MaxKB vs WeKnora
Short answer
MaxKB: Enterprise knowledge-base and agent platform with RAG and workflows. WeKnora: Tencent's open-source knowledge-base and agent platform with document parsing, RAG and team workspaces. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Choose MaxKB if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Choose WeKnora if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Copyleft (GPL)) and larger community (36.1k vs 23.1k GitHub stars).
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
MaxKB vs WeKnora side by side
| MaxKB | WeKnora | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | Enterprise knowledge-base and agent platform with RAG and workflows. | Tencent's open-source knowledge-base and agent platform with document parsing, RAG and team workspaces. |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT (with third-party components) |
| License type | Copyleft (GPL) | Permissive |
| License conditions | Free to use internally and commercially. If you distribute a modified version, you must release its source under GPL-3.0. | MIT for WeKnora itself; bundled third-party components keep their own licenses, listed in the LICENSE file. Internal and commercial use allowed. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 23.1k | 36.1k |
| Last commit | Oct 30, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Latest release | v2.10.8-lts | v0.9.0 |
| Minimum hardware | 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required. Local models run through Ollama or another model service you configure. |
| Est. server cost | from €35.99/mo | from €35.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker | Docker Compose |
| Known gotchas | 2 listed | 4 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | Not documented |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Paid / enterprise only (OIDC paid · SAML paid · LDAP paid) | Free (OIDC free) |
| Audit log | Paid / enterprise only | Yes, free |
| RBAC | Paid / enterprise only | Yes, free |
| Details | Full MaxKB guide → | Full WeKnora guide → |
Key differences
- License: MaxKB: GPL-3.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). WeKnora: MIT (with third-party components) (Permissive).
- Official hardware: MaxKB: minimum 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk. WeKnora: recommended 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM (no separate minimum published).
- GPU: MaxKB: not required or not stated. WeKnora: optional / see notes.
- Deploy: MaxKB: Docker · single container. WeKnora: Docker Compose · multi-container stack.
- GitHub stars: MaxKB: 23.1k. WeKnora: 36.1k.
- Latest release: MaxKB: v2.10.8-lts (Oct 22, 2026). WeKnora: v0.9.0 (Oct 29, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; Est. server cost: from €35.99/mo; Status: Active; Last commit: Oct 30, 2026.
MaxKB vs WeKnora: FAQ
MaxKB or WeKnora: which should a small business choose?
Choose MaxKB if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack). Choose WeKnora if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Copyleft (GPL)) and larger community (36.1k vs 23.1k GitHub stars).
Which is cheaper to self-host, MaxKB or WeKnora?
MaxKB: from €35.99/mo. WeKnora: from €35.99/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 MaxKB and WeKnora need?
MaxKB: minimum 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk. WeKnora: recommended 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM (no separate minimum published).
What is the license difference between MaxKB and WeKnora?
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. WeKnora: MIT (with third-party components) (Permissive). MIT for WeKnora itself; bundled third-party components keep their own licenses, listed in the LICENSE file. Internal and commercial use allowed. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is MaxKB or WeKnora more actively maintained?
MaxKB: Active, last commit Oct 30, 2026. WeKnora: Active, last commit Oct 30, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 31, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, MaxKB or WeKnora?
MaxKB installs via Docker (single container); WeKnora via Docker Compose (multi-container stack). MaxKB lists 2 known gotchas and WeKnora lists 4; see each app page.
Related
- MaxKB self-hosting guide · WeKnora self-hosting guide
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Sources
- 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
- WeKnora GitHub repository: github.com/Tencent/WeKnora
- WeKnora documentation, WeKnora hardware requirements, WeKnora deploy instructions: weknora.weixin.qq.com/docs/01-getting-started/02-installation
- WeKnora license: github.com/Tencent/WeKnora/blob/main/LICENSE
- 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.