Open Notebook vs RAGFlow
Short answer
Open Notebook: Private, self-hosted alternative to Google NotebookLM with your choice of AI models. RAGFlow: RAG engine with deep document parsing (OCR, layout and tables) and cited answers. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Choose Open Notebook if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €69.99/mo).
Choose RAGFlow if you want: larger community (92.6k vs 40.5k GitHub stars).
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
Open Notebook vs RAGFlow side by side
| Open Notebook | RAGFlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | Private, self-hosted alternative to Google NotebookLM with your choice of AI models. | RAG engine with deep document parsing (OCR, layout and tables) and cited answers. |
| 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 | 92.6k |
| Last commit | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 22, 2026 |
| Latest release | v1.15.0 | v1.0.0-rc2 |
| Minimum hardware | 4 GB RAM | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk |
| 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 | from €69.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker Compose | Docker Compose |
| 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) | Free (OIDC free) |
| Audit log | No | Not documented |
| RBAC | No | Basic free, more in paid plan |
| Details | Full Open Notebook guide → | Full RAGFlow guide → |
Key differences
- License: Open Notebook: MIT (Permissive). RAGFlow: Apache-2.0 (Permissive).
- Official hardware: Open Notebook: minimum 4 GB RAM. RAGFlow: recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk (no separate minimum published).
- Est. server cost: Open Notebook: from €19.99/mo. RAGFlow: from €69.99/mo.
- GitHub stars: Open Notebook: 40.5k. RAGFlow: 92.6k.
- Last commit: Open Notebook: Oct 5, 2026. RAGFlow: Oct 22, 2026.
- Latest release: Open Notebook: v1.15.0 (Oct 4, 2026). RAGFlow: v1.0.0-rc2 (Oct 16, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; GPU: not required or not stated; Deploy: Docker Compose · multi-container stack; Status: Active.
Open Notebook vs RAGFlow: FAQ
Open Notebook or RAGFlow: which should a small business choose?
Choose Open Notebook if you want: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €69.99/mo). Choose RAGFlow if you want: larger community (92.6k vs 40.5k GitHub stars).
Which is cheaper to self-host, Open Notebook or RAGFlow?
Open Notebook: cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €69.99/mo).
How much hardware do Open Notebook and RAGFlow need?
Open Notebook: minimum 4 GB RAM. RAGFlow: recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk (no separate minimum published).
What is the license difference between Open Notebook and RAGFlow?
Open Notebook: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the license notice. RAGFlow: 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 RAGFlow more actively maintained?
Open Notebook: Active, last commit Oct 5, 2026. RAGFlow: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Open Notebook or RAGFlow?
Open Notebook installs via Docker Compose (multi-container stack); RAGFlow via Docker Compose (multi-container stack). Open Notebook lists 4 known gotchas and RAGFlow lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- Open Notebook self-hosting guide · RAGFlow self-hosting guide
- All Open Notebook alternatives, ranked
- All RAGFlow alternatives, ranked
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- MaxKB vs Open Notebook
- MaxKB vs RAGFlow
- Onyx (formerly Danswer) vs Open Notebook
- Onyx (formerly Danswer) vs RAGFlow
- Open Notebook vs PrivateGPT
- 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
- RAGFlow GitHub repository: github.com/infiniflow/ragflow
- RAGFlow documentation, RAGFlow hardware requirements, RAGFlow deploy instructions: github.com/infiniflow/ragflow#-get-started
- RAGFlow license: github.com/infiniflow/ragflow/blob/main/LICENSE
- 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.