Character.AI
4.4
Millions of community characters with unlimited free text chat
The default starting point: unmatched variety and the most generous free tier in the category.
$7.92/moVoice callsMemory+3
Home / Free & budget / Open WebUI
Open WebUI
4.2
Self-hosted AI platform with personas, RAG and a 500k+ community
0Open WebUICompareVisit Open WebUI ↗
Our verdict. The power-user pick: run any model locally or in the cloud with zero data retention and full control. Best for: Privacy-focused users who want full control.
Capability profile
What it actually shipsA quick read of the features this product ships today, scored from real catalogue fields — not an opinion. Voice is three tiers (live calls, voice notes, or none); everything else is shipped or not. The full breakdown is in the table below and on the comparison pages.
Editor score: 4.2 / 5. Best for Privacy-focused users who want full control.
At a glance
Hand-verified dataPrice
Free
Free and open-source; self-host via Docker/pip. An enterprise tier exists but consumer use is free.
- Free tier: usable without paying
- Price band: Free
- Regional pricing varies by country — confirm the amount at checkout
- Checked by hand on 29 Sept 2026
Prices come from public pricing pages and change often. What you pay depends on your region and the plan you pick.
- Price details
- Free and open-source; self-host via Docker/pip. An enterprise tier exists but consumer use is free.
- Companion types
- Any character
- Voice
- Voice notes / TTS
- Images & video
- Image generation
- Memory
- Retains context across sessions
- Custom characters
- Yes · group chats supported
- Runs locally
- Yes — can run offline on your own machine
- Adult content
- No adult mode
- Visual style
- Mixed
- Platforms
- Web
- Privacy & safety notes
- Self-hosted; no account required for basic use.
Price history
Our own price-tracking dataset — updated every time we re-check the catalogueTracking since 29 Sept. As we collect more snapshots, the trend line fills in here. See the full price-tracking dataset →
What it does well
- Zero data retention when self-hosted
- Any model via Ollama/OpenAI-compatible APIs
- Huge community sharing prompts and tools
Where it falls short
- Technical setup required
- Not a guided companion experience
Tags
Categories
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Open WebUI — common questions
Is Open WebUI free?
Yes — Open WebUI has a free tier you can use without paying. Free and open-source; self-host via Docker/pip. An enterprise tier exists but consumer use is free. We last checked it by hand on 29 Sept 2026.
How much does Open WebUI cost?
Free (Free). Free and open-source; self-host via Docker/pip. An enterprise tier exists but consumer use is free. Companion pricing changes often and varies by region, so confirm the amount at checkout. We last checked it by hand on 29 Sept 2026.
Does Open WebUI remember previous conversations?
Yes — Open WebUI keeps context across separate chat sessions rather than resetting every time you open it.
Does Open WebUI have voice?
Partly — Open WebUI offers voice notes or text-to-speech playback, but not live two-way voice calls.
Does Open WebUI have an adult mode?
Open WebUI is SFW — it does not offer an adult mode.
Which platforms does Open WebUI run on?
Open WebUI is available on web.
Can I run Open WebUI locally?
Yes — Open WebUI can run on your own machine or against your own model, so conversations do not have to leave your hardware.
How current is the information on this page?
The price and feature details for Open WebUI were last checked by hand on 29 Sept 2026. Everything else on the page comes from the product's own public documentation.
Reader reviews
Loading…Before you buy. We publish prices from public pricing pages and label anything we have not personally checked. Prices on companion sites change often and regional pricing varies, so confirm the final amount at checkout. Affiliate disclosure. Spotted a wrong price? Tell us.