head to head · open source
Logseq vs SurfSense
Logseq has 44,955 GitHub stars, 2,815 forks, 942 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SurfSense has 16,159 stars, 1,537 forks, 130 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Logseq leads on adoption by 178% (44,955 vs 16,159 stars). Logseq is written in Clojure under AGPL-3.0; SurfSense is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence. Logseq has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, SurfSense 10%. 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
| Logseq | SurfSense | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 16K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Clojure | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Logseq if
- You weight community size — 45K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Clojure
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick SurfSense if
- You want the SurfSense feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and SurfSense fits your workflow better
About Logseq
Logseq is an open source, privacy first knowledge management platform built for local first workflows. It runs as a desktop application and web interface, storing data locally in Markdown or Org mode files, with optional SQLite backed DB graphs for advanced features. The project lives in the Clojure/ClojureScript ecosystem and is licensed under AGPL 3.0.
read the full Logseq overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Logseq or SurfSense more popular?
Logseq has 44,955 GitHub stars and SurfSense has 16,159. Logseq has the larger community by that measure.
Are Logseq and SurfSense free?
Both are open source. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and SurfSense has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Logseq and SurfSense?
Logseq is written in Clojure and SurfSense in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Logseq or SurfSense?
Choose Logseq if you want the larger community (44,955 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose SurfSense if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.