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Kotaemon vs SurfSense: catalog facts
Kotaemon	SurfSense
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source to self-host.
Web, Self-hosted	Web, Self-hosted
Chat with your own documents through a web interface Works with local or hosted language models	Can run air-gapped with your data kept private Answers questions over your own documents and connected sources
Needs a server or local setup rather than a simple installer Answer quality depends on the model you connect	Requires setting up and maintaining your own server Fast pace of change can mean frequent updates
Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 26, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.