Open WebUI
A self-hosted ChatGPT-style web interface for Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible API.
Visit Open WebUI Free (open source); optional enterprise licence
Quick verdict
- Best for
- Teams wanting a private ChatGPT on their own servers
- Pricing
- Free (open source); optional enterprise licence
- Not ideal if
- Requires Docker and some sysadmin comfort
What is Open WebUI?
Open WebUI is a self-hosted web app that gives Ollama and other OpenAI-compatible backends a full chat interface: users and roles, document chat with RAG, web search, image generation hooks, and model management, usually deployed with Docker for a team or household.
Key features
- Multi-user with roles and admin controls
- Document upload and RAG over your files
- Web search and tool integrations
- Works with Ollama, LM Studio, OpenAI, and others
- Docker deployment
Pros
- The most complete self-hosted chat interface available
- Turns a local model into something a whole team can use
- Very active development
Cons
- Requires Docker and some sysadmin comfort
- Feature breadth makes configuration sprawling
- Licence for large enterprise deployments changed in 2025 — check terms
Best for
Teams wanting a private ChatGPT on their own serversHome-lab usersOrganisations that cannot send data to cloud AI
Read more
Alternatives to Open WebUI
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AnythingLLM
Local-first private AI assistant for your documents — no cloud required.
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