Open Notebook
Open Notebook: A broad research workspace for notes, sources, search, and AI-assisted synthesis. Ranked #100 of 214 in Note-Taking Apps by our editors (3.0/10); pricing: Free plan; best for open-source AI-powered research notebooks.
At a glance
- Editor score3.0 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forOpen-source AI-powered research notebooks
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Ingests web, office, ebook, PDF, video, and audio content
- Combines full-text, vector search, citations, and context-controlled AI chat
- Supports hosted providers and local models through Ollama
Where it doesn't
- Self-hosting requires Docker, source, or manual installation
- Some AI workflows may require separately configured paid APIs
- Its broad research focus may exceed simple note-taking needs
Our verdict on Open Notebook
Open Notebook is a self-hosted, open-source knowledge-management and note-taking system for researchers, students, and professionals. It supports manual note creation and editing alongside AI-generated summaries, key points, and insights. Users can organize notebooks, add web pages and files, chat with their research through multiple context-controlled threads, and search across material with full-text and vector search. Its ingestion scope includes web, PDF, EPUB, text, Markdown, Office, video, and audio content, making it suited to research collections rather than lightweight personal notes.
The standout strength is the combination of broad source handling and source-grounded AI workflows. Open Notebook can provide citations in AI answers, apply customizable transformations and prompts, and generate podcasts with configurable voices, speakers, and episodes. Support for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Vertex AI, OpenRouter, Ollama, ElevenLabs, Groq, xAI, Voyage, Mistral, and Deepseek gives the system a wide provider footprint. Local-model support through Ollama is particularly relevant for users who want more control over where processing occurs, while hosted providers can support other workflows.
The project itself is free and open source. According to the published product details, some AI workflows may require separately configured paid APIs, so the total operating cost can depend on the providers selected. Installation is offered through Docker, source, or manual setup, placing more responsibility on the user than a hosted note-taking app. Open Notebook is a strong fit for people who want an extensible, self-hosted research environment with search, citations, transformations, and media generation. Users seeking a simple, ready-to-use notebook with minimal technical setup should consider a narrower tool instead.
Your product? Our editors can test Open Notebook in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Open Notebook pricing
Open Notebook fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Offline access | Not verified |
| Supported platforms | Not verified |
| Note sharing | Not verified |
| Real-time collaboration | Not verified |
| Storage limit | Not verified |
| Integrations | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Vertex AI, OpenRouter, Ollama, ElevenLabs, Groq, xAI, Voyage, Mistral, Deepseek |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 12 integrations: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Vertex AI, OpenRouter, Ollama … |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | open-notebook.ai |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Open Notebook integrations
Open Notebook lists 12 integrations on its own site.
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
- Google Gemini
- Vertex AI
- OpenRouter
- Ollama
- ElevenLabs
- Groq
- xAI
- Voyage
- Mistral
- Deepseek
Alternatives to Open Notebook
- Microsoft OneNoteA broad, collaborative note system with strong Microsoft integration and a capable free option.9.3
- NotionA flexible workspace for teams that want notes and knowledge bases alongside databases and collaboration.9.2
- EvernoteA broad note-taking workspace for organizing information, tasks, calendars, and documents.9.0
See all Open Notebook alternatives →
Used Open Notebook? Be the first to review it
The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Open Notebook for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
Write a reviewTwo minutes · verified accounts only · read by an editor before it appears
Featured on iTechGuides
Open Notebook is listed in our Note-Taking Apps directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
<a href="https://www.itechguides.com/products/open-notebook/"><img src="https://www.itechguides.com/best/badge/open-notebook.svg" alt="Featured on iTechGuides" width="230" height="46"></a>
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update