LibreChat vs NextChat
We give LibreChat a 3.2 GPA and NextChat a 3.0, out of 4.0. LibreChat grades higher on value for money and features. NextChat grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
NextChat
Lightweight open-source AI chat client you can self-deploy
Free plan
How we grade them
| 3.2GPALibreChatVery good | 3.0GPANextChatVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt costs nothing. LibreChat is MIT-licensed, with no subscriptions and no paid tier. What you do pay for is the server you run it on and the model API keys you plug in. | BThe app costs nothing, and with your own keys you pay the model providers directly. The paid part is hosted credits on nextchat.club, with no subscription. But the site publishes no price list: you see the prices at checkout, after signing in. So we can't call it a bargain. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe full application is free: agents, the code interpreter, MCP, web search and SSO, with nothing held back. The public demo is for evaluation only, though, so using it properly means hosting it yourself. | AThe MIT-licensed app is free to deploy or host yourself, and the desktop clients are free downloads. Nothing in the app is held back. You bring your own API keys, so each model provider bills you for what you use. |
| Features | AOpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Azure and AWS Bedrock out of the box, with custom endpoints for Ollama and OpenRouter. Agents with tools and API actions, a sandboxed code interpreter, MCP, web search with reranking, artifacts, and multi-user sign-in through OAuth2, SAML or LDAP. | BIt works with Claude, DeepSeek, GPT and Gemini models, Azure endpoints and self-hosted models, with prompt templates called masks, an artifacts window and plugins for web search. But a local knowledge base is still on the roadmap, and MCP support has to be switched on at build time. |
| Ease of use | DYou host it yourself, with Docker, npm or a Helm chart, then add your own API keys. The code interpreter, message search and file chat each need an extra service deployed as well. Fine if you run servers for a living, a wall if you don't. | CThe free route means your own API keys, plus a deployment if you want it on the web, with access passwords set through an environment variable. Vercel makes the deploy one click, but it's still wiring things together. There's no rating on record to go by either. |
| Platforms and integrations | BIt's a web app, so once it's running, any browser can reach it, and it connects to a long list of model providers plus MCP servers. But the docs say there's no native Windows app or Linux AppImage, and no phone app is listed. | BWeb, Windows, Mac and Linux, plus an iPhone app, and it connects to OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Azure OpenAI and LocalAI. The listing has no Android app, though the web app is responsive and installs as a PWA. |
| Best for | a self-hosted AI chat your team controls | a small chat client you deploy yourself |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: LibreChat and NextChat. How we grade
Where they differ
- Only NextChat lists macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS apps.
- LibreChat also covers AI search and AI agents.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostableAI featuresChat assistant
At a glance
| LibreChat | NextChat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | Not published |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the MIT license, with no subscriptions. You host it yourself and add your own model API keys; a public demo is offered for evaluation only. | The MIT-licensed app is free to deploy or self-host and the desktop clients are free to download; you supply your own API keys. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | LibreChat (ClickHouse) | GPTsMotion Tech LLC |
| Price read from | librechat.ai | github.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
LibreChat
- Teams that want a self-hosted chat interface they can audit and extend
- Organizations that need SSO and control over where chat data lives
- Using API keys from several model providers in one place
NextChat
- Developers who want a lightweight chat interface they can deploy themselves
- People with their own API keys who want a small cross-platform client
- Sharing one deployment with others behind an access password
Worth knowing
LibreChat
- It is a self-hosted web application: the docs say there is no native Windows app or Linux AppImage, and no hosted paid plan is offered.
- You run it yourself with Docker, npm or a Helm chart and supply your own model API keys.
- The public demo at chat.librechat.ai is for evaluation only and is not meant for private data.
- The code interpreter, message search and file chat rely on extra services you deploy: a code-execution service, Meilisearch and the RAG API.
NextChat
- Credit prices for the hosted service are shown only at checkout after sign-in; the site publishes no price list.
- The self-hosted app and desktop clients need your own API keys, and each model provider bills usage.
- A local knowledge base is still an open item on the project roadmap.
- Brand customization, permission control and security auditing belong to the Enterprise Edition, which is sold by inquiry.
Key features
LibreChat
- Many providers in one interface
- Works with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Azure and AWS Bedrock out of the box, and custom endpoints add Ollama, Mistral AI, OpenRouter and other services.
- Agents
- Build custom assistants with tools, file handling, code execution and API actions without writing code.
- Code Interpreter
- Runs Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust and other languages in a sandbox. It is powered by an Apache 2.0 code-execution service that you deploy and point LibreChat at.
- MCP and web search
- Connects models to external tools through Model Context Protocol servers and gives any model live internet access with built-in search and reranking.
- Artifacts and chat tools
- Generates React components, HTML pages and Mermaid diagrams in chat, and supports forking, shareable links, temporary chats and importing conversations from ChatGPT.
- Multi-user authentication
- Sign-in through OAuth2, SAML or LDAP with two-factor authentication, plus an admin panel for users, roles and configuration, and moderation tools.
NextChat
- One-click deployment
- Deploy your own instance to Vercel in under a minute, or self-host it, and restrict access with passwords set through an environment variable.
- Desktop, web and iPhone clients
- A compact desktop client of about 5 MB for Windows, macOS and Linux, a responsive web app that installs as a PWA, and an iPhone app on the App Store.
- Many providers and self-hosted models
- Works with Claude, DeepSeek, GPT and Gemini models and Azure endpoints, and is compatible with self-deployed models through RWKV-Runner or LocalAI.
- Prompt templates
- Create, share and debug chat tools built on predefined prompts, called masks, with a built-in library of community prompts to start from.
- Artifacts and plugins
- Preview, copy and share generated content and web pages in a separate window, and add plugins such as network search and a calculator. MCP support is switched on at build time.
- Local storage and history compression
- All data is stored locally in the browser, and long conversations are compressed automatically to keep context while saving tokens.
Plans
LibreChat
Free$0
The full self-hosted application, including agents, the code interpreter, MCP, web search and SSO, under the MIT license.
NextChat
Open source$0
The MIT-licensed web app, deployed to Vercel in one click or self-hosted, plus desktop clients for Windows, macOS and Linux. You supply your own API keys.
Hosted creditsPay as you go
Hosted models on nextchat.club are paid for with prepaid credits and no subscription. Prices and credit amounts are shown at checkout after sign-in.
Enterprise EditionCustom
Private deployment with brand customization, central management of AI resources, permission control, a company knowledge base and security auditing.
