Deta Surf
Open-source browser and AI notebook combined, with local-first data storage.
🔗 Visit Deta Surf
Description
Deta Surf merges a web browser and a note-taking app into one window: as you browse, watch a YouTube video, or read a PDF, you can @-mention it and instantly get an AI-generated, cited summary dropped into your notes — instead of the usual routine of opening ten tabs, reading them, and manually writing down what mattered.
It stores your files, embeddings and notes locally on your device rather than in a cloud database, and lets you bring your own AI model or API key rather than locking you into one provider. It's open source (Apache 2.0) and currently in open beta, free to download, with pricing not yet finalized for whatever premium features arrive later.
💬 Our review
The short version: Deta Surf is one of the more interesting local-first AI note-taking tools around right now, but it's an open beta from a small team, not a finished, dependable daily driver yet.
Its pitch — a browser and notebook fused together, with citations back to the original source and local-first storage — is a genuinely different angle from NotebookLM (which is cloud-based and Google-account-tied) or a plain browser plus a separate note app. Being free during beta and open source removes financial risk, but "pricing not yet finalized" also means the free ride could end, and betas carry the usual risk of missing features, rough edges, and shifting APIs. Worth trying for research-heavy workflows where owning your data locally matters; not yet the tool to build a mission-critical workflow around.
💰 Pricing
📊 Global score
🤖 AI-enriched data
Open beta, free to download; pricing not yet finalized
Pros
Local-first data storage
Bring-your-own-model flexibility
Cited AI summaries
Open source, free during beta
Cons
Open beta — rough edges expected
Pricing not yet finalized
Smaller community than established tools