AstrBot vs Sim
Short answer
AstrBot: Multi-platform AI chatbot and agent framework for QQ, WeCom, Feishu, DingTalk, Official Accounts, Telegram and Slack. Sim: Visual builder for AI agent workflows, with knowledge bases, integrations and an API. Both are in our AI app & agent builders category.
Choose AstrBot if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Choose Sim if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Network copyleft (AGPL)).
AstrBot publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
AstrBot vs Sim side by side
| AstrBot | Sim | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI app & agent builders | AI app & agent builders |
| What it is | Multi-platform AI chatbot and agent framework for QQ, WeCom, Feishu, DingTalk, Official Accounts, Telegram and Slack. | Visual builder for AI agent workflows, with knowledge bases, integrations and an API. |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| License type | Network copyleft (AGPL) | Permissive |
| License conditions | Free for internal and commercial use. If you modify AstrBot and let users interact with it over a network, you must offer them the modified source under AGPL-3.0. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. The built-in Chat feature is a Sim-managed service that needs a Chat API key from sim.ai. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 44.9k | 29.9k |
| Last commit | Oct 28, 2026 | Oct 29, 2026 |
| Latest release | v4.29.3 | v0.9.36 |
| Minimum hardware | Not published | 2 vCPU · 12 GB RAM · 20 GB disk |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | No. It calls the model providers you configure. | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | Not estimated | from €69.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker | Docker Compose (setup wizard or manual) |
| Known gotchas | 4 listed | 4 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | On by default |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not documented | Free (OIDC free · SAML free) |
| Audit log | Not documented | Yes, free |
| RBAC | Not documented | Yes, free |
| Details | Full AstrBot guide → | Full Sim guide → |
Key differences
- License: AstrBot: AGPL-3.0 (Network copyleft (AGPL)). Sim: Apache-2.0 (Permissive).
- Official hardware: AstrBot: not published. Sim: minimum 2 vCPU · 12 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk).
- GPU: AstrBot: optional / see notes. Sim: not required or not stated.
- Est. server cost: AstrBot: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Sim: from €69.99/mo.
- Deploy: AstrBot: Docker · single container. Sim: Docker Compose (setup wizard or manual) · multi-container stack.
- GitHub stars: AstrBot: 44.9k. Sim: 29.9k.
- Last commit: AstrBot: Oct 28, 2026. Sim: Oct 29, 2026.
- Latest release: AstrBot: v4.29.3 (Oct 24, 2026). Sim: v0.9.36 (Oct 28, 2026).
Same for both: Category: AI app & agent builders; Status: Active.
AstrBot vs Sim: FAQ
AstrBot or Sim: which should a small business choose?
Choose AstrBot if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack). Choose Sim if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Network copyleft (AGPL)). AstrBot publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, AstrBot or Sim?
AstrBot: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Sim: from €69.99/mo. Our estimate is the cheapest Hetzner Cloud plan that meets each project's official RAM and vCPU figure; it covers the server only.
How much hardware do AstrBot and Sim need?
AstrBot: not published. Sim: minimum 2 vCPU · 12 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk).
What is the license difference between AstrBot and Sim?
AstrBot: AGPL-3.0 (Network copyleft (AGPL)). Free for internal and commercial use. If you modify AstrBot and let users interact with it over a network, you must offer them the modified source under AGPL-3.0. Sim: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. The built-in Chat feature is a Sim-managed service that needs a Chat API key from sim.ai. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is AstrBot or Sim more actively maintained?
AstrBot: Active, last commit Oct 28, 2026. Sim: Active, last commit Oct 29, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 30, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, AstrBot or Sim?
AstrBot installs via Docker (single container); Sim via Docker Compose (setup wizard or manual) (multi-container stack). AstrBot lists 4 known gotchas and Sim lists 4; see each app page.
Related
- AstrBot self-hosting guide · Sim self-hosting guide
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- All Sim alternatives, ranked
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- AstrBot vs Flowise
- AstrBot vs Langflow
- AstrBot vs Mem0
- AutoGPT Platform vs Sim
- CowAgent vs Sim
- Coze Studio vs Sim
- Dify vs Sim
- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- AstrBot GitHub repository: github.com/AstrBotDevs/AstrBot
- AstrBot documentation, AstrBot hardware requirements, AstrBot deploy instructions: docs.astrbot.app/en/deploy/astrbot/docker.html
- AstrBot license: github.com/AstrBotDevs/AstrBot/blob/master/LICENSE
- Sim GitHub repository: github.com/simstudioai/sim
- Sim documentation: docs.sim.ai/platform/self-hosting
- Sim license: github.com/simstudioai/sim/blob/main/LICENSE
- Sim hardware requirements: docs.sim.ai/platform/self-hosting#requirements
- Sim deploy instructions: docs.sim.ai/platform/self-hosting/docker
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-25): 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.