DeerFlow vs SurfSense
Short answer
DeerFlow: ByteDance's open-source super-agent harness for deep research, reports and multi-step tasks with sandboxes. SurfSense: Open-source NotebookLM / Perplexity-style research workspace you can self-host. Both are in our AI search & research assistants category.
Choose DeerFlow if you want: larger community (84.5k vs 16.7k GitHub stars).
SurfSense publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
DeerFlow vs SurfSense side by side
| DeerFlow | SurfSense | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI search & research assistants | AI search & research assistants |
| What it is | ByteDance's open-source super-agent harness for deep research, reports and multi-step tasks with sandboxes. | Open-source NotebookLM / Perplexity-style research workspace you can self-host. |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| License type | Permissive | Permissive |
| License conditions | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the license notice. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the Apache-2.0 license and notices. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 84.5k | 16.7k |
| Last commit | Oct 28, 2026 | Oct 27, 2026 |
| Latest release | v2.1.0 | v2.2.5 |
| Minimum hardware | 8 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 40 GB disk | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | 16 vCPU · 32 GB RAM | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Optional. Set SURFSENSE_VARIANT=cuda (or cuda126) and the GPU Compose overlay when you want NVIDIA acceleration; CPU images are the default. |
| Est. server cost | from €69.99/mo (recommended spec: €130.49/mo) | Not estimated |
| Deploy method | Docker Compose (via make) | Docker Compose |
| Known gotchas | 4 listed | 4 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | Off by default (opt-in) |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not documented | Not documented |
| Audit log | Not documented | Not documented |
| RBAC | Yes, free | Not documented |
| Details | Full DeerFlow guide → | Full SurfSense guide → |
Key differences
- License: DeerFlow: MIT (Permissive). SurfSense: Apache-2.0 (Permissive).
- Official hardware: DeerFlow: minimum 8 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 40 GB disk (recommended 16 vCPU · 32 GB RAM). SurfSense: not published.
- GPU: DeerFlow: not required or not stated. SurfSense: optional / see notes.
- Est. server cost: DeerFlow: from €69.99/mo. SurfSense: not estimated (no official RAM figure).
- Deploy: DeerFlow: Docker Compose (via make) · multi-container stack. SurfSense: Docker Compose · multi-container stack.
- GitHub stars: DeerFlow: 84.5k. SurfSense: 16.7k.
- Last commit: DeerFlow: Oct 28, 2026. SurfSense: Oct 27, 2026.
- Latest release: DeerFlow: v2.1.0 (Sep 24, 2026). SurfSense: v2.2.5 (Oct 27, 2026).
Same for both: Category: AI search & research assistants; Status: Active.
DeerFlow vs SurfSense: FAQ
DeerFlow or SurfSense: which should a small business choose?
Choose DeerFlow if you want: larger community (84.5k vs 16.7k GitHub stars). SurfSense publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, DeerFlow or SurfSense?
DeerFlow: from €69.99/mo. SurfSense: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Our estimate is the cheapest Hetzner Cloud plan that meets each project's official RAM and vCPU figure; it covers the server only.
How much hardware do DeerFlow and SurfSense need?
DeerFlow: minimum 8 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 40 GB disk (recommended 16 vCPU · 32 GB RAM). SurfSense: not published.
What is the license difference between DeerFlow and SurfSense?
DeerFlow: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the license notice. SurfSense: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the Apache-2.0 license and notices. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is DeerFlow or SurfSense more actively maintained?
DeerFlow: Active, last commit Oct 28, 2026. SurfSense: Active, last commit Oct 27, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 28, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, DeerFlow or SurfSense?
DeerFlow installs via Docker Compose (via make) (multi-container stack); SurfSense via Docker Compose (multi-container stack). DeerFlow lists 4 known gotchas and SurfSense lists 4; see each app page.
Related
- DeerFlow self-hosting guide · SurfSense self-hosting guide
- All DeerFlow alternatives, ranked
- All SurfSense alternatives, ranked
- DeerFlow vs GPT Researcher
- DeerFlow vs Khoj
- DeerFlow vs Vane (formerly Perplexica)
- GPT Researcher vs SurfSense
- Khoj vs SurfSense
- SurfSense vs Vane (formerly Perplexica)
- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- DeerFlow GitHub repository: github.com/bytedance/deer-flow
- DeerFlow documentation: github.com/bytedance/deer-flow#quick-start
- DeerFlow license: github.com/bytedance/deer-flow/blob/main/LICENSE
- DeerFlow hardware requirements: github.com/bytedance/deer-flow#deployment-sizing
- DeerFlow deploy instructions: github.com/bytedance/deer-flow#running-the-application
- SurfSense GitHub repository: github.com/MODSetter/SurfSense
- SurfSense documentation, SurfSense hardware requirements, SurfSense deploy instructions: www.surfsense.com/docs/docker-installation
- SurfSense license: github.com/MODSetter/SurfSense/blob/main/LICENSE
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-25): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.