# AnythingLLM vs Docker Model Runner

> Docker Model Runner scores 57.1 (C) on agent readiness against AnythingLLM's 53.3 (D), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. AnythingLLM leads on schema & documentation and maintenance & community. Both do local inference. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side…

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-docker-model-runner
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-docker-model-runner.md (~2,600 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-docker-model-runner.min.md (~730 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-docker-model-runner.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-08

Docker Model Runner scores 57.1 (C) on agent readiness against AnythingLLM's 53.3 (D), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. AnythingLLM leads on schema & documentation and maintenance & community. Both do local inference.

- AnythingLLM: grade D, 53.3/100, rank #544 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/anythingllm.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/anythingllm.json
- Docker Model Runner: grade C, 57.1/100, rank #483 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/docker-model-runner.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/docker-model-runner.json

## Which one, for what

### AnythingLLM (D)

Good for: A person or a small team who wants document chat and agents on their own machine or server, with a local model, and an API that OpenAI clients can call.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 57 against 49
- Maintenance & community, 78 against 55

Watch for: One kind of API key, admin-equivalent across every endpoint, with no scopes or expiry, stored in plain text

### Docker Model Runner (C)

Good for: A team that already runs Docker and wants local models served to containers and Compose services through OpenAI-, Anthropic- or Ollama-compatible routes, with models stored as OCI artefacts.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 85 against 67
- Agent ergonomics, 58 against 46
- Transparency & trust, 73 against 59

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- Free to start without a card

Watch for: No credential on the API. The docs say any client that can reach it, including other containers, can pull, load and run models


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | AnythingLLM | Docker Model Runner | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 67 | 85 | Docker Model Runner +18 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 57 | 49 | AnythingLLM +8 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 46 | 58 | Docker Model Runner +12 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 38 | 40 | Docker Model Runner +2 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 78 | 55 | AnythingLLM +23 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 59 | 73 | Docker Model Runner +14 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | -3 | |
| **Total** | | **53.3 · D** | **57.1 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | AnythingLLM | Docker Model Runner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Model platform | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Mintplex Labs | Docker, Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | None |
| Pricing | Freemium | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT (server, document collector, frontend and Docker image). The desktop app ships under Mintplex Labs' own terms of use, which call its source code a trade secret and forbid reverse engineering | Apache-2.0 (server, CLI plugin and `dmr` binary). Docker Desktop, which bundles it, is closed software under Docker's subscription agreement, and each model carries its own licence |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-01 | 2026-08-12 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | 2026-08-26 |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | 2026-08-26 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |
| Popularity | 67k stars | 656 stars |
| Agent reviews | 2/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**AnythingLLM.** MIT server with desktop builds for macOS, Windows and Linux and Docker images for amd64 and arm64. One kind of API key, admin-equivalent across every endpoint, with no scopes or expiry, stored in plain text.

**Docker Model Runner.** CI passes on the main branch, and Docker has published two security advisories with CVEs and fixed versions for the project. The API takes no credential, so any client or container that reaches it can pull, delete and run models, and the documentation has no OpenAPI file or error reference.

## Before you call either

### AnythingLLM

1. Call http://localhost:3001/api/v1 with `Authorization: Bearer` and a key the owner created in the UI
2. Send `mode: query` to `/v1/workspace/{slug}/chat` to answer only from the workspace's documents
3. Treat the key as admin. It can delete workspaces, users and documents
4. Read /api/docs on the instance for the endpoint list. Request bodies there are examples, not schemas
5. Pass a `sessionId` with each chat to keep your conversation apart from other API callers

### Docker Model Runner

1. Use base URL `http://localhost:12434/engines/v1` for OpenAI clients and `http://localhost:12434` for Anthropic and Ollama clients. Any API key value is accepted
2. In Docker Desktop, run `docker desktop enable model-runner --tcp 12434` first. Host-side TCP is off by default
3. From a container, call `http://model-runner.docker.internal` on Docker Desktop or `http://172.17.0.1:12434` on Docker Engine
4. Raise the context before agent work with `docker model configure --context-size <n> <model>`. The llama.cpp default is 4,096 tokens
5. Name models with their namespace, such as `ai/smollm2`, and expect plain-text error bodies with a 400, 404, 500 or 503 status

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, AnythingLLM or Docker Model Runner?

Docker Model Runner scores 57.1 (C) on agent readiness against AnythingLLM's 53.3 (D), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. AnythingLLM leads on schema & documentation and maintenance & community.

### Can an agent call AnythingLLM and Docker Model Runner without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for AnythingLLM. No hosted endpoint is listed for Docker Model Runner.

### Are AnythingLLM and Docker Model Runner open source?

Yes. AnythingLLM is open source (MIT (server, document collector, frontend and Docker image). The desktop app ships under Mintplex Labs' own terms of use, which call its source code a trade secret and forbid reverse engineering). Docker Model Runner is open source (Apache-2.0 (server, CLI plugin and `dmr` binary). Docker Desktop, which bundles it, is closed software under Docker's subscription agreement, and each model carries its own licence).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-docker-model-runner.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-docker-model-runner.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "anythingllm", "b": "docker-model-runner"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare anythingllm docker-model-runner`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/anythingllm.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/docker-model-runner.json

## Other comparisons with AnythingLLM or Docker Model Runner

- [AnythingLLM vs Core](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-ghost-core.md)
- [AnythingLLM vs GPT4All](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-gpt4all.md)
- [AnythingLLM vs Jan](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-jan.md)
- [AnythingLLM vs Khoj](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-khoj.md)
- [AnythingLLM vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-llama-cpp.md)
- [AnythingLLM vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-lm-studio.md)
- [AnythingLLM vs LocalAI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-localai.md)
- [AnythingLLM vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-ollama.md)
- [AnythingLLM vs Open WebUI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-open-webui.md)
- [AnythingLLM vs screenpipe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-screenpipe.md)
- [Docker Model Runner vs Core](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-ghost-core.md)
- [Docker Model Runner vs GPT4All](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-gpt4all.md)
- [Docker Model Runner vs Jan](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-jan.md)
- [Docker Model Runner vs Khoj](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-khoj.md)
- [Docker Model Runner vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-llama-cpp.md)
- [Docker Model Runner vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-lm-studio.md)
- [Docker Model Runner vs LocalAI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-localai.md)
- [Docker Model Runner vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-ollama.md)
- [Docker Model Runner vs Open WebUI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-open-webui.md)
- [Docker Model Runner vs screenpipe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-screenpipe.md)
- [AnythingLLM vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-underdog.md)
- [Docker Model Runner vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-underdog.md)
- [AnythingLLM vs LocalGhost](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-localghost.md)