SurfSense

A desktop NotebookLM alternative that answers document questions with citations and creates reports or podcasts locally on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Alternative to:

SurfSense is a desktop NotebookLM alternative for people working with confidential documents, research or study material. It answers questions across your files and turns selected sources into editable outputs.

Cited answers. Ask questions across your documents and see the sources behind each answer.
Reports and presentations. Produce editable PowerPoint decks, Word reports and spreadsheets, along with PDF briefs and standalone web pages.
Study materials. Create flashcards, multiple-choice quizzes and collapsible mind maps from selected documents.
Audio and visuals. Generate two-host podcasts with local Kokoro-82M voices, plus illustrations and infographics when an image model is available.

The app is free and runs on Windows x64, Apple Silicon macOS and Linux x64. It doesn't require an account or a GPU. Document parsing, embeddings and the search index run on your computer. With the required model weights downloaded, text, audio and image generation can run locally without an account or API key.

SurfSense can also connect to OpenAI-compatible endpoints, including those provided by Jan, AnythingLLM, Open WebUI and LM Studio. A remote model endpoint processes requests outside your machine. Outbound connections are disabled by default, and an egress panel lets you select the destinations the app can contact.