LibreChat vs SillyTavern (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, LibreChat grades higher than SillyTavern: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
LibreChat grades higher on features. SillyTavern grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
SillyTavern
Free, self-hosted chat interface for LLMs with deep prompt control
Free
Which one is for you
Pick LibreChat if
- Fits if your team wants a chat interface it can host, audit and extend itself
- Works for teams that need SSO and a say over where chat data lives
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you've never run a server, because there's no hosted version to sign up for
- Not for you if you want an app to download, as it's a self-hosted web application with no phone app listed
- Tight if you wanted a quick setup, since file chat, message search and the code interpreter each need an extra service
- Watch out: the software is free, but you pay for the server and every model API key yourself
- Watch out: the public demo is for evaluation only and isn't meant for private data
Pick SillyTavern if
- Fits if you like tuning prompts, characters and lorebooks for roleplay
- Works for people who run local models and want one front end for all of them
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not want to install NodeJS or use Git, as there is no hosted account
- Too light on its own, as you must supply a model, hosted or local
- Not for you if you want a quick start, as the docs warn of a steep learning curve
- Watch out: Windows 7 is not supported, and Android runs through the Termux guide
- Watch out: the staging branch is not recommended for casual use
How we grade them
| 2.8GPALibreChatGood | 2.6GPASillyTavernGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt costs nothing. LibreChat is MIT-licensed, with no subscriptions and no paid tier at all. What you do pay for is the server you run it on and the model API keys you plug in. | AFree and open source under AGPL-3.0, and anyone can download and run it. Whatever model API you connect is billed by that provider. |
| 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, mind, so using it properly means hosting it yourself. | AFree outright with no plan and no cap from SillyTavern. A hosted model or a local one costs you separately. |
| Features | BOpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Azure and Bedrock out of the box, agents with tools, a sandboxed code interpreter, MCP, web search, artifacts and multi-user sign-in. The job's covered, though file chat, message search and the interpreter each need another service deployed. | DIt is an interface and needs a model from somewhere else to be useful. Its docs suggest a 6GB NVIDIA 3000-series GPU for local inference. |
| Ease of use | DYou host it yourself, with Docker, npm or a Helm chart, then add your own API keys, and three of its features want extra services running alongside. Fine if you run servers for a living, a wall if you don't. | DIt needs NodeJS 20 or higher, usually installed through Git, and the docs warn of a steep learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | CIt's a web app, so any browser reaches it once it's running, and it connects to a long list of providers and MCP servers. But you supply the server: the docs say there's no native Windows app or Linux AppImage, and no phone app is listed. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, a browser and Android through Termux, linking to KoboldAI, NovelAI, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Claude, Mistral and ComfyUI. No iPhone. |
| Best for | a self-hosted AI chat your team controls | roleplay and character chat with your own model |
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 SillyTavern. How we grade
Price against what you get
LibreChat has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SillyTavern has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
LibreChat scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other AI assistants on the chart, none scores higher than LibreChat for less, and none scores higher than SillyTavern for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- LibreChat also covers AI search and AI agents.
- SillyTavern also covers image generation and text to speech.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostableChat assistant
At a glance
| LibreChat | SillyTavern | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| 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. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | LibreChat (ClickHouse) | SillyTavern community |
| Price read from | librechat.ai | docs.sillytavern.app |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
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.
SillyTavern
- It must be installed with NodeJS 20 or higher, usually through Git or a launcher, and Windows 7 is not supported.
- It is only an interface: you supply the model, either a hosted API or a local one. The docs suggest an NVIDIA 3000-series GPU with 6GB of VRAM for local inference.
- The docs warn of a steep learning curve, and the staging branch is not recommended for casual use.
- Android runs through the Termux installation guide, and there is no hosted account.
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.
SillyTavern
- One interface for many backends
- Connects to KoboldAI/CPP, Horde, NovelAI, Ooba, Tabby, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Claude, Mistral and other LLM APIs from a single interface.
- Prompt and lorebook control
- Offers extensive prompt options and WorldInfo (lorebooks), in line with the project's stated goal of giving users as much control over prompts as possible.
- Image generation and TTS
- Integrates with Automatic1111 and ComfyUI APIs for images and supports text-to-speech voice models, alongside auto-translate.
- Customizable UI
- A customizable interface with a mobile-friendly layout and a Visual Novel Mode for character conversations.
- Third-party extensions
- The project describes growth through third-party extensions, and the code is maintained by more than 300 contributors on GitHub.
Plans
LibreChat
Free$0
The full self-hosted application, including agents, the code interpreter, MCP, web search and SSO, under the MIT license.
SillyTavern
Free$0
Open-source (AGPL-3.0) software you install and run yourself. Model API usage is billed by whichever provider you connect.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, LibreChat or SillyTavern?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both LibreChat and SillyTavern are free to use.
Which has a free plan, LibreChat or SillyTavern?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both LibreChat and SillyTavern have a free plan.
Which platforms do LibreChat and SillyTavern run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only SillyTavern lists macOS, Windows, Linux and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.