Comparison
surf vs notion-qa
Verdict
Pick surf if surf is an open-source tool for managing personal notes by integrating local or remote AI models to process files and webpages; pick notion-qa if notion-QA enables querying Notion databases using natural language. Built with LangChain, this tool facilitates easy setup and deployment on StreamLit.
Markdown twin · surf alternatives · notion-qa alternatives
GraphCanon updated 1w
Trust & integrity
| Signal | surf | notion-qa |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (2d since push) As of 1w · github_public_v1 | Dormant (708d since push) As of 1w · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of 1w · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Personal account As of 1w · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 | Published findings As of 1mo · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- surf
- Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks.
- notion-qa
- A Python script for querying a Notion database via natural language using LangChain.
Stars
- surf
- 3.5k
- notion-qa
- 2.2k
Forks
- surf
- 251
- notion-qa
- 360
Open issues
- surf
- 32
- notion-qa
- 20
Language
- surf
- TypeScript
- notion-qa
- Python
Adopt for
- surf
- surf is an open-source tool for managing personal notes by integrating local or remote AI models to process files and webpages.
- notion-qa
- Notion-QA enables querying Notion databases using natural language. Built with LangChain, this tool facilitates easy setup and deployment on StreamLit.
Persona
- surf
- -
- notion-qa
- -
Runtime
- surf
- -
- notion-qa
- -
License
- surf
- Apache-2.0
- notion-qa
- MIT
Last pushed
- surf
- Aug 10, 2026
- notion-qa
- Sep 6, 2024
Categories
- surf
- Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks
- notion-qa
- Data & Retrieval, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Maintenance
- surf
- Very active (96%)
- notion-qa
- Dormant (18%)
Days since push
- surf
- 2d
- notion-qa
- 708d
Open issues (now)
- surf
- 32
- notion-qa
- 20
Stars delta
- surf
- Unknown
- notion-qa
- +1 (30d)
Open issues delta
- surf
- Unknown
- notion-qa
- -1 (30d)
Owner type
- surf
- Organization
- notion-qa
- User
OSV dependency advisories
- surf
- No lockfile (source not queried)
- notion-qa
- Published findings
Full report
- surf
- Trust report
- notion-qa
- Trust report
Choose surf if…
- surf is primarily TypeScript; notion-qa is Python.
- License: surf is Apache-2.0, notion-qa is MIT.
- Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, knowledge-base.
- Also covers Developer Tools.
- Need a robust integration with both local and remote language models for comprehensive note creation
When NOT to use surf
- Prefer using proprietary, closed-source tools that do not allow open model choices
- Require extensive cloud-based collaboration features among multiple users
Choose notion-qa if…
- notion-qa is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript.
- License: notion-qa is MIT, surf is Apache-2.0.
- Requirements: Requires installation of Python packages as listed in `requirements.txt` along with setting up an OpenAI API key for usage..
- Tags unique to notion-qa: langchain, natural language processing (nlp), notion, streamlit.
- When you want to query information from your Notion database using simple, natural language questions, leveraging the power of LangChain.
When NOT to use notion-qa
- When your use case requires real-time database updates or immediate changes that aren't optimized through natural language queries.
- If your workflow demands handling very complex queries with detailed filters and conditions which might not be effectively conveyed by natural language alone.
- For scenarios where you need strict control over the query execution process without relying on automated parsing and interpretation.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (deta/surf) · observed Aug 12, 2026
- GitHub forks (deta/surf) · observed Aug 12, 2026
- Last push (deta/surf) · observed Aug 10, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Aug 12, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub stars (hwchase17/notion-qa) · observed Aug 15, 2026
- GitHub forks (hwchase17/notion-qa) · observed Aug 15, 2026
- Last push (hwchase17/notion-qa) · observed Sep 6, 2024
- License file (MIT) · observed Aug 15, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 12, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: surf 3.5k · notion-qa 2.2k (synced Aug 12, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between surf and notion-qa?
- surf: Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks.. notion-qa: A Python script for querying a Notion database via natural language using LangChain.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose surf over notion-qa?
- Choose surf over notion-qa when surf is primarily TypeScript; notion-qa is Python; License: surf is Apache-2.0, notion-qa is MIT; Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, knowledge-base; Also covers Developer Tools; Need a robust integration with both local and remote language models for comprehensive note creation.
- When should I choose notion-qa over surf?
- Choose notion-qa over surf when notion-qa is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript; License: notion-qa is MIT, surf is Apache-2.0; Requirements: Requires installation of Python packages as listed in
requirements.txtalong with setting up an OpenAI API key for usage.; Tags unique to notion-qa: langchain, natural language processing (nlp), notion, streamlit; When you want to query information from your Notion database using simple, natural language questions, leveraging the power of LangChain. - When should I avoid surf?
- Prefer using proprietary, closed-source tools that do not allow open model choices Require extensive cloud-based collaboration features among multiple users
- When should I avoid notion-qa?
- When your use case requires real-time database updates or immediate changes that aren't optimized through natural language queries. If your workflow demands handling very complex queries with detailed filters and conditions which might not be effectively conveyed by natural language alone. For scenarios where you need strict control over the query execution process without relying on automated parsing and interpretation.
- Is surf or notion-qa more popular on GitHub?
- surf has more GitHub stars (3,522 vs 2,154). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are surf and notion-qa open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (surf: Apache-2.0, notion-qa: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to surf or notion-qa?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at surf alternatives and notion-qa alternatives (surf markdown twin, notion-qa markdown twin), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes.
- Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison?
- Yes. The markdown twin at this comparison mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, surf or notion-qa?
- surf: Very active. notion-qa: Dormant. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance.
- Where are the full trust reports for surf and notion-qa?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: surf trust report; notion-qa trust report.