# Onyx

32 Hacker News commenters recommended Onyx and 17 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Open-source AI chat platform praised for enterprise security, SSO, many connectors and a polished UX. Critics say it uses a lot of resources and install size.

## Why people recommend it

- Open-source MIT version used widely (4 comments): "MIT == OpenSource. Pricing == Sustainable. That's a horse worth backing IMO." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46047791)) "the chat product should be completely open-source and free (forever)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46050510)) "Most deployments of Onyx are using the pure FOSS version of Onyx." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46046454))
- Connectors and RAG drive adoption (3 comments): "Larger connector suite. As soon as one key source isn't connected, the trustworthiness of the system is dramatically decreased." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46048945)) "RAG + connectors is a huge reason why people deploy Onyx" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46046903)) "This has both APIs as well as connectors." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46048921))
- Enterprise security with polished UX (2 comments): "It’s rare to see an open-source AI platform nail both enterprise-grade security (RBAC, SSO, 40+ connectors) and a truly polished UX." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46056819)) "rare to see an open-source AI platform nail both enterprise-grade security (RBAC, SSO, 40+ connectors) and a truly polished UX" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46056820))
- Flexible, no model lock-in (2 comments): "Outside of pure security, we've seen many choose Onyx for flexibility + connectedness." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46048163)) "No model lock-in / ability to use the ideal model for each use case." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46062698))

## What people warn about

- Heavy resource and install footprint (3 comments): "All of those services take up a lot of resources, especially compared to the alternatives." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46072729)) "I understand that a Vector database requires significant resources to run, but I wish there was a version without it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46058326)) "what's with the trend of open source projects providing such bloated installs?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46062910))
- Crowded field of alternatives (2 comments): "Something like this has a very limited shelf life as a product" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46048668)) "there's a million other project just like this one, many that are much more advanced and mature" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46046911))
- Name clashes with ONNX (2 comments): "although spelled differently onyx vs onnx, that's already used and known in the ML/AI community?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46047365)) "That the pronunciation is identical makes it untenable, you really need to reconsider the name" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46048592))
- Questioned licensing and open-source claims (2 comments): "If you tack on these faux-pen source VC licenses and complicate things, you're signaling dishonesty and dark patterns." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46048429)) "What is it with these Chat apps having strange and not-real open source licenses?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46047501))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Open WebUI](https://hackerapproved.com/p/open-webui.md): 71 recommend
- [Mozilla Thunderbolt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mozilla-thunderbolt.md): 21 recommend
- [LibreChat](https://hackerapproved.com/p/librechat.md): 12 recommend
- [SillyTavern](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sillytavern.md): 8 recommend
- [Odysseus](https://hackerapproved.com/p/odysseus.md): 8 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Onyx", https://hackerapproved.com/p/onyx/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).