Open Notebook vs WeKnora
Short answer
Open Notebook: Private, self-hosted alternative to Google NotebookLM with your choice of AI models. WeKnora: Tencent's open-source knowledge-base and agent platform with document parsing, RAG and team workspaces. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Choose Open Notebook if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo).
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
Open Notebook vs WeKnora side by side
| Open Notebook | WeKnora | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | Private, self-hosted alternative to Google NotebookLM with your choice of AI models. | Tencent's open-source knowledge-base and agent platform with document parsing, RAG and team workspaces. |
| License | MIT | MIT (with third-party components) |
| License type | Permissive | Permissive |
| License conditions | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the license notice. | MIT for WeKnora itself; bundled third-party components keep their own licenses, listed in the LICENSE file. Internal and commercial use allowed. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 41.0k | 36.1k |
| Last commit | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Latest release | v1.15.0 | v0.9.0 |
| Minimum hardware | 4 GB RAM | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required. Local models run through Ollama or another model service you configure. |
| Est. server cost | from €19.99/mo | from €35.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker Compose | Docker Compose |
| Known gotchas | 4 listed | 4 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | Not documented |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not supported (OIDC not supported · SAML not supported · LDAP not supported) | Free (OIDC free) |
| Audit log | No | Yes, free |
| RBAC | No | Yes, free |
| Details | Full Open Notebook guide → | Full WeKnora guide → |
Key differences
- License: Open Notebook: MIT (Permissive). WeKnora: MIT (with third-party components) (Permissive).
- Official hardware: Open Notebook: minimum 4 GB RAM. WeKnora: recommended 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM (no separate minimum published).
- GPU: Open Notebook: not required or not stated. WeKnora: optional / see notes.
- Est. server cost: Open Notebook: from €19.99/mo. WeKnora: from €35.99/mo.
- GitHub stars: Open Notebook: 41.0k. WeKnora: 36.1k.
- Last commit: Open Notebook: Oct 5, 2026. WeKnora: Oct 30, 2026.
- Latest release: Open Notebook: v1.15.0 (Oct 4, 2026). WeKnora: v0.9.0 (Oct 29, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; Deploy: Docker Compose · multi-container stack; Status: Active.
Open Notebook vs WeKnora: FAQ
Open Notebook or WeKnora: which should a small business choose?
Choose Open Notebook if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo).
Which is cheaper to self-host, Open Notebook or WeKnora?
Open Notebook: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo).
How much hardware do Open Notebook and WeKnora need?
Open Notebook: minimum 4 GB RAM. WeKnora: recommended 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM (no separate minimum published).
What is the license difference between Open Notebook and WeKnora?
Open Notebook: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the license notice. WeKnora: MIT (with third-party components) (Permissive). MIT for WeKnora itself; bundled third-party components keep their own licenses, listed in the LICENSE file. Internal and commercial use allowed. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is Open Notebook or WeKnora more actively maintained?
Open Notebook: Active, last commit Oct 5, 2026. WeKnora: Active, last commit Oct 30, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 31, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Open Notebook or WeKnora?
Open Notebook installs via Docker Compose (multi-container stack); WeKnora via Docker Compose (multi-container stack). Open Notebook lists 4 known gotchas and WeKnora lists 4; see each app page.
Related
- Open Notebook self-hosting guide · WeKnora self-hosting guide
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Sources
- 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
- WeKnora GitHub repository: github.com/Tencent/WeKnora
- WeKnora documentation, WeKnora hardware requirements, WeKnora deploy instructions: weknora.weixin.qq.com/docs/01-getting-started/02-installation
- WeKnora license: github.com/Tencent/WeKnora/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.