Open Notebook
What Open Notebook is
Open Notebook is a free, self-hosted AI knowledge management system for collecting, organizing and analyzing information. It supports unlimited notebooks and accepts PDFs, ePub, text, Markdown, Office files, web articles, blog posts, news articles, YouTube videos, local videos and audio recordings. Links can be scraped, YouTube transcripts extracted, documents processed with Docling, and audio or video transcribed. Full-text and vector search locate material; Ask combines multiple searches into answers linked to source documents. Notes can be written manually or created from AI insights and chats, with editable transformations. Users choose which sources are exposed for each question, while chat offers no-context, summary-only and full-content modes. Podcasts can be generated with one to four speakers and downloaded. Providers include OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Vertex AI, Ollama, OpenRouter, Groq, xAI, Voyage, Mistral, Deepseek and ElevenLabs. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, web, API and self-hosted setups under the MIT License. Local Ollama use can avoid cloud API keys.
Who it suits
Open Notebook suits researchers, students and professionals who want control over workflows, models and data exposure. It also fits users comfortable with self-hosting and configuring AI providers.
What it does well
- Unlimited notebooks for projects
- Broad document, media and web support
- Search answers link source documents
- Per-question source exposure controls
- MIT-licensed and self-hosted
What to know first
- Complete use requires multiple model types
- Installation requires at least 4 GB RAM
- Security guide lists one shared password
- AI provider usage may cost extra
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Open Notebook | Free software; AI provider usage may cost extra, or use local models | Free |
As open-notebook.ai lists them, read 13 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Open Notebook combines broad source collection, searchable notebooks, configurable AI providers and privacy controls. Its self-hosted setup and model configuration suit users who want direct control over their research workflow.
Facts from Open Notebook's own pages
- AI providers
- The project lists cloud and local model providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Ollama, Mistral, Groq, OpenRouter, and others. · open-notebook.ai, 13 Oct 2026
- Audience
- The maker describes it as designed for researchers, students, and professionals who want to improve learning while controlling their workflows, models, and data exposure. · open-notebook.ai, 12 Oct 2026
- Content formats
- Supported sources include PDFs, ePub, text, Markdown, Office files, YouTube, local video, audio recordings, and web content. · open-notebook.ai, 13 Oct 2026
- Content processing
- Website links can be scraped, YouTube transcripts extracted, document text processed with Docling by default, and audio or video transcribed. · open-notebook.ai, 12 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · open-notebook.ai, 20 Sept 2026
- Installation
- Documented installation routes include Docker Compose, source installation, and a Windows native option. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The project provides a REST API for programmatic access and custom integrations. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The official site describes it for researchers, students, and professionals who want to control their workflows, models, and data exposure. · open-notebook.ai, 13 Oct 2026
- License
- The site states that Open Notebook is released under the MIT License. · open-notebook.ai, 12 Oct 2026
- Local use
- The local quick start says Ollama can run alongside Open Notebook without cloud API keys, with nothing leaving the machine. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
- Model setup
- The maker says all model types and defaults are currently required for complete use of all features, including language, embedding, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech models. · open-notebook.ai, 12 Oct 2026
- Notebooks
- Users can create an unlimited number of notebooks for topics or projects. · open-notebook.ai, 12 Oct 2026
- Notes and transformations
- Users can write notes manually or create them from AI insights and chat messages, and can edit default transformations or create their own. · open-notebook.ai, 12 Oct 2026
- Open source
- The project is released under the MIT License. · open-notebook.ai, 13 Oct 2026
- Podcast generation
- Users can generate custom podcasts from their notes and assets, configure speakers and episode settings, and download episodes. · open-notebook.ai, 12 Oct 2026
- Podcasts
- Users can create podcasts with one to four speakers and configurable profiles. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
- Privacy controls
- For each question, users can choose which sources or notes are exposed to the AI model; the chat assistant also offers no-context, summary-only, or full-content options. · open-notebook.ai, 12 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Open Notebook is a self-hosted AI research assistant for adding documents, web pages, audio and video, chatting with AI about them, taking notes, and creating podcasts. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
- Research workflow
- Users can create unlimited notebooks, gather sources, ask questions, and create notes manually or with AI assistance. · open-notebook.ai, 13 Oct 2026
- Search and answers
- Open Notebook offers full-text and vector search, and its Ask feature combines responses to multiple searches into a coherent answer with links to source documents. · open-notebook.ai, 12 Oct 2026
- Search and citations
- The documentation describes full-text and semantic search across content and answers with source citations. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
- Security controls
- The security guide says stored provider credentials require an encryption key and recommends HTTPS and restricting exposed ports for network deployments. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
- Security limits
- The guide lists one shared password with no accounts or roles, no rate limiting or lockout, and no audit log. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project directs users to its Discord community, GitHub Discussions, and GitHub Issues for help and bug reports. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Where Open Notebook stands on Freedom251
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