Replace / OpenAI API
Replace OpenAI API with Open WebUI + LiteLLM
The best open-source alternative to OpenAI API is Open WebUI (or LiteLLM) with Postgres, self-hosted on Railway. A ChatGPT Team and OpenAI API replacement: one UI, many models, your keys, Postgres memory.
Estimated save $3,600 a year.
How OpenAI API compares
| OpenAI API | Open WebUI + LiteLLM | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Hosted subscription | Open-source or fair-code license; you pay the host |
| Hosting | Vendor cloud | Self-hosted on Railway or any VPS |
| Rough monthly cost | Public list price not verified this run | Hosting only — no SaaS seat meter in this repo |
- Open WebUI
Self-hosted ChatGPT-style UI
- LiteLLM
Unified proxy over OpenAI, Anthropic, local models
- Postgres
Users, chats, and memory
FAQ
- Is it free?
- The Open WebUI + LiteLLM licenses are open source or fair-code. You still pay hosting (Railway or any VPS) and any APIs the stack calls. There is no OpenAI API seat or task bill on this path.
- Can I migrate from OpenAI API?
- Yes. Start with the workflows or data you actually use, then cut over. The Open WebUI + LiteLLM stack page has the agent prompt and the cost table; most teams rebuild the slice that matters and leave old OpenAI API links until they expire.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open the Open WebUI + LiteLLM stack, copy the agent prompt, and deploy on Railway (one service, PORT, and a volume when the app needs disk). One-click template from github.com/9o4t/open-webui-litellm: official Open WebUI + LiteLLM images, Railway Postgres for LiteLLM, volume /app/backend/data for the UI. Provider keys are BYO and optional — the stack boots without them.
- What does this replace?
- ChatGPT Team seats / OpenAI API. The published small-team estimate on this stack is $3,600 a year.
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