Open Notebook - Start Here
Open Notebook is a privacy-focused AI research assistant. Upload documents, chat with AI, generate notes, and create podcasts—all with complete control over your data.
Choose Your Path
🚀 I want to use OpenAI (Fastest)
5 minutes to running. GPT, simple setup, powerful results.
☁️ I want to use other cloud AI (Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter, etc.)
5 minutes to running. Choose from 17+ AI providers.
🏠 I want to run locally (Ollama or LMStudio, completely private)
5 minutes to running. Keep everything private, on your machine. No costs.
Already have Ollama installed? → External Ollama Guide
What Can You Do?
- 📄 Upload Content: PDFs, web links, audio, video, text
- 🤖 Chat with AI: Ask questions about your documents with citations
- 📝 Generate Notes: AI creates summaries and insights
- 🎙️ Create Podcasts: Turn research into professional audio content
- 🔍 Search: Full-text and semantic search across all content
- ⚙️ Transform: Extract insights, analyze themes, create summaries
Why Open Notebook?
| Feature | Open Notebook | Notebook LM |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy | Self-hosted, your control | Cloud, Google’s servers |
| AI Choice | 17+ providers | Google’s models only |
| Podcast Speakers | 1-4 customizable | 2 only |
| Cost | Completely free | Free (but your data) |
| Offline | Yes | No |
Prerequisites
- Docker: All paths use Docker (free)
- AI Provider: Either a cloud API key OR use free local models (Ollama)
Next Steps
- Pick your path above ⬆️
- Follow the 5-minute quick start
- Create your first notebook
- Start uploading documents!
Need Help? Join our Discord community or see Full Documentation.