast AI Assistant. Support: Web | iOS | MacOS | Android | Linux | Windows.
These 8 open-source tools do the same job. They are ordered by how closely they match NextChat, with live GitHub data so you can see which projects are actively maintained.
| Tool | GitHub stars | Stars / 30d | Last commit |
|---|---|---|---|
| NextChat(original) | 88.8k | +198 | 2026-08-11 |
| Chatbox | 41.9k | +442 | 2026-09-24 |
| Jan | 44.7k | +551 | 2026-09-30 |
| LobeHub | 82.9k | +1,368 | 2026-09-30 |
| Open WebUI | 153.6k | +3,958 | 2026-09-21 |
| Chatbot UI | 33.4k | +34 | 2024-06-22 |
| LibreChat | 45.2k | +1,629 | 2026-09-30 |
| Cherry Studio | 52.3k | +1,580 | 2026-09-30 |
| AnythingLLM | 66.6k | +1,564 | 2026-09-30 |
1. Chatbox
Powerful AI Client
What sets it apart: vs ChatGPT web app: supports multiple LLM providers with local data storage; vs Open WebUI: lighter desktop-native app with mobile support rather than self-hosted web UI
Best for: Desktop users wanting unified LLM chat interface; Privacy-conscious users preferring local data storage; Teams sharing API resources
2. Jan
Jan is an open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs 100% offline on your computer.
What sets it apart: Most polished desktop LLM app combining local inference with cloud providers — ChatGPT-like UX for local models, unlike command-line-focused Ollama
Best for: Privacy-focused users wanting local LLM inference; Developers needing a local OpenAI-compatible API for testing
3. LobeHub
The ultimate space for work and life — to find, build, and collaborate with agent teammates that grow with you. We are taking agent harness to the next level — enabling multi-agent collaboration, effo
What sets it apart: Unlike ChatGPT (closed) or Open WebUI (simple chat wrapper), Lobe Chat is an open-source agent collaboration platform with Agent Groups, white-box personal memory, a 10,000+ MCP plugin marketplace, and multi-modal support — positioning it as a full human-agent co-evolution workspace.
Best for: Teams wanting a modern ChatGPT alternative with agent collaboration, memory, and 10,000+ plugins; Developers seeking a self-hostable, extensible chat framework with MCP marketplace support
4. Open WebUI
User-friendly AI Interface (Supports Ollama, OpenAI API, ...)
What sets it apart: Unlike LM Studio (desktop-only, personal use), Open WebUI is a full multi-user platform with RAG, RBAC, SCIM provisioning, 9 vector DBs, and Google Drive/OneDrive integration — the most feature-complete self-hosted ChatGPT alternative
Best for: Teams wanting a self-hosted ChatGPT alternative with full data control and Ollama integration; Organizations needing enterprise-grade AI platform with LDAP/SCIM/SSO and multiple vector DB backends
5. Chatbot UI
AI chat for any model.
What sets it apart: vs ChatGPT web app: open-source, self-hosted with Supabase backend for full data ownership — the most popular open-source ChatGPT UI clone with 28k+ stars
Best for: Developers wanting a self-hosted ChatGPT-like UI with data persistence; Teams needing an open-source chat interface they can customize; Organizations wanting full control over their AI chat data
6. LibreChat
Enhanced ChatGPT Clone: Features Agents, MCP, DeepSeek, Anthropic, AWS, OpenAI, Responses API, Azure, Groq, o1, GPT-5, Mistral, OpenRouter, Vertex AI, Gemini, Artifacts, AI model switching, message se
What sets it apart: Most feature-complete self-hosted ChatGPT alternative — uniquely combines agents, MCP, code interpreter, image gen, and multi-user auth in one package, unlike single-provider UIs
Best for: Organizations wanting a private, self-hosted ChatGPT replacement; Teams needing multi-user AI platform with access control and audit
7. Cherry Studio
AI productivity studio with smart chat, autonomous agents, and 300+ assistants. Unified access to frontier LLMs
What sets it apart: Unlike Lobe Chat (web-first) or AnythingLLM (RAG-focused), Cherry Studio is a polished Electron desktop client purpose-built for multi-provider LLM access with 300+ pre-built assistants and MCP support, requiring zero environment setup.
Best for: Power users who want a single desktop app to access multiple LLM providers without switching between web UIs; Users who need side-by-side multi-model comparison for prompt testing; Non-technical users wanting a ready-to-use ChatGPT-like desktop experience with no environment setup
8. AnythingLLM
The all-in-one AI productivity accelerator. On device and privacy first with no annoying setup or configuration.
What sets it apart: Unlike Open WebUI (chat-only) or RAGFlow (enterprise RAG focus), AnythingLLM is the most complete all-in-one desktop AI app combining RAG, no-code agent builder, MCP compatibility, multi-user support, and embeddable widgets — requiring zero coding to set up a private AI workspace.
Best for: Non-technical users who want a private, all-in-one ChatGPT replacement with document chat and agents; Small teams needing a self-hosted multi-user AI workspace with RAG and agent capabilities