AnythingLLM vs MaxKB
Short answer
AnythingLLM: All-in-one private chat with your documents, agents and an embeddable widget. MaxKB: Enterprise knowledge-base and agent platform with RAG and workflows. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Choose AnythingLLM if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo), lighter official minimum (2 GB vs 8 GB RAM), fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Copyleft (GPL)) and larger community (67.4k vs 23.0k GitHub stars).
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
AnythingLLM vs MaxKB side by side
| AnythingLLM | MaxKB | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | All-in-one private chat with your documents, agents and an embeddable widget. | Enterprise knowledge-base and agent platform with RAG and workflows. |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| License type | Permissive | Copyleft (GPL) |
| License conditions | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the copyright notice. | Free to use internally and commercially. If you distribute a modified version, you must release its source under GPL-3.0. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 67.4k | 23.0k |
| Last commit | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 |
| Latest release | v1.18.0 | v2.10.8-lts |
| Minimum hardware | 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk | 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | Not published |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €19.99/mo | from €35.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker | Docker |
| Known gotchas | 2 listed | 2 listed |
| Details | Full AnythingLLM guide → | Full MaxKB guide → |
Key differences
- License: AnythingLLM: MIT (Permissive). MaxKB: GPL-3.0 (Copyleft (GPL)).
- Official hardware: AnythingLLM: minimum 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk. MaxKB: minimum 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk.
- Est. server cost: AnythingLLM: from €19.99/mo. MaxKB: from €35.99/mo.
- GitHub stars: AnythingLLM: 67.4k. MaxKB: 23.0k.
- Last commit: AnythingLLM: Oct 22, 2026. MaxKB: Oct 21, 2026.
- Latest release: AnythingLLM: v1.18.0 (Oct 13, 2026). MaxKB: v2.10.8-lts (Oct 22, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; GPU: not required or not stated; Deploy: Docker · single container; Status: Active.
AnythingLLM vs MaxKB: FAQ
AnythingLLM or MaxKB: which should a small business choose?
Choose AnythingLLM if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo), lighter official minimum (2 GB vs 8 GB RAM), fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Copyleft (GPL)) and larger community (67.4k vs 23.0k GitHub stars).
Which is cheaper to self-host, AnythingLLM or MaxKB?
AnythingLLM: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo).
How much hardware do AnythingLLM and MaxKB need?
AnythingLLM: minimum 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 5 GB disk. MaxKB: minimum 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk.
What is the license difference between AnythingLLM and MaxKB?
AnythingLLM: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the copyright notice. MaxKB: GPL-3.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). Free to use internally and commercially. If you distribute a modified version, you must release its source under GPL-3.0. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is AnythingLLM or MaxKB more actively maintained?
AnythingLLM: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. MaxKB: Active, last commit Oct 21, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, AnythingLLM or MaxKB?
AnythingLLM installs via Docker (single container); MaxKB via Docker (single container). AnythingLLM lists 2 known gotchas and MaxKB lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- AnythingLLM self-hosting guide · MaxKB self-hosting guide
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- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- AnythingLLM GitHub repository: github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm
- AnythingLLM documentation, AnythingLLM hardware requirements: docs.anythingllm.com/installation-docker/system-requirements
- AnythingLLM license: github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm/blob/master/LICENSE
- AnythingLLM deploy instructions: github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm/blob/master/docker/HOW_TO_USE_DOCKER.md
- MaxKB GitHub repository: github.com/1Panel-dev/MaxKB
- MaxKB documentation, MaxKB hardware requirements: docs.fit2cloud.com/maxkb/installation/offline_installtion
- MaxKB license: github.com/1Panel-dev/MaxKB/blob/v2/LICENSE
- MaxKB deploy instructions: github.com/1Panel-dev/MaxKB#quick-start
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-22): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.