Freemium, from Free (open source); Enterprise plan available at custom pricing
Verified
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Last updated
July 19, 2026
Founded
2023
Headquarters
Not publicly disclosed (remote-first project)
WindowsAPIOpen SourceAIFreemiumSelf-HostedMac
Overview
Open WebUI is a free, open-source, self-hosted web interface for chatting with and managing large language models. Created by Timothy Jaeryang Baek, it launched in September 2023 as Ollama WebUI, a frontend specifically for the Ollama local LLM runtime, before being renamed to Open WebUI in January 2024 as it expanded to support many other model backends.
The project has grown into one of the most popular open-source AI interface tools, with well over 100,000 GitHub stars and hundreds of contributors, and is now maintained by a small core team at Open WebUI, Inc. alongside a large open-source community.
Key Features
Open WebUI supports essentially any LLM backend, including Ollama, OpenAI-compatible APIs, LMStudio, GroqCloud, Mistral, OpenRouter, and vLLM, and adds retrieval-augmented generation with support for nine vector databases and hybrid search, letting users chat with their own documents and data.
Beyond core chat, it offers granular role-based access control for multi-user deployments, an extensibility framework (Filters, Actions, Pipes, Tools, Skills) plus MCP and OpenAPI tool integrations, integrated voice and video calling, image generation through providers like DALL-E and ComfyUI, and collaboration features such as team channels, persistent memory, calendars, and automations.
Pricing
The core Open WebUI software is free and open source, self-hostable via Docker or other deployment methods with no artificial limits on users, models, or features for the community edition.
Organizations that need custom branding, guaranteed SLA-backed support, and Long-Term Support releases can purchase the Enterprise plan, priced on a custom basis by Open WebUI, Inc.
Key Features
Multi-backend LLM support — Connects to Ollama, OpenAI-compatible APIs, LMStudio, GroqCloud, Mistral, OpenRouter, and vLLM from a single interface.
Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) — Local RAG with support for nine vector databases and hybrid BM25-plus-vector search for chatting with your own documents.
Role-based access control and user groups — Granular permissions let organizations manage multi-user access with detailed roles for team deployments.
Tool and plugin extensibility — Supports Filters, Actions, Pipes, Tools, and Skills, plus Model Context Protocol (MCP) and OpenAPI integrations for extending model capabilities.
Voice and video calling — Integrated voice and video calls with multiple speech-to-text and text-to-speech provider options.
Image generation — Generates images through OpenAI DALL-E, Gemini, ComfyUI, or AUTOMATIC1111 integrations directly within chats.
Team collaboration features — Includes channels, persistent memory, calendars, automations, and web search/browsing for collaborative workflows.
Enterprise-grade options — Custom theming and branding, SLA support, and Long-Term Support releases available on the paid Enterprise plan.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Core software is completely free and open source with no artificial feature limits
Works with virtually any LLM backend, local or cloud-based, rather than locking users into one provider
Extremely feature-rich, covering RAG, voice/video, image generation, and tool calling in one interface
Large and active open-source community with frequent releases
Full data control through self-hosting, appealing to privacy-conscious users and organizations
Cons
Self-hosting requires Docker or server administration knowledge
Fast-moving feature set can mean occasional instability between releases
Branding-preservation terms in the Open WebUI License add licensing nuance compared to fully permissive open-source licenses
Enterprise support tier pricing is not publicly listed and requires custom sales contact
Feature breadth can make initial setup and configuration more involved than a simple chat frontend
Pricing
Community Edition (Open Source) Free N/A
Enterprise Custom Annual/Custom
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Open WebUI free?
Yes, the core Open WebUI software is free and open source. An Enterprise plan with custom branding, SLA support, and Long-Term Support releases is available at custom pricing for organizations that need it.
What was Open WebUI previously called?
It launched in September 2023 as Ollama WebUI and was renamed to Open WebUI in January 2024 after expanding beyond Ollama to support many other LLM backends.
Who created Open WebUI?
It was created by developer Timothy Jaeryang Baek, who continues to lead the project's small core team at Open WebUI, Inc.
Does Open WebUI require Ollama?
No. While it originated as an Ollama-specific frontend, it now supports OpenAI-compatible APIs, LMStudio, GroqCloud, Mistral, OpenRouter, vLLM, and other backends alongside Ollama.
Does Open WebUI support chatting with my own documents?
Yes, it includes local retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) with support for nine vector databases and hybrid search for querying your own documents.
Can multiple people use the same Open WebUI instance?
Yes, Open WebUI includes granular role-based access control and user groups designed for multi-user and team deployments.
How is Open WebUI different from Ollama's built-in interface?
Ollama itself is primarily a command-line LLM runtime with a minimal default interface, while Open WebUI is a full-featured, self-hosted web UI layer that can sit on top of Ollama or many other model backends, adding RAG, multi-user access, voice/video, and tool integrations.