SurfSense

SurfSense is a free, open-source desktop app positioned as an air-gapped alternative to NotebookLM. You drop in documents you already have, ask questions and receive answers with citations to the sources, then convert the same material into a briefing, slide deck, report, study guide or podcast. Everything runs on your own machine, which makes it suitable for documents you cannot upload to a cloud service.

The search index lives on your disk, you choose the model, and the app uploads nothing. You may supply your own model API key, or have the app download a local model, and no account is required. Installers are provided for Windows x64, macOS on Apple Silicon, and Linux as an AppImage or deb package. The project also links documentation, a comparison with other tools, pricing information and a Discord community, and topics mention RAG, agents and web scraping.

SurfSense is written in Python, and its license is listed as 'Other' on GitHub, so confirm the terms. It suits researchers, analysts and professionals handling confidential material who want NotebookLM-style features while keeping data local.