tldw
tldw: A broad open-source toolkit for teams building local AI media-analysis workflows. Ranked #15 of 25 in AI Video Summarizers by our editors (6.9/10); pricing: Open source; best for technical teams building local AI media workflows.
At a glance
- Editor score6.9 / 10
- PricingOpen source
- Best forTechnical teams building local AI media workflows
- Paid fromFree
- YouTube supportYes
- Facts checked21 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Ingests YouTube URLs and local video files
- Combines transcription, summarization, chat, notes, and retrieval
- Supports local and hosted models across a broad provider ecosystem
Where it doesn't
- Beta status may not suit teams seeking a mature product
- Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure management
- Broader research workflows may exceed the needs of simple summarization
Our verdict on tldw
tldw is an open-source, self-hosted research system for ingesting and analyzing video, audio, documents, web pages, and other source material. It suits individuals, researchers, students, professionals, and technical teams that want media-analysis workflows running on infrastructure they control. For this category, its input coverage includes YouTube URLs and local video files, with automatic transcription and LLM-based analysis and summarization. Web, API, Chrome extension, and self-hosted access support different working environments.
Its main distinction is breadth. Beyond transcripts and summaries, tldw includes hybrid full-text and vector retrieval, notes, prompts, chats, artifacts, study packs, evaluation workflows, writing tools, MCP automation, and OpenAI-compatible chat, audio, embeddings, and evaluation APIs. That makes it relevant when a team needs to query stored material, create repeatable research workflows, or connect media analysis to other applications. Support for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Cohere, Groq, Mistral, OpenRouter, Qwen, Ollama, llama.cpp, and vLLM also gives teams flexibility in model selection.
The trade-off is operational focus. Docker and local self-hosted deployment place more responsibility on the team managing the environment, while the beta status makes it a better fit for technical users comfortable evaluating an evolving project. Choose tldw if local control, provider choice, retrieval, APIs, and study workflows matter more than a narrowly focused summarizer. Choose an alternative if the priority is a simpler, ready-to-run summarization experience with less infrastructure involvement.
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tldw pricing
tldw fact sheet
| Free plan | Not verified |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| YouTube support | Yes |
| Video uploads | Yes |
| Transcript output | Yes |
| Chapter generation | Not verified |
| Maximum video length | Not verified |
| Input sources | YouTube URLs; local video files |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web, Chrome extension |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 11 integrations: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Cohere, Groq, Mistral … |
| Pricing | Open source |
| Website | tldwproject.com |
| Facts checked | 21 Sep 2026 |
tldw integrations
tldw lists 11 integrations on its own site.
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
- Cohere
- Groq
- Mistral
- OpenRouter
- Qwen
- Ollama
- llama.cpp
- vLLM
Alternatives to tldw
- GlaspA flexible summarizer for YouTube, audio files, PDFs, transcripts, and saved research.8.9
- NoteGPTA flexible video summarizer for heavy YouTube use, batch work, and varied input sources.8.6
- MindgraspA broad AI study workspace that turns videos, lectures, and documents into study aids.8.0
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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