DocsGPT vs Open Notebook
Short answer
DocsGPT: Open-source platform for AI agents and assistants that answer from your documents with sources. Open Notebook: Private, self-hosted alternative to Google NotebookLM with your choice of AI models. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Choose Open Notebook if you want: larger community (40.5k vs 18.3k GitHub stars).
DocsGPT 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
DocsGPT vs Open Notebook side by side
| DocsGPT | Open Notebook | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | Open-source platform for AI agents and assistants that answer from your documents with sources. | Private, self-hosted alternative to Google NotebookLM with your choice of AI models. |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| License type | Permissive | Permissive |
| License conditions | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the license notice. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 18.3k | 40.5k |
| Last commit | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
| Latest release | 1.0.0 | v1.15.0 |
| Minimum hardware | Not published | 4 GB RAM |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | Not estimated | from €19.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker Compose | Docker Compose |
| Known gotchas | 4 listed | 4 listed |
| Telemetry | On by default | Not documented |
| Calls home by default | Yes, by default | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Free (OIDC free) | Not supported (OIDC not supported · SAML not supported · LDAP not supported) |
| Audit log | Yes, free | No |
| RBAC | Yes, free | No |
| Details | Full DocsGPT guide → | Full Open Notebook guide → |
Key differences
- Official hardware: DocsGPT: not published. Open Notebook: minimum 4 GB RAM.
- Est. server cost: DocsGPT: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Open Notebook: from €19.99/mo.
- GitHub stars: DocsGPT: 18.3k. Open Notebook: 40.5k.
- Last commit: DocsGPT: Oct 24, 2026. Open Notebook: Oct 5, 2026.
- Latest release: DocsGPT: 1.0.0 (Oct 8, 2026). Open Notebook: v1.15.0 (Oct 4, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; License: MIT (Permissive); GPU: not required or not stated; Deploy: Docker Compose · multi-container stack; Status: Active.
DocsGPT vs Open Notebook: FAQ
DocsGPT or Open Notebook: which should a small business choose?
Choose Open Notebook if you want: larger community (40.5k vs 18.3k GitHub stars). DocsGPT publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, DocsGPT or Open Notebook?
DocsGPT: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Open Notebook: from €19.99/mo. 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 DocsGPT and Open Notebook need?
DocsGPT: not published. Open Notebook: minimum 4 GB RAM.
What is the license difference between DocsGPT and Open Notebook?
DocsGPT: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. Open Notebook: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the license notice. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is DocsGPT or Open Notebook more actively maintained?
DocsGPT: Active, last commit Oct 24, 2026. Open Notebook: Active, last commit Oct 5, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 24, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, DocsGPT or Open Notebook?
DocsGPT installs via Docker Compose (multi-container stack); Open Notebook via Docker Compose (multi-container stack). DocsGPT lists 4 known gotchas and Open Notebook lists 4; see each app page.
Related
- DocsGPT self-hosting guide · Open Notebook self-hosting guide
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- All Open Notebook alternatives, ranked
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- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- DocsGPT GitHub repository: github.com/arc53/DocsGPT
- DocsGPT documentation: docs.docsgpt.cloud/
- DocsGPT license: github.com/arc53/DocsGPT/blob/main/LICENSE
- DocsGPT hardware requirements, DocsGPT deploy instructions: docs.docsgpt.cloud/Deploying/Docker-Deploying
- Open Notebook GitHub repository: github.com/lfnovo/open-notebook
- Open Notebook documentation, Open Notebook hardware requirements: github.com/lfnovo/open-notebook/blob/main/docs/1-INSTALLATION/docker-compose.md
- Open Notebook license: github.com/lfnovo/open-notebook/blob/main/LICENSE
- Open Notebook deploy instructions: github.com/lfnovo/open-notebook#step-1-download-docker-composeyml
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-22): 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.