Fenlo vs Onyx: how the two platforms compare
Onyx (formerly Danswer) and Fenlo both connect company knowledge to an AI assistant and agents, with permission-aware retrieval underneath. The real decision point is deployment: Onyx is MIT-licensed and free to run yourself, which is a genuine advantage if you have the infrastructure to operate it. Fenlo runs as managed SaaS by default, with a licensed self-hosted deployment available for Enterprise customers who specifically need on-prem or BYOC.
This comparison reflects publicly available information as of August 2026. Pricing and packaging change on both sides, so confirm current terms directly before deciding.
At a glance
| Fenlo | Onyx | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Closed source | Open source (MIT), Community Edition free |
| Deployment | Managed SaaS by default; licensed self-hosted/BYOC for Enterprise via sales | Self-host for free, or managed cloud from $20/user/month |
| Setup | Sign up and connect sources in minutes, no infrastructure to run | Community reports several hours for self-hosted setup, plus ongoing infra (16–64GB+ RAM recommended at production scale) |
| Pricing model | Published, self-serve, per seat | Free (self-hosted) or $20/user/month cloud; Enterprise features custom-priced |
| Connectors | 50+, unlimited on paid plans | 40+ native connectors |
| Agents | Configurable behavior, multi-step actions with human approval gates, shareable with a person/group/workspace | Custom agents with prompts, knowledge, and actions; enterprise features (SSO/SAML, analytics, white-labeling) gated to paid tier |
| Compliance | GDPR & CCPA compliant, SOC 2 Type II in progress | Self-reported SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR compliance |
Self-hosted flexibility vs. managed simplicity
Onyx's MIT license is real leverage if your team already runs its own infrastructure and wants full control over where data lives, down to the container. That control comes with the work of standing it up: community accounts describe several hours to get a self-hosted instance running, plus meaningful RAM and CPU budget to run it well at production scale — this is infrastructure your team owns and maintains going forward, not a one-time setup cost.
Fenlo runs as managed SaaS with nothing to provision — you connect sources and start searching the same day. For Enterprise customers who specifically need on-premise or bring-your-own-cloud, a licensed self-hosted deployment is available; that conversation happens with sales rather than a self-serve download, which is the trade-off for not having to run the infrastructure yourself on every other plan.
Agents and where they're allowed to act
Both platforms build agents around scoped company knowledge. Fenlo's agents are configured with restricted knowledge and custom instructions, require human approval before running multi-step actions that touch other systems, and can be shared with a person, group, or the entire workspace with usage history attached. Onyx's agent and deep research capabilities are strong on the open-source tier, but SSO, RBAC, analytics, and white-labeling — the controls that make agents safe to roll out org-wide — sit behind its paid Enterprise tier, whether self-hosted or cloud.
Which one fits
Pick Onyx if you want a free, open-source platform, are comfortable running and maintaining the infrastructure yourself, and don't need the governance controls until you're ready to pay for the Enterprise tier.
Pick Fenlo if you'd rather start free without standing up any infrastructure, and want a clear path to a licensed on-prem deployment later — with governance features like permission-aware search and approval-gated agent actions included well before Enterprise.
Read more about what Fenlo is or talk to sales about migrating from another platform.