Lightpandavsgpt-researcher
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Lightpanda | gpt-researcher | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Browser Automation | #5 of 69 in AI Chat |
| GitHub stars | 37 096 | 30 332 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +295 | +739 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 | 13 |
| Latest release | 1.0.2 · 22 Oct 2026 | v3.7.0 · 26 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Zig | Python |
Which one should you pick?
gpt-researcher scores 80/100 against 79/100 for Lightpanda, so it is the safer default.
gpt-researcher ships more often: 13 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for Lightpanda.
If you want the quickest setup, Lightpanda is easier to run; gpt-researcher needs more configuration.
gpt-researcher is growing faster right now (+739 stars in 30 days).
Lightpanda details →gpt-researcher details →
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