head to head · open source
SurfSense vs TidGi-Desktop
SurfSense has 16,770 GitHub stars, 1,598 forks, 130 open issues and last shipped yesterday. TidGi-Desktop has 2,011 stars, 116 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. SurfSense leads on adoption by 734% (16,770 vs 2,011 stars). SurfSense is written in Python under Apache-2.0; TidGi-Desktop is written in TypeScript under MPL-2.0. SurfSense has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, TidGi-Desktop 6%. 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| SurfSense | TidGi-Desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 17K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 116 |
| 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 TidGi-Desktop if
- You want the TidGi-Desktop feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and TidGi-Desktop 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 TidGi-Desktop
TidGi Customizable personal knowledge base with git as backup manager and blogging platform. Pronounce: Same as Tai Chi /ˌtaɪ ˈtʃiː/ 🇬🇧 English 🇨🇳 简体中文 ShowCases And Demo Demo Demo Online Web Blog Page TiddlyWiki Official Website Screenshot For mac users, since I haven't buy Apple developer key yet, so you have to entrust App to open it, click here to expand details.◀ First of all, you need to drag this App into Applications folder! Otherwise there will be an error. Click "Cancel" ↓ Click "Open" ↓ Click "OK" ↓ Or you could start the Terminal from launchpad, and run the command below, make sure your…
read the full TidGi-Desktop overview →
More in Productivity & Utilities
Related comparisons
More Note Taking & Knowledge Management projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Note Taking & Knowledge Management field.
Frequently asked questions
Is SurfSense or TidGi-Desktop more popular?
SurfSense has 16,770 GitHub stars and TidGi-Desktop has 2,011. SurfSense has the larger community by that measure.
Are SurfSense and TidGi-Desktop free?
Both are open source. SurfSense is licensed under Apache-2.0 and TidGi-Desktop under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between SurfSense and TidGi-Desktop?
SurfSense is written in Python and TidGi-Desktop 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, SurfSense or TidGi-Desktop?
Choose SurfSense if you want the larger community (16,770 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose TidGi-Desktop if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.