Kobold AI explained: which Kobold do you need?
"Kobold AI" today means a family of tools. KoboldCpp is the current way to run models on your own computer. KoboldAI Lite is the web interface: it is built into KoboldCpp and also online at lite.koboldai.net. AI Horde is a volunteer network you can use from Lite without any hardware. The original KoboldAI (United, or the Client) is legacy, and its own page points users to KoboldCpp. Status as of November 2026.
Checked against KoboldCpp 1.124.2 · updated 13 Nov 2026
- lab-lnx: Linux test VM · 4 vCPU · 15 GB · no GPU
On this page
The Kobold family in one diagram
- KoboldAI United and Client (legacy)the original Python and PyTorch program; unmaintained; inspired the rest
- KoboldCpp (current)the program that runs models locally, built on llama.cpp; copies KoboldAI's API
- KoboldAI Lite (the interface)the web page built into KoboldCpp, and a copy online at lite.koboldai.net
- AI Horde (shared compute)volunteer computers, some of them KoboldCpp, that Lite can borrow
- Apps like SillyTaverntalk to KoboldCpp through its API
KoboldCpp
The current way to run an AI model on your own computer: one file, no installer, built on llama.cpp. See what KoboldCpp is and the download page.
KoboldAI Lite
The browser interface for chat, stories and adventures. It is built into KoboldCpp, so it opens at the program’s own address, and a copy lives online at lite.koboldai.net. The built-in version greets you with a welcome box on first use F31:
The online copy can also connect to the AI Horde and to commercial services that you give a key to (according to the project’s README). The built-in copy works with the model you loaded and needs no network once KoboldCpp runs. See the Lite guide.
AI Horde
A volunteer-run network: people lend their graphics cards, and others use them for free in return for waiting their turn. KoboldCpp can act as a worker (--hordekey), and Lite can use the Horde as a backend. Two things to know: there can be a queue, and your text is processed on strangers’ computers, so it is not private. We have not tested the Horde ourselves yet. Running a worker is covered in the Horde guide when it is published.
KoboldAI United and Client (the original)
The first Kobold AI was a Python program that ran models through PyTorch, popular with Colab notebooks and older model families. Its GitHub page now says it is legacy and unmaintained and recommends KoboldCpp (checked 13 Nov 2026). Old guides still rank high, so here is how to translate them:
| Install KoboldAI United with its installer or Python environment | Download one KoboldCpp file: download page |
| Open the KoboldAI Colab notebook | Use the KoboldCpp Colab notebook: Colab |
| Load a model from the Hugging Face list in the program | Download a GGUF file and give it to KoboldCpp: models |
| Set the number of layers on GPU and disk | Leave GPU layers on auto: GPU layers |
| Point your app at the KoboldAI API | Same address style, now http://localhost:5001: the API |
Which one should I use?
Does your computer have a decent graphics card, or 16 GB of RAM?
Kobold AI with Janitor AI, Chub and SillyTavern
“Use Kobold AI with Janitor” means running KoboldCpp on your PC and giving Janitor AI the address of its API. Janitor is a website, so it cannot reach localhost: you need a tunnel that gives your PC a public address, and a password. SillyTavern runs on your PC, so it uses the local address directly (SillyTavern). The steps for other apps are on the integrations page.
Is Kobold AI free, safe and private?
KoboldCpp, Lite and the Horde are free. KoboldCpp runs on your computer and does not send your text anywhere, except when you choose to use a tunnel, the Horde or web search (what it is). Download only from the project’s GitHub page: fake sites exist (safety).
Kobold AI against NovelAI, AI Dungeon and Character.AI
Those are hosted services: you pay or sign up, they run the model for you, and they set the rules. KoboldCpp runs on your own hardware, costs nothing, and keeps your text on your computer, but you provide the computer and pick the model. See alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is KoboldAI still maintained?
The original KoboldAI (the Python program known as United or the Client) calls itself legacy and unmaintained on its GitHub page, and points users to KoboldCpp. KoboldCpp and KoboldAI Lite are actively developed: KoboldCpp has had about 20 releases in 2026 so far.
What's the difference between KoboldAI and KoboldCpp?
KoboldAI is the original program, written in Python on PyTorch, that inspired KoboldCpp. KoboldCpp is a separate program built on llama.cpp that runs GGUF models from a single file, much lighter to install, and it copies KoboldAI's API so old tools keep working. For running models on your own computer today, KoboldCpp is the one.
Is KoboldAI Lite free?
Yes. The page built into KoboldCpp costs nothing, and the online copy at lite.koboldai.net is free to open. What you connect it to may not be: your own KoboldCpp is free, the AI Horde is free but shared and slower, and commercial services you connect it to charge their own prices.
Can I use Kobold AI online without installing anything?
Yes: open lite.koboldai.net in a browser and choose the AI Horde as the backend. Volunteers' computers answer, so there can be a queue, and your text is processed on strangers' machines, so do not send anything private.
Is Kobold AI the same as Janitor AI?
No. Janitor AI is a separate chat website. It can be pointed at a KoboldCpp you run yourself, through a tunnel that gives your PC a public address, which is why guides mention both.