Jean and Open WebUI
An Open WebUI alternative for Ollama, with no server to run
Jean is a folder of static files. Point it at Ollama or LM Studio and it answers from your machine, with MCP connections, files in and out, and nothing to deploy but a web page.
Point Jean at your OllamaHost Jean yourself
- Static files, no backend
- MIT
- MCP built in
- Ollama, LM Studio, any OpenAI-compatible endpoint
One setting first
OLLAMA_ORIGINS=https://jean.is ollama serve
Ollama answers a web page only once it allows that page’s address. In LM Studio, turn on CORS. Jean shows the same line when you add the server.
Open WebUI, fairly
Open WebUI is the best-known self-hosted chat for Ollama: a Python app you run with Docker or pip, with user accounts and roles, documents, tools and an admin console, built to run entirely offline. It is free to self-host, and its licence keeps its branding on any deployment with more than 50 users in 30 days, unless you have written permission or an enterprise licence.1Open WebUI docsOct 20, 20262Open WebUI docs: featuresOct 20, 20263Open WebUI LicenseOct 20, 2026
Side by side
| Jean | Open WebUI | |
|---|---|---|
| What you run | Jean A folder of static files on any web server, or jean.is itself. Built | Open WebUI A Python app and its database, SQLite by default; Docker is the recommended way.4Open WebUI docs: quick startOct 20, 2026 |
| Where conversations live | Jean In each person’s browser, sealed. Built | Open WebUI In the server’s database.4Open WebUI docs: quick startOct 20, 2026 |
| People | Jean No accounts to manage: each browser is its own. At work, a policy file sets brains and rules for everyone. By design | Open WebUI User accounts, roles and groups, in an admin console.2Open WebUI docs: featuresOct 20, 2026 |
| Models | Jean Ollama, LM Studio, any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, provider keys, plans, and one that runs in the browser. Built | Open WebUI Ollama and OpenAI-compatible APIs.1Open WebUI docsOct 20, 2026 |
| MCP | Jean Built in, signed in from the browser; a gateway for servers a browser can’t reach. Built | Open WebUI Natively since v0.6.31, Streamable HTTP only; other servers through its mcpo proxy.5Open WebUI docs: MCPOct 20, 2026 |
| What comes back | Jean Word, Excel, PowerPoint, charts and pages that work, with numbers worked out by code in a sandbox. Built | Open WebUI Answers with web sources, Python it runs in the browser or a terminal, and pictures it makes.2Open WebUI docs: featuresOct 20, 2026 |
| Licence | Jean MIT, with no branding clause. Built | Open WebUI The Open WebUI License: BSD-3 terms, plus a clause keeping its branding beyond 50 users in 30 days.3Open WebUI LicenseOct 20, 2026 |
| Updating | Jean Replace the folder. By design | Open WebUI Pull a new image or package; the database migrates as it starts.4Open WebUI docs: quick startOct 20, 2026 |
Where Open WebUI does better
Said plainly, so you can choose.
- One shared server: everyone’s chats, documents and models in one place, with roles.2Open WebUI docs: featuresOct 20, 2026
- An admin console for users, models and usage.2Open WebUI docs: featuresOct 20, 2026
- Documents shared across a team, searched on the server.2Open WebUI docs: featuresOct 20, 2026
- A large ecosystem of functions, tools and pipelines.2Open WebUI docs: featuresOct 20, 2026
Use both
The same Ollama behind both
Keep Open WebUI for the team’s shared space. Give people Jean for their own files, pointed at the same models.
BuiltJean on the same server
A static folder beside it, served by the Caddy or nginx you already run.
BuiltYour MCP servers in both
The servers you connected there connect to Jean too, when they answer a browser.
Built
The catch, plainly
- Ollama must allow Jean’s address, or LM Studio have CORS on.
- No shared space: each person’s work lives in their own browser. Back it up, or sync it on a computer.
- No admin console. At work, a policy file sets brains, rules and connections.
- MCP servers must answer a browser, or go through a gateway you run.
Questions people ask
Does Jean need a backend?
No. It is static files; the browser does the rest. Ollama, or whatever AI you point it at, answers.
Does it work offline?
Once loaded, with Ollama on your machine or the AI that runs in the browser, yes.
Can a team use it?
Everyone uses it in their own browser. IT serves the folder and sets a policy for brains and rules; see Jean Enterprise.
Your Ollama, a web page in front of it
Facts about Open WebUI were checked on Oct 20, 2026 in its documentation and licence. Jean is not affiliated with Open WebUI.