LightRAG vs PrivateGPT
Short answer
LightRAG: Graph-based RAG server that builds a knowledge graph from your documents, with a web UI and REST API. PrivateGPT: API-first private document Q&A that sits on top of your own LLM server. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Our data does not separate them on cost, hardware, license, activity or deploy method (or one of them does not publish the figure). Decide on features: read the descriptions on each app page and try both.
LightRAG and PrivateGPT publish 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
LightRAG vs PrivateGPT side by side
| LightRAG | PrivateGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | Graph-based RAG server that builds a knowledge graph from your documents, with a web UI and REST API. | API-first private document Q&A that sits on top of your own LLM server. |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| License type | Permissive | Permissive |
| License conditions | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed. Models keep their own licenses. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 40.4k | 57.6k |
| Last commit | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 29, 2026 |
| Latest release | v1.5.7 | v1.0.1 |
| Minimum hardware | Not published | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | Not published |
| 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 | Not estimated |
| Deploy method | Docker Compose | uv (Python) or Docker |
| Known gotchas | 4 listed | 2 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | Not documented |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not documented | Paid / enterprise only (LDAP paid) |
| Audit log | Not documented | Paid / enterprise only |
| RBAC | Not documented | Paid / enterprise only |
| Details | Full LightRAG guide → | Full PrivateGPT guide → |
Key differences
- License: LightRAG: MIT (Permissive). PrivateGPT: Apache-2.0 (Permissive).
- GPU: LightRAG: optional / see notes. PrivateGPT: not required or not stated.
- Deploy: LightRAG: Docker Compose · multi-container stack. PrivateGPT: uv (Python) or Docker · uv (Python) or Docker.
- GitHub stars: LightRAG: 40.4k. PrivateGPT: 57.6k.
- Last commit: LightRAG: Oct 14, 2026. PrivateGPT: Oct 29, 2026.
- Latest release: LightRAG: v1.5.7 (Sep 2, 2026). PrivateGPT: v1.0.1 (Jun 18, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; Official hardware: not published; Est. server cost: not estimated (no official RAM figure); Status: Active.
The two projects share too few published figures for a data-based recommendation. We do not fill gaps with guesses.
LightRAG vs PrivateGPT: FAQ
LightRAG or PrivateGPT: which should a small business choose?
Our data does not separate them on cost, hardware, license, activity or deploy method (or one of them does not publish the figure). Decide on features: read the descriptions on each app page and try both. LightRAG and PrivateGPT publish no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, LightRAG or PrivateGPT?
LightRAG: not estimated (no official RAM figure). PrivateGPT: not estimated (no official RAM figure). 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 LightRAG and PrivateGPT need?
LightRAG: not published. PrivateGPT: not published.
What is the license difference between LightRAG and PrivateGPT?
LightRAG: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed. Models keep their own licenses. PrivateGPT: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is LightRAG or PrivateGPT more actively maintained?
LightRAG: Active, last commit Oct 14, 2026. PrivateGPT: Active, last commit Oct 29, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 31, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, LightRAG or PrivateGPT?
LightRAG installs via Docker Compose (multi-container stack); PrivateGPT via uv (Python) or Docker (uv (Python) or Docker). LightRAG lists 4 known gotchas and PrivateGPT lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- LightRAG self-hosting guide · PrivateGPT self-hosting guide
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- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- LightRAG GitHub repository: github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG
- LightRAG documentation: github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG/blob/main/docs/LightRAG-API-Server.md
- LightRAG license: github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG/blob/main/LICENSE
- LightRAG hardware requirements: github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG#selecting-backend-storage
- LightRAG deploy instructions: github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG#install-lightrag-server
- PrivateGPT GitHub repository: github.com/zylon-ai/private-gpt
- PrivateGPT documentation, PrivateGPT hardware requirements: docs.privategpt.dev/getting-started/quickstart
- PrivateGPT license: github.com/zylon-ai/private-gpt/blob/main/LICENSE
- PrivateGPT deploy instructions: github.com/zylon-ai/private-gpt#readme
- 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.