opensource
This repository implements an open-source alternative to NotebookLM with additional flexibility.
About opensource
Open Notebook is an open source repository that provides a self-hosted alternative to NotebookLM for organizing research material. It holds PDFs, videos, audio, and web pages in notebooks, supports full-text and vector search, and lets users chat with AI models using that content as context with citations to sources, notes and insights.
It connects to 20+ cloud AI providers or local models through Ollama and OpenAI-compatible servers, can generate podcasts with 1-4 speakers and custom profiles, and provides a REST API. Running it requires Docker and a user-supplied AI provider key or local model server, and content sent to a chosen cloud provider leaves the local setup.
Key features
- Organize PDFs, videos, audio and web pages in notebooks
- Chat with AI using notebook content as context with citations
- Generate podcasts with 1-4 speakers and custom profiles
- Full-text and vector search across stored content
- Connect 20+ AI providers or local models via Ollama
- Full REST API for automation and integrations
Best for: People who want to self-host a notebook research tool and use their own cloud or local AI models.
Good for
- Can be deployed with Docker locally or in the cloud
- Supports 20+ AI providers and local models via Ollama and OpenAI-compatible servers
- Includes multi-speaker podcast generation, custom transformations, and a REST API
Watch out for
- Requires Docker Desktop or Docker Engine with Compose plugin
- Requires an AI provider API key or a local model server such as Ollama
opensource at a glance
- Category
- Productivity › Notes & Knowledge Management
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Open source
- Yes · Source code
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
Guides for Notes & Knowledge Management
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opensource FAQ
What is needed to run Open Notebook?
Docker Desktop on macOS or Windows, or Docker Engine with the Compose plugin on Linux, plus an AI provider API key or a local model server such as Ollama added in the UI.
Which AI models can it use?
20+ providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible server such as LM Studio or vLLM.
Can it generate podcasts with more than two speakers?
Yes, it supports 1-4 speakers with custom profiles.
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