Note-taking and knowledge bases
Open Notebook: review, pricing, data and alternatives
Open Notebook organizes documents into notebooks for people who want to query and search their sources. It provides cited answers, summarizes content and creates podcasts with multiple speakers. A free tier exists. Access and transparency score: 68/100, #4 of 14 in its category.
What is Open Notebook?
Open Notebook organizes documents into notebooks for people who want to query and search their sources. It provides cited answers, summarizes content and creates podcasts with multiple speakers.
According to its documentation, Open Notebook lets you:
- organize documents into notebooks
- query sources with cited answers
- search documents and notes
- summarize content
- create podcasts with multiple speakers
We file it under Note-taking and knowledge bases, the category of tools to organise notes and knowledge, and it also overlaps with aI for documents and PDFs and audio and podcast. The category lists 14 verified tools on this site.
The service launched in 2024.
Who is it for?
It is mostly useful to these profiles: researchers, students, and teachers. The need it covers is simple to state: organise notes and knowledge.
Open Notebook is a good candidate if:
- you want to try before paying
- you plan to connect it to your tools or automations through its API
- you must keep your data in Europe or on your own machine
- you want to read the code or host it yourself
The best test is a concrete case from your daily work: if the tool does not beat your current method within a week, move on to an alternative.
How much does Open Notebook cost?
Pricing model: open source (public code). Basic use costs nothing.
To estimate what the same work would cost done directly with an AI model, use our API price calculator. Prices change often: always check the official site before subscribing.
Data and privacy
According to its privacy policy, data is processed on your device (local processing).
Local processing is the most favourable case: your files do not leave your machine for the features concerned.
Exporting your content: yes (details on the official site). Being able to get your data back makes switching tools easier later.
Three habits apply to every AI tool:
- turn off the use of your content for training if the option exists
- use a work account separate from your personal account
- review everything the tool produces before publishing or sending it
Platforms, languages and API
Open Notebook runs on: web browser, Windows, macOS, Linux, and API.
The interface is available in 14 languages.
A public API lets you call it from your own programs or an automation tool, and plug it into an AI agent.
The source code is public: lfnovolfnovo/open-notebook.
How we scored it
Our 68/100 score does not judge output quality: it measures what can be publicly verified about access to the tool, its openness and how far the publisher can be trusted.
| Criterion | Points | What counts |
|---|---|---|
| Access | 20/30 | free tier, published price, French interface |
| Openness | 30/30 | API, data export, open code |
| Trust | 18/40 | identified publisher, declared hosting, age, presence in reference lists |
The full calculation is explained on our method page.
Comparison with alternatives
Open Notebook against other tools in the note-taking and knowledge bases category:
Verdict
Open Notebook is a decent option; compare its price and terms with the category leaders.
Strengths
- Free tier to try it
- Public API
- Public source code
- Local processing available
- Available on many platforms
Alternatives
Categories and jobs
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Is Open Notebook free?
Yes, a free plan exists, with usage limits.
Where is Open Notebook data stored?
According to the publisher, on your device (local processing).
Does Open Notebook have an API?
Yes, a public API is documented.
What are the alternatives to Open Notebook?
In the same category: Recall, Obsidian, Glasp, and Mem.
Open Notebook or Recall: which one to choose?
Our score is 68/100 for Open Notebook and 78/100 for Recall. Try both on the same task before paying.
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Neutrality. No affiliate links. No vendor pays to be reviewed, rated or ranked. Reviews are directed by François Chollet, neutral and factual, and every data point is dated and sourced. How we score