head to head · open source
SurfSense vs saber
SurfSense has 16,770 GitHub stars, 1,598 forks, 130 open issues and last shipped yesterday. saber has 5,011 stars, 421 forks, 401 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. SurfSense leads on adoption by 235% (16,770 vs 5,011 stars). SurfSense is written in Python under Apache-2.0; saber is written in Dart under GPL-3.0. SurfSense has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, saber 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 | saber | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 17K | ★ 5.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Dart |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 421 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick SurfSense if
- You weight community size — 17K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick saber if
- You want the saber feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You evaluated both and saber fits your workflow better
About SurfSense
English Español Português हिन्दी 简体中文 SurfSense: The Open Source NotebookLM Alternative for Open Web Research SurfSense is the open source NotebookLM alternative for AI agents , an open web research platform with live data connectors. Your agents research the live web with structured data from Reddit, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Amazon, Walmart, Google Maps, Google Search, Indeed, and any page on the open web , through one REST API or MCP server . Scheduled and event triggered agents turn what they find into briefs and alerts, and a built in knowledge base keeps every finding searchable with citations. [!NOTE]…
read the full SurfSense overview →
About saber
Saber [ ][google play] [ ][f droid] [ ][app store] [ ][download windows] [ ][flathub] [ ][download appimage] English čeština Deutsch 中文 (简体中文, 中国) 中文 (繁體, 台灣) العربية Tiếng Việt Saber is the notes app built for handwriting. It's designed to be as simple and intuitive as possible, while still delivering unique features that you'll actually use. Additionally, Saber is available across all your devices, large and small, and syncs between them seamlessly. Notably, it can invert your notes when you're in dark mode. This allows you to write with white ink on a black background, which is much easier on the eyes in low…
read the full saber overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is SurfSense or saber more popular?
SurfSense has 16,770 GitHub stars and saber has 5,011. SurfSense has the larger community by that measure.
Are SurfSense and saber free?
Both are open source. SurfSense is licensed under Apache-2.0 and saber under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between SurfSense and saber?
SurfSense is written in Python and saber in Dart. 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 saber?
Choose SurfSense if you want the larger community (16,770 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose saber if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.