Open WebUI & Msty
Last updated: May 2026
Msty has built a refined desktop experience for people who want one place to use both local and cloud-based models. The split-chat feature for running multiple models side-by-side to compare responses is genuinely useful, and the overall design feels thoughtful.
Proprietary ยท Free tier available
What Msty Does Wellโ
- Split chat for running multiple models side-by-side to compare responses in real time
- Unified hub for local models (via Ollama, llama.cpp, MLX) and cloud APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google)
- Knowledge Stacks for uploading documents and chatting with them using built-in RAG
- Offline mode for fully air-gapped use with local models
- Batch prompting for sending the same prompt to multiple models simultaneously
- Hardware optimization with good performance across NVIDIA, AMD, and Apple Silicon
- Persona & Prompt Studios for creating reusable personas and prompt templates
- Conversation export in multiple formats for archiving and sharing
- Web search integration with real-time web search during conversations
- Thoughtful experience that feels refined and considered
- Free tier with core features available at no cost
What Open WebUI Does Wellโ
- Web-based platform with multi-user access from any browser
- Any model, any provider connecting to any OpenAI-compatible API, Ollama, or cloud provider
- Deep RAG & Knowledge with 9 vector databases, 5 extraction engines, and hybrid search with reranking
- Python extensibility with custom tools, MCP servers, pipelines, and community extensions
- Team features including Channels, Notes, Automations, RBAC, SSO/OIDC/LDAP, and SCIM 2.0
- Open Terminal providing a full computing environment for code execution
- Source available so you can read, audit, and modify the source code
At a Glanceโ
| Open WebUI | Msty | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Self-hosted web platform | Desktop app |
| Multi-model comparison | Multi-model chats | Split chat with side-by-side responses |
| Multi-provider | Any OpenAI-compatible API + Ollama | Local models + cloud APIs |
| Knowledge & RAG | 9 vector DBs, 5 extraction engines, hybrid search | Knowledge Stacks with document chat |
| Extensibility | Python tools, MCP, OpenAPI, pipelines | Persona & Prompt Studios |
| Multi-user | SSO, RBAC, SCIM, teams | Teams plan available |
| Source availability | Source available | Proprietary |
| Pricing | Free community edition; Enterprise plans available | Free tier, Aurum, and Teams plans |
When to Use Eachโ
Choose Msty if you want a polished desktop app for personal use, especially if you compare models frequently. The split-chat feature and batch prompting make it easy to evaluate different models side by side.
Choose Open WebUI if you need a web-based platform, team access, deeper knowledge management, Python extensibility, or enterprise features. Open WebUI runs as a server that your whole team can reach from any browser.
Different form factors. Msty excels as a desktop app for individual power users. Open WebUI works well as a team platform accessible from anywhere.
Msty brings polish to desktop AI. Open WebUI takes a web-based, team-oriented approach. Different tools, same goal of making AI more useful.
Ready to try Open WebUI? Get started โ
Frequently Asked Questionsโ
How do Msty and Open WebUI compare? Msty has a polished desktop experience with a great split-chat feature for comparing models. Open WebUI takes a web-based approach with multi-user support, knowledge bases, and extensibility. Different tools for different preferences.
Is Msty free? Msty has a free tier. Premium features require a paid Aurum plan. Teams pricing is also available.
Is Msty open source? No. Msty is proprietary software with a free tier.
Related: Open WebUI & LM Studio ยท Open WebUI & LibreChat ยท Open WebUI & Jan