--- title: "surf vs obsidian-llm-wiki-local" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/deta-surf-vs-kytmanov-obsidian-llm-wiki-local" tools: ["deta-surf", "kytmanov-obsidian-llm-wiki-local"] --- # surf vs obsidian-llm-wiki-local *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## 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 obsidian-llm-wiki-local if local-first AI wiki for auto-linking Markdown notes with LLMs in Obsidian, designed to maintain user privacy. [surf](https://deta.surf) reports 3.6k GitHub stars, 251 forks, and 32 open issues, last pushed Aug 24, 2026. [obsidian-llm-wiki-local](https://github.com/kytmanov/obsidian-llm-wiki-local) has 827 stars, 127 forks, and 2 open issues, last pushed May 26, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [surf's repository](https://github.com/deta/surf) and [obsidian-llm-wiki-local's repository](https://github.com/kytmanov/obsidian-llm-wiki-local). | | [surf](/tools/deta-surf.md) | [obsidian-llm-wiki-local](/tools/kytmanov-obsidian-llm-wiki-local.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks. | Local-first AI wiki that integrates Markdown notes with LLMs for auto-linking concepts and personal knowledge management. | | Stars | 3,572 | 827 | | Forks | 251 | 127 | | Open issues | 32 | 2 | | Language | TypeScript | Python | | Adopt for | surf is an open-source tool for managing personal notes by integrating local or remote AI models to process files and webpages. | Local-first AI wiki for auto-linking Markdown notes with LLMs in Obsidian, designed to maintain user privacy. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | MIT | | Categories | Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks | Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [surf](/tools/deta-surf.md) | [obsidian-llm-wiki-local](/tools/kytmanov-obsidian-llm-wiki-local.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Active (82%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 26d | 117d | | Open issues (now) | 32 | 2 | | Stars delta | +50 (30d) | +28 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/deta-surf/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/kytmanov-obsidian-llm-wiki-local/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: surf - **Adopt for:** surf is an open-source tool for managing personal notes by integrating local or remote AI models to process files and webpages. ## Decision facts: obsidian-llm-wiki-local - **Adopt for:** Local-first AI wiki for auto-linking Markdown notes with LLMs in Obsidian, designed to maintain user privacy. ## Choose when ### Choose surf if… - surf is primarily TypeScript; obsidian-llm-wiki-local is Python. - License: surf is Apache-2.0, obsidian-llm-wiki-local is MIT. - Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, local-llm. - Also covers LLM Frameworks. - Need a robust integration with both local and remote language models for comprehensive note creation ### Choose obsidian-llm-wiki-local if… - obsidian-llm-wiki-local is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript. - License: obsidian-llm-wiki-local is MIT, surf is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to obsidian-llm-wiki-local: git-based-wiki, karpathy, llm-knowledge-base, local-first-ai. - When you require a self-contained wiki solution that uses local Large Language Models (LLMs) and keeps all data private. ## 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 ## When NOT to use obsidian-llm-wiki-local - If you do not have a preference for using local LLMs over cloud-based solutions that might offer more powerful models. - When you are willing to share your data with external services for potentially better integration features or enhanced AI capabilities. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between surf and obsidian-llm-wiki-local? surf: Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks.. obsidian-llm-wiki-local: Local-first AI wiki that integrates Markdown notes with LLMs for auto-linking concepts and personal knowledge management.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose surf over obsidian-llm-wiki-local? Choose surf over obsidian-llm-wiki-local when surf is primarily TypeScript; obsidian-llm-wiki-local is Python; License: surf is Apache-2.0, obsidian-llm-wiki-local is MIT; Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, local-llm; Also covers LLM Frameworks; Need a robust integration with both local and remote language models for comprehensive note creation. ### When should I choose obsidian-llm-wiki-local over surf? Choose obsidian-llm-wiki-local over surf when obsidian-llm-wiki-local is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript; License: obsidian-llm-wiki-local is MIT, surf is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to obsidian-llm-wiki-local: git-based-wiki, karpathy, llm-knowledge-base, local-first-ai; When you require a self-contained wiki solution that uses local Large Language Models (LLMs) and keeps all data private. ### 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 obsidian-llm-wiki-local? If you do not have a preference for using local LLMs over cloud-based solutions that might offer more powerful models. When you are willing to share your data with external services for potentially better integration features or enhanced AI capabilities. ### Is surf or obsidian-llm-wiki-local more popular on GitHub? surf has more GitHub stars (3,572 vs 827). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are surf and obsidian-llm-wiki-local open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (surf: Apache-2.0, obsidian-llm-wiki-local: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to surf or obsidian-llm-wiki-local? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [surf alternatives](/tools/deta-surf/alternatives) and [obsidian-llm-wiki-local alternatives](/tools/kytmanov-obsidian-llm-wiki-local/alternatives) ([surf markdown twin](/tools/deta-surf/alternatives.md), [obsidian-llm-wiki-local markdown twin](/tools/kytmanov-obsidian-llm-wiki-local/alternatives.md)), 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](/compare/deta-surf-vs-kytmanov-obsidian-llm-wiki-local.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, surf or obsidian-llm-wiki-local? surf: Active. obsidian-llm-wiki-local: Slowing. 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 obsidian-llm-wiki-local? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [surf trust report](/tools/deta-surf/trust); [obsidian-llm-wiki-local trust report](/tools/kytmanov-obsidian-llm-wiki-local/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=deta-surf`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=deta-surf) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_