Open WebUI Complete Guide: Local Ollama + Cloud Free APIs in One Pool — Privacy-First
TL;DR: Open WebUI (ex Ollama WebUI) is an open-source ChatGPT-style frontend that pools local Ollama models with cloud OpenAI/Claude/Gemini/DeepSeek/Groq/OpenRouter in one UI, with RAG, tools and team sharing — privacy-first, Docker-ready.
Why Open WebUI?
- Local + cloud: Sidebar shows
llama3.1:8b (local)andgpt-4o-mini (cloud)together. - Privacy: Chats/docs stay local; cloud only when cloud model selected.
- RAG: PDF/URL import, Chroma/Qdrant + hybrid search with citations.
- Tools: Function calling, search, code exec, scraping.
- Team: User mgmt, model ACL, shared chats, Docker Compose.
Deploy
docker run -d -p 3000:8080 -v open-webui:/app/backend/data ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
# or with Ollama
docker run -d -p 3000:8080 ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:ollama
Admin → Settings → Connections → OpenAI Compatible → add cloud Base URLs + Keys. Model dropdown then mixes local + cloud.
Tip: point Base URL to OneAPI http://oneapi:3000/v1 to reuse mymodel with one key.
Unified Calling
- Privacy tiering: sensitive → local 8B offline; general → cloud flagship.
- RAG: Workspace → Documents → upload → @doc in chat.
- Compare: same prompt to local vs cloud, pick routing policy.
vs Others
| Solution | Form | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Open WebUI | Web + Ollama | Local+cloud hybrid, privacy |
| Cherry Studio | Desktop | Personal desktop |
| Lobe Chat | Web plugins | Team workflow |
| OneAPI | Gateway | Server unified + monetize |
Best Practices
- Default local 8B, escalate to cloud for hard tasks.
- Separate Collection per project.
- Point cloud Base URL to OneAPI for circuit break + observability.
Summary
- Private + free: Ollama local zero-cost, sensitive stays local.
- One UI: local + cloud in one list.
- Team: Docker + user mgmt.
🚀 Get Started: One-Click Free API Access
Want to call all the free models above with a single API key, no need to sign up for each provider? Apishare.cc provides a unified API Key — one key, 100+ models, free models at zero cost.
👉 Register on Apishare.cc → Get your unified API Key
📊 Want to see more free model rankings? Check out the Sep 2026 Free LLM API Rankings →
About the Free API Aggregator
The models covered in this guide are all served through the APIShare free API aggregator, which gives you one key for the whole catalog.
- Full model catalog: APIShare free API directory
- Sign up for a free trial key: Register and claim your API key