Air-gapped, open source NotebookLM alternative
A private research notebook that runs entirely on your own machine. Your documents, your model keys, no cloud, no account.
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Features
Runs entirely on your machine
No cloud in the loop
The index is a file on your disk, not a row in someone else's database. Pull the network cable and it keeps answering questions about the sources you already added. That matters most when the source is a case file or a client's ledger.
Local model or your own key
Use SurfSense with a local model, or paste a key for a provider you already pay for. The key stays on the machine that uses it.
Sources become deliverables
Turn what you have indexed into a deck, a report, a briefing or a study guide, generated and stored in the same local database as everything else.
Why it is different
Three things NotebookLM cannot do
Self-hosted, no account required
There is no sign-up, no email, no workspace to be invited to. Install it and start; the only identity involved is your operating system user.
Bring your own model
NotebookLM gives you Gemini and nothing else. Here the model is a setting: a local Qwen or Llama through Ollama, or OpenAI, Anthropic and anything OpenAI-compatible.
Install and go: no Docker, no terminal, no GPU
A normal desktop installer for Windows, macOS and Linux. No compose file, no environment variables, no CUDA. Ollama ships in the box; pick a model on first launch and it runs on a laptop CPU.
How it compares
Getting started, compared
| Capability | SurfSense | NotebookLM | AnythingLLM | Open Notebook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs offline | Yes, fully | No, cloud only | Yes | Yes |
| Account required | None | Google account | None | None |
| Setup | Desktop installer | Web sign-in | Installer or Docker | Docker + env vars |
| Choice of model | Any, local or hosted | Gemini only | Any | Any |
| Model bundled | No, pick one during setup | Not applicable | Yes | No |
| Source code | Open, auditable | Closed | Open | Open |
What you get
Three things worth knowing before you install
Artifacts: decks, reports, briefings, podcasts
Every source can become more than an answer: a slide deck, a written report, a two-voice briefing podcast or an infographic. The same builders make a study guide, a flashcard deck and a practice quiz when that is the job instead.
Every format is generated and stored in the same local database as everything else. No cloud model in the loop, no per-minute fee, no second pass over your data to make them.
- Editable decks and reports
- Two-voice briefings, synthesised offline
- Infographics and one-page summaries
- Study guides and flashcard decks
- Practice quizzes with citations
- No per-minute generation fee
Open source, audit it yourself
Every claim on this page is checkable, because the code that would have to betray it is public. There is no minified bundle phoning home, no closed sync daemon, and no build you cannot reproduce.
If you want to know what leaves your machine, read the network layer. That is a shorter file than you would expect.
- Source public on GitHub
- Reproducible desktop builds
- No telemetry in the binary
- Auditable network layer
- Community issues and PRs
- Apache-licensed
Private by construction
Most tools promise privacy as a policy: a commitment about what a company will choose not to do with data it nonetheless holds. A policy can change, and it can be compelled.
Data that never left your machine cannot be handed over, subpoenaed, breached at a vendor, or repriced. That is a structural guarantee rather than a promise, and it is the only kind that survives a change of owner.
- No account, ever
- Index stored in your user directory
- Model keys never leave the device
- Works with the network unplugged
- Nothing to subpoena from us
- Delete it by deleting a folder
For confidential work
Private AI for business, because the file never moves
Lawyers, accountants, consultants and engineers all do the same job with this: a file they are not allowed to upload goes in, and a deck, a report or a briefing comes out. The deliverable is built on the same machine the source sits on, so no vendor ever holds a copy of the contract, the ledger or the inspection report.
Artifacts
Twelve things one set of sources can become
Summary
A short brief of everything you have indexed.
Document
An editable write-up you can revise afterward.
Slides
An editable presentation deck.
Spreadsheet
Tables pulled out of your sources.
Web page
A standalone page you can host anywhere.
A print-ready export of the same content.
Mind map
Concepts laid out as a linked graph.
Flashcards
A front-and-back deck for review.
Quiz
Multiple-choice questions with source citations.
Podcast
A two-voice audio conversation, synthesised offline.
Image
A generated illustration for a single idea.
Infographic
Key figures laid out as one visual.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Can I self-host an AI?
Yes. A self-hosted AI runs the model and stores its data on hardware you control rather than a provider's servers. SurfSense is a desktop application that does this without a server at all: it installs like any other app, keeps its index in your user directory, and can run a local model so that no request ever leaves the machine.
Is there an AI I can use without internet?
Yes. SurfSense installs with Ollama built in, and its one-time setup screen has you pick a small language model that runs on the CPU. Once that one download finishes, you can add documents and ask questions with no network connection. An internet connection is only needed for that initial model download, if you choose a hosted model such as GPT or Claude, or when you download an update.
Can I run NotebookLM locally?
No. NotebookLM is a Google cloud service: it requires a Google account, uploads your sources to Google's servers, and cannot be installed on your own machine. Running the same workflow locally means using an alternative built for it, such as SurfSense, which keeps sources and answers on your computer.
Is there an open-source alternative to NotebookLM?
Yes. SurfSense is an open-source NotebookLM alternative: the source is public and auditable, it runs air-gapped on Windows, macOS and Linux, it works with any model you choose rather than Gemini alone, and it turns your sources into summaries, study guides and podcasts entirely offline.
Is there a free version of NotebookLM?
NotebookLM has a free tier with usage limits and requires a Google account. SurfSense is free and open source with no account, no quota and no trial: you download it, install it, pick a local model in the one-time setup screen, and chat at no cost. You only pay a provider if you choose to connect a hosted model of your own.