head to head · open source
BrowserOS vs Deta Surf
BrowserOS has 14,251 GitHub stars, 1,531 forks, 82 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Deta Surf has 3,618 stars, 252 forks, 32 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. BrowserOS leads on adoption by 294% (14,251 vs 3,618 stars). BrowserOS is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; Deta Surf is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. BrowserOS has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Deta Surf 7%. BrowserOS was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (claude, llm), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| BrowserOS | Deta Surf | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 14K | ★ 3.6K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-08-24 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 252 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick BrowserOS if
- You weight community size — 14K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Deta Surf if
- You want the Deta Surf feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Deta Surf fits your workflow better
About BrowserOS
Website · Docs · Enterprise Free · Open source · Everything runs on your machine A second browser, just for your AI agents. Import your logins from Chrome in one click, connect Claude Code, Codex, or any MCP agent, and hand off your web tasks. Agents run in parallel in their own tabs. You watch live, or replay any session like a video. BrowserOS neo is not a Chrome replacement. It is a secondary browser that sits next to Chrome, made friendly to agents. Get started 1. Install BrowserOS neo Prefer a direct download? Grab it for macOS or Windows. 2. Import from Chrome One click brings over your logins, bookmarks…
read the full BrowserOS overview →
About Deta Surf
Website Discord Deta Surf: Your AI Notebook Deta Surf is an AI notebook that brings all your files and the web directly into your stream of thought. It’s meant for simultaneous research and thinking that minimizes the grunt work: manually searching, opening windows & tabs, scrolling, copying and pasting into a document editor. Surf is primarily built in Svelte, TypeScript and Rust, runs on MacOS, Windows & Linux, stores data locally in open formats, and is open source. Motivation Most applications are focused on a single task, or a single media type: notes, websites, or PDFs. Real thinking requires juggling…
read the full Deta Surf overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is BrowserOS or Deta Surf more popular?
BrowserOS has 14,251 GitHub stars and Deta Surf has 3,618. BrowserOS has the larger community by that measure.
Are BrowserOS and Deta Surf free?
Both are open source. BrowserOS is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Deta Surf under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between BrowserOS and Deta Surf?
BrowserOS is written in TypeScript and Deta Surf in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, BrowserOS or Deta Surf?
Choose BrowserOS if you want the larger community (14,251 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Deta Surf if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.