Open Notebook vs PrivateGPT
Short answer
Open Notebook: Private, self-hosted alternative to Google NotebookLM with your choice of AI models. PrivateGPT: API-first private document Q&A that sits on top of your own LLM server. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Our data does not separate them on cost, hardware, license, activity or deploy method (or one of them does not publish the figure). Decide on features: read the descriptions on each app page and try both.
PrivateGPT 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
Open Notebook vs PrivateGPT side by side
| Open Notebook | PrivateGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | Private, self-hosted alternative to Google NotebookLM with your choice of AI models. | API-first private document Q&A that sits on top of your own LLM server. |
| 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 license and notices. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 40.5k | 57.6k |
| Last commit | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 20, 2026 |
| Latest release | v1.15.0 | v1.0.1 |
| Minimum hardware | 4 GB RAM | Not published |
| 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 | from €19.99/mo | Not estimated |
| Deploy method | Docker Compose | uv (Python) or Docker |
| Known gotchas | 4 listed | 2 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) | Paid / enterprise only (LDAP paid) |
| Audit log | No | Paid / enterprise only |
| RBAC | No | Paid / enterprise only |
| Details | Full Open Notebook guide → | Full PrivateGPT guide → |
Key differences
- License: Open Notebook: MIT (Permissive). PrivateGPT: Apache-2.0 (Permissive).
- Official hardware: Open Notebook: minimum 4 GB RAM. PrivateGPT: not published.
- Est. server cost: Open Notebook: from €19.99/mo. PrivateGPT: not estimated (no official RAM figure).
- Deploy: Open Notebook: Docker Compose · multi-container stack. PrivateGPT: uv (Python) or Docker · uv (Python) or Docker.
- GitHub stars: Open Notebook: 40.5k. PrivateGPT: 57.6k.
- Last commit: Open Notebook: Oct 5, 2026. PrivateGPT: Oct 20, 2026.
- Latest release: Open Notebook: v1.15.0 (Oct 4, 2026). PrivateGPT: v1.0.1 (Jun 18, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; GPU: not required or not stated; Status: Active.
The two projects share too few published figures for a data-based recommendation. We do not fill gaps with guesses.
Open Notebook vs PrivateGPT: FAQ
Open Notebook or PrivateGPT: which should a small business choose?
Our data does not separate them on cost, hardware, license, activity or deploy method (or one of them does not publish the figure). Decide on features: read the descriptions on each app page and try both. PrivateGPT publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, Open Notebook or PrivateGPT?
Open Notebook: from €19.99/mo. PrivateGPT: 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 Open Notebook and PrivateGPT need?
Open Notebook: minimum 4 GB RAM. PrivateGPT: not published.
What is the license difference between Open Notebook and PrivateGPT?
Open Notebook: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the license notice. PrivateGPT: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is Open Notebook or PrivateGPT more actively maintained?
Open Notebook: Active, last commit Oct 5, 2026. PrivateGPT: Active, last commit Oct 20, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Open Notebook or PrivateGPT?
Open Notebook installs via Docker Compose (multi-container stack); PrivateGPT via uv (Python) or Docker (uv (Python) or Docker). Open Notebook lists 4 known gotchas and PrivateGPT lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- Open Notebook self-hosting guide · PrivateGPT self-hosting guide
- All Open Notebook alternatives, ranked
- All PrivateGPT alternatives, ranked
- AnythingLLM vs Open Notebook
- AnythingLLM vs PrivateGPT
- FastGPT vs Open Notebook
- FastGPT vs PrivateGPT
- Khoj vs Open Notebook
- MaxKB vs Open Notebook
- MaxKB vs PrivateGPT
- Onyx (formerly Danswer) vs Open Notebook
- Onyx (formerly Danswer) vs PrivateGPT
- Open Notebook vs RAGFlow
- PrivateGPT vs RAGFlow
- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
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
- PrivateGPT GitHub repository: github.com/zylon-ai/private-gpt
- PrivateGPT documentation, PrivateGPT hardware requirements: docs.privategpt.dev/getting-started/quickstart
- PrivateGPT license: github.com/zylon-ai/private-gpt/blob/main/LICENSE
- PrivateGPT deploy instructions: github.com/zylon-ai/private-gpt#readme
- 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.