RAGFlow vs SurfSense
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosted ai options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | RAGFlow | SurfSense |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 91,238 | ★ 16,255 |
| First released | 2024 | 2024 |
| Replaces | NotebookLM | NotebookLM, Perplexity |
What are RAGFlow and SurfSense?
RAGFlow
RAGFlow is an open-source retrieval-augmented generation engine built around deep document understanding. It parses complex documents accurately, chunks them intelligently, and provides grounded, citation-backed answers.
- Deep document parsing
- Citation-grounded answers
- Knowledge base management
- Visual chunking
SurfSense
SurfSense is a self-hosted AI research assistant that connects to your documents, browser history, and external sources to answer questions with citations. It functions as a private alternative to NotebookLM and Perplexity.
- Cited research answers
- Connectors for many sources
- Local and cloud LLM support
- Podcast generation
RAGFlow vs SurfSense: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. SurfSense is the lighter option, starting around 2,048 MB of RAM against 8,192 MB for RAGFlow. RAGFlow has the considerably larger community, at 91,238 GitHub stars versus 16,255.
Why pick each one
Choose RAGFlow if…
- Excellent document parsing
- Citation-backed answers
- Broad LLM support
Watch out for
- Heavy resource requirements
- Complex multi-container stack
Choose SurfSense if…
- Answers with citations
- Many source connectors
- Private NotebookLM alternative
Watch out for
- Young project
- Multi-service stack
Frequently asked questions
Is RAGFlow or SurfSense better?
Neither is universally better. RAGFlow has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are RAGFlow and SurfSense free and open-source?
Yes. RAGFlow is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SurfSense under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run RAGFlow and SurfSense with Docker?
RAGFlow: yes. SurfSense: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, RAGFlow or SurfSense?
SurfSense has the smaller minimum footprint at 2,048 MB of RAM, compared to about 8,192 MB for RAGFlow. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.