SurfSense

SurfSense is a local desktop research notebook. It indexes your documents on your own disk, can run with a local model (such as Qwen or Gemma) or with a hosted provider key you supply (OpenAI, Anthropic, or any OpenAI-compatible service). It installs as a normal installer for Windows, macOS and Linux with llama.cpp built in, requires no account and no Docker, and can turn indexed sources into artifacts such as slides, reports, podcasts, flashcards, quizzes and spreadsheets. The page states it is free and open source, with plugins that add live data from platforms such as Google Search, YouTube, TikTok, Google Maps, Amazon, Walmart, Indeed and the open web.

Key features

• Runs entirely on the user's machine with an index stored on local disk
• Air-gapped operation with a local model once the model download completes
• Bring your own model: local Qwen or Gemma, or OpenAI, Anthropic and OpenAI-compatible providers
• No account, sign-up, or workspace invite required
• Desktop installer for Windows, macOS and Linux with llama.cpp built in
• Generates twelve artifact formats including slides, reports, podcasts, infographics, mind maps, flashcards, quizzes, Markdown, Word, PDF, HTML web pages and spreadsheets
• Open source source code, with plugins that add live data from eight platforms
• Plugins are code in the public repository and MCP servers can be listed in the registry

Best suited for

• Confidential document research where files cannot be uploaded to the cloud
• Lawyers, accountants, consultants and engineers handling sensitive files
• Users wanting a NotebookLM-style workflow without a Google account
• Users who want to choose their own language model or provider
• Turning personal or business sources into study guides, briefings and presentations

Pricing

SurfSense is described on the page as free and open source with no account, no quota and no trial. Users pay a provider only if they choose to connect a hosted model. The page also lists a Pricing link, but no specific paid plan prices are stated on the supplied page.