head to head · open source
SurfSense vs QOwnNotes
SurfSense has 16,169 GitHub stars, 1,538 forks, 130 open issues and last shipped yesterday. QOwnNotes has 5,884 stars, 500 forks, 63 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SurfSense leads on adoption by 175% (16,169 vs 5,884 stars). SurfSense is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; QOwnNotes is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. SurfSense has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, QOwnNotes 8%. SurfSense was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| SurfSense | QOwnNotes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 5.9K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 500 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick SurfSense if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick QOwnNotes if
- You want the QOwnNotes feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and QOwnNotes fits your workflow better
About SurfSense
SurfSense is an open source NotebookLM alternative and privacy first knowledge base that can work with any AI model chosen by the user. It is a Python productivity and knowledge management project in the agent, RAG, LangChain, LangGraph, FastAPI, Next.js, and Ollama ecosystem. The project presents itself as an open web research platform for AI agents, with live data connectors and a built in knowledge base that keeps findings searchable with citations.
read the full SurfSense overview →
About QOwnNotes
QOwnNotes is a GPL 2.0 licensed, C++ plain text notepad and todo list manager with Markdown support for GNU/Linux, macOS and Windows that stores every note as a Markdown file and pairs with Nextcloud or ownCloud so the same notes stay readable on mobile and in the web service.
read the full QOwnNotes overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is SurfSense or QOwnNotes more popular?
SurfSense has 16,169 GitHub stars and QOwnNotes has 5,884. SurfSense has the larger community by that measure.
Are SurfSense and QOwnNotes free?
Both are open source. SurfSense has no licence declared in this registry, and QOwnNotes is licensed under GPL-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between SurfSense and QOwnNotes?
SurfSense is written in Python and QOwnNotes in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, SurfSense or QOwnNotes?
Choose SurfSense if you want the larger community (16,169 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose QOwnNotes if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.