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// Tool / AI tools

Open WebUI.

A chat app you can set up yourself and connect to different AI models.

local modelsself-hostingGitHub
Neurospicy explanation

Think of the chat window as the desk, and the model as whoever is doing the work. Open WebUI gives you the desk. You choose which model sits behind it, including one running on your computer. Same place to ask; different ways to get an answer. Useful control, a bit more setup. Where your words go depends on that connection.

See the difference

Same question. Different setup.

The window is where you talk. The model does the answering. Follow the same question through three setups.

  1. 01 / ASKYouType your question
  2. 02 / CHAT WINDOWChatGPT or ClaudeUse the provider's chat app
  3. 03 / ANSWERINGProvider-run AIThe service produces a reply

← The reply returns through the chat window.

Open the website, sign in and start. The provider runs the service behind the chat window.

Your part in itYou manage your account and check the service's data settings. The provider manages the app and computing behind it.

Read all three setups as text

ChatGPT / Claude on the web

Open the website, sign in and start. The provider runs the service behind the chat window.

You manage your account and check the service's data settings. The provider manages the app and computing behind it.

Open WebUI + your computer

The question can stay on your machine when every part is configured locally. Open WebUI is the chat app; Ollama runs the downloaded model.

You set up the software, choose a model your computer can handle and maintain it. Check any extra tools or connections before assuming nothing goes online.

Open WebUI + an online provider

You keep the Open WebUI chat window, but the connected provider processes the request. Running the window yourself does not make the whole setup local.

You manage the connection, provider data terms and any API charges. A paid ChatGPT or Claude chat plan does not automatically include API credit.

// Put it to use

A real-world example

You have a rough plan for a small project and want three clear next actions rather than another page of enthusiastic waffle.

  1. In a configured Open WebUI setup, select a model and check whether its connection runs locally or sends requests to a cloud provider.
  2. Paste a short, non-sensitive project note. Ask for three next actions, any missing information and nothing added as fact.
  3. Check the answer against the note. Did it invent a deadline, a person or a decision?
  4. If another suitable model is already available to you, start a fresh chat with the same note and compare the answers. Cloud API use can have separate charges.

What you getA practical comparison of how the selected models handle your actual task. Open WebUI supplies the interface; each model still needs its output checked.

// The useful bits. The trade-offs.

Is it a good fit?

People exploring their own AI workspace.

Pros

  • Use one chat interface with different supported model connections.
  • Choose a local model setup or connect to a provider, depending on the task.

Cons & considerations

  • Self-hosting does not make every connected model or tool local.
  • Review the current licence, authentication, updates and backup arrangements.
  • Community extensions may run code and require separate review.
A little more detail

See the difference between the chat interface and the model behind it.

Open WebUI offers a browser interface that can connect to Ollama and OpenAI-compatible APIs. The repository contains the project source and links to its documentation.

A useful first exercise is to draw the route from browser to Open WebUI to the chosen model. Include any connected search or file-processing service. The route tells you more about data handling than the word local on its own.

// Take the idea further

What else could you do?

Compare two answers

Try the same non-sensitive brief with two configured models. Compare missing facts and useful next steps.

Make sense of rough notes

Ask for decisions, actions and unanswered questions. Check each point against the original notes.

References & credits9 sources

Open WebUI maintainers and contributors

Sources checked . Features and terms can change.