# AnythingLLM vs Cherry Studio: which open-source app should a team run?

> AnythingLLM and Cherry Studio are both open-source AI apps. AnythingLLM chats with your documents and runs agents, and Cherry Studio is a multi-provider desktop client with a local knowledge base. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System a company owns, with agents, skills, memory and connectors in one git repo.

URL: https://anythingllm-alternative.com/anythingllm-vs-cherry-studio

## Kortix, AnythingLLM and Cherry Studio compared

Each rival cell is read from that project's own site or repository.

| | Kortix (recommended) | AnythingLLM | Cherry Studio |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes. Read it, fork it, audit it. | Yes, built in the open. | Community edition yes; the Enterprise edition is paid. |
| What it is | AI Operating System you own. | Document chat and agent app. | Multi-provider desktop AI client. |
| Where it runs | Kortix Cloud, your VPC, or on-prem. | Your desktop, or self-hosted Docker. | Your desktop; the Enterprise edition is private. |
| Model choice | Any model provider with your own keys. | Local and cloud LLMs. | Cloud and local providers. |
| Agents and config | Files in one git repo you own. | Chat workspaces inside its own app. | Assistants and MCP tools in the app. |
| Team controls | Roles, groups, and an audit trail. | Multi-user permissioning on Docker only. | Access control in the Enterprise edition. |
| Self-host | Self-host is free. | Self-host a multi-user deployment. | Enterprise edition only. |

## One git repo holds the agents

`kortix.yaml`

```yaml
# kortix.yaml
agents:
  support-triage:
    file: agents/support-triage.md
    connectors: all
```

Source: https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna

An agent is a markdown file, and the block beside it in kortix.yaml sets what it may reach.

## What AnythingLLM and Cherry Studio each are

AnythingLLM is a document-chat and agent app from Mintplex Labs. It runs as a desktop download for macOS, Windows and Linux, or as a self-hosted Docker deployment, and it chats with your documents, runs agents and connects to local or cloud model providers. The multi-user instance and permissioning ship in the Docker deployment; the desktop app is built for one person. ([AnythingLLM](https://anythingllm.com), [AnythingLLM on GitHub](https://github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm))

Cherry Studio is a desktop AI client from CherryHQ for Windows, Mac and Linux that connects to many model providers in one window. It ships 300+ pre-configured assistants, keeps a local knowledge base over PDF, Office and text files, and adds an MCP server for external tools. Its Community Edition is open source, and the Enterprise Edition is a paid private deployment with a shared knowledge base and access control. ([Cherry Studio on GitHub](https://github.com/CherryHQ/cherry-studio))

## Where the two apps stop

Both work well as single-user tools, and a team hits a similar wall with each. Cherry Studio keeps its shared knowledge base and access control in the Enterprise Edition. AnythingLLM's multi-user instance and permissioning run in the Docker deployment only, so the desktop app is one person's machine. Neither one is a system where the company's agents, permissions and memory are versioned together and rolled back as one. If the search was a document-chat client for one person, either app does the job, and [AnythingLLM vs LibreChat](/anythingllm-vs-librechat) covers the closest sibling in that group.

## What a company system adds

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own, with the agents working on real cloud computers. The agents, skills and permissions are files you version, diff and roll back. Per-resource permissions for people and agents. Roles, groups, and an audit trail. One isolated sandbox per session. Each session has its own isolated machine and branch.

A company also chooses where the system runs. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free. 3,000+ apps in a click, plus MCP, OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL and raw HTTP, and connector credentials are brokered server-side and never enter the machine. Session work reaches `main` through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents. The [Kortix vs AnythingLLM](https://kortix.com/blog/kortix-vs-anythingllm) post works through the same choice for that rival, and [Best self-hosted AI workspace](https://kortix.com/blog/best-self-hosted-ai-workspace) covers what to weigh when you self-host.

## Which one fits

The pick comes down to scope. For a desktop client that chats with your own documents, AnythingLLM or Cherry Studio is a reasonable choice, and Cherry Studio's Enterprise Edition is the one to price when a team needs a shared knowledge base. For a company system where the agents, skills, connectors, permissions and memory live in one repo the company owns, Kortix is built for that.

## AnythingLLM vs Cherry Studio questions

The answers a team usually asks before it commits.

### Is either app a fit for a whole team?

Each one is a document-chat app first. AnythingLLM adds multi-user permissioning in its Docker deployment, and Cherry Studio puts a shared knowledge base and access control in its paid Enterprise Edition. A company that needs agents, permissions and memory in one owned system is looking at Kortix instead.

### Do I need a cloud account to run AnythingLLM or Cherry Studio?

No. AnythingLLM runs on device with no account and can point at local models, and Cherry Studio is a desktop client that can use local providers such as Ollama or LM Studio. ([AnythingLLM](https://anythingllm.com), [Cherry Studio on GitHub](https://github.com/CherryHQ/cherry-studio))

### Can I self-host a company system instead?

Yes. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free, and the configuration is a git repo you own.

### Where do I start if I am moving from AnythingLLM?

The [best AnythingLLM alternatives](/best-anythingllm-alternatives) page compares the field, and [how Kortix and AnythingLLM differ](/kortix-vs-anythingllm) goes one to one.

## Run your whole company from one repo you own.

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System, with agents, skills, memory and connectors in one git repo you own.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [See how Kortix compares](https://anythingllm-alternative.com/kortix-vs-anythingllm)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem