# brain-db vs llm-app

> Two self-hosted [Pinecone alternatives](https://selfhost.directory/alternative-to/pinecone), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | brain-db | llm-app |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 34/100 | 72/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #115 of 125 in AI | #4 of 7 in RAG |
| GitHub stars | 42 | 58 755 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +0 ✓ | +-148 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v0.3.1 · 21 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Rust | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

llm-app scores 72/100 against 34/100 for brain-db, so it is the safer default.

brain-db ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for llm-app.

If you want the quickest setup, llm-app is easier to run; brain-db needs more configuration.

## Details

- [brain-db](https://selfhost.directory/project/brain-db) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/brain-db.md)
- [llm-app](https://selfhost.directory/project/llm-app) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/llm-app.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/brain-db-vs-llm-app