Search+ vs AnythingLLM
AnythingLLM is a free, MIT-licensed app that runs AI on your own computer: you chat with your documents, which stay on your device, on macOS, Windows or Linux, and teams can self-host it. Search+ is a hosted web app: you sign in, upload documents to a workspace and get cited answers, with nothing to install or maintain. Choose AnythingLLM if you want local, private, self-managed AI. Choose Search+ if you want a ready-made document workspace in the browser.
You can create an account without entering payment details.
At a glance
| Search+ | AnythingLLM | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A web app for asking questions across document workspaces, with cited answers | An AI assistant that runs entirely on your computer |
| Platforms | Browser only | macOS, Windows, Linux; mobile app with small on-device models |
| License | Hosted service; plans on the Search+ homepage | MIT, open source, free download |
| Documents | Documents uploaded to your Search+ account | Documents join the agent's knowledge base without leaving the device |
| Teams | Team plan available | Self-hosted multi-user deployment |
How Search+ and AnythingLLM differ
AnythingLLM keeps documents on your device
AnythingLLM says every document becomes part of the knowledge base "with no data leaving your device", with no accounts and no API keys. Search+ is hosted: your documents are uploaded to your Search+ account.
Search+ has nothing to install
Search+ runs in the browser; you create an account, make a workspace and upload documents. AnythingLLM is a download for macOS, Windows or Linux, and you pick or let it recommend a model for your hardware.
AnythingLLM is free and open source
AnythingLLM is MIT licensed and free to download, and teams can self-host a multi-user deployment. Search+ is a commercial service; see its homepage for current plans.
Search+ is focused on cited document answers
Search+ answers across a workspace or one document, cites inline and opens each citation to the excerpt. AnythingLLM is a general assistant that also does meeting notes, dictation and agent skills.
Search+ vs AnythingLLM, feature by feature
Checked against public pages on October 11, 2026. "Not covered here" means the pages we checked do not say; it is not a claim that the feature is missing.
| Topic | Search+ | AnythingLLM |
|---|---|---|
| Files | PDF, Word and Excel files; OCR for scanned pages; up to 5 GB per file | Documents on your device |
| Citations | Inline citations; open one to read the supporting excerpt | Not covered here |
| Question scope | Whole workspace or one document | Your local knowledge base |
| Standing instructions | Workspace Context, applied to every question | Custom agent skills |
| Saved work | Workspaces and conversation history are saved | Local |
| Sharing and teams | Team plan available | Self-hosted multi-user |
| Export and outputs | No export | Not covered here |
| Where it runs | Browser only | macOS, Windows, Linux, mobile |
| Price | See current plans on searchplus.ai | Free download |
As of 2026-10-11
Sources: AnythingLLM homepage
Pricing
AnythingLLM is a free, open-source download as of October 2026, from anythingllm.com. For Search+ plans, see the pricing section on the Search+ homepage.
| Product | Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnythingLLM | Desktop app | Free | MIT licensed, open source |
Prices as of 2026-10
About each product
Search+
Search+ is a web app for working with documents. You create a workspace for each project, upload PDF, Word and Excel files, and ask questions across every document or narrow a question to one. Answers come with inline citations; open one to read the excerpt behind it. Workspace Context holds standing instructions that apply to every question, and workspaces and conversations are saved so you can pick up where you left off.
AnythingLLM
AnythingLLM is an open-source, MIT-licensed AI app that runs on your own computer on macOS, Windows and Linux, with a mobile app for small on-device models. It chats with your documents locally, needs no account or API key, and can be self-hosted as a multi-user deployment.
Which one fits your work
Choose Search+ when
- You want a document workspace without installing anything
- You work from different computers through the browser
- You want cited answers you can open to the excerpt
- You do not want to choose or manage AI models
Choose AnythingLLM when
- Your documents must stay on your own device
- You want free, open-source software
- You want to self-host for a team
- You are comfortable running models on your hardware
How to try both on the same documents
- Decide whether your documents may leave your computer.
- If they may, upload a few PDFs to a Search+ workspace.
- If not, install AnythingLLM and load them locally.
- Ask each the same cross-document question.
- Compare answer quality and the effort to set up.
Questions about Search+ and AnythingLLM
Is AnythingLLM free?
Does Search+ run on my computer?
Can I self-host Search+?
Does Search+ need an AI model setup?
Which works on Linux?
Sources
Recheck public pages before making a buying decision. Spotted an error? Tell us through the Search+ app and we will correct it.
Checked 2026-10-11
A document workspace in your browser
Create an account, upload your documents and ask across them with cited answers.
Start a workspace