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Petal vs Open Notebook: catalog facts
PetalOpen Notebook
Freemium

Free to start, with paid options for more use.

Free

Free and open source under the MIT license.

Web Web, Self-hosted
  • Answers cite the source documents
  • Document storage with automatic metadata extraction
  • Privacy-focused self-hosted alternative to a well-known proprietary tool
  • MIT licensed with an active Discord community
  • Documents are stored in Petal's cloud
  • Requires an account
  • Local processing still depends on which model provider is configured
  • Smaller community than the proprietary product it alternatives
Web application Self-hosted, Web application
Closed source Open source
License not stated License: MIT
Account needed Not stated if an account is needed
Needs internet Not stated if it works offline

Checked September 26, 2026

Checked September 22, 2026

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