LobeChat leads in popularity with 80,981 stars vs 43,774 stars for Jan. The 85% higher star count indicates stronger community adoption. In terms of developer contributions, LobeChat has 15,727 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Both projects show recent activity, with Jan last updated 10 hours ago and LobeChat 5 hours ago.

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Bash, Typescript, JSX, Next.js. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Jan uses Python, SCSS, Rust, Tauri.

Both projects started around the same time, with Jan beginning 3 years ago and LobeChat 3 years ago.

Jan is licensed under Apache-2.0, while LobeChat's license terms are not publicly specified.

Both tools serve similar use cases in AI Chat Interfaces. However, they also have distinct specializations: Jan also focuses on AI Personal Assistants, Local Model Runners while LobeChat extends into AI Agent Platforms.

Jan provides self-hosting options for complete data control and customization, while LobeChat may be primarily cloud-based or require different deployment approaches.