Comparison
surf vs annotateai
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 annotateai if annotateai uses LLMs to automate the annotation of scientific and medical papers. It's open-source under Apache-2.0, categorized as an LLM Framework and Data & Retrieval tool.
Markdown twin · surf alternatives · annotateai alternatives
GraphCanon updated 2d
Trust & integrity
| Signal | surf | annotateai |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (2d since push) As of 1w · github_public_v1 | Slowing (110d since push) As of 2d · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of 1w · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of 2d · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) 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.
- annotateai
- Automatically annotate papers using LLMs
Stars
- surf
- 3.5k
- annotateai
- 423
Forks
- surf
- 251
- annotateai
- 43
Open issues
- surf
- 32
- annotateai
- 0
Language
- surf
- TypeScript
- annotateai
- 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.
- annotateai
- annotateai uses LLMs to automate the annotation of scientific and medical papers. It's open-source under Apache-2.0, categorized as an LLM Framework and Data & Retrieval tool.
Persona
- surf
- -
- annotateai
- -
Runtime
- surf
- -
- annotateai
- -
License
- surf
- Apache-2.0
- annotateai
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- surf
- Aug 10, 2026
- annotateai
- May 5, 2026
Categories
- surf
- Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks
- annotateai
- Data & Retrieval, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Maintenance
- surf
- Very active (96%)
- annotateai
- Slowing (36%)
Days since push
- surf
- 2d
- annotateai
- 110d
Open issues (now)
- surf
- 32
- annotateai
- 0
Stars delta
- surf
- Unknown
- annotateai
- +1 (30d)
Open issues delta
- surf
- Unknown
- annotateai
- 0 (30d)
Full report
- surf
- Trust report
- annotateai
- Trust report
Choose surf if…
- surf is primarily TypeScript; annotateai is Python.
- 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 annotateai if…
- annotateai is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript.
- Tags unique to annotateai: ai, artificial-intelligence, large language models, llm.
- Need automated annotations for large volumes of scientific or medical papers
When NOT to use annotateai
- Require detailed, custom annotations that go beyond general LLML capabilities
- Situations where regulatory approval necessitates human review over machine-generated annotations
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 (neuml/annotateai) · observed Aug 23, 2026
- GitHub forks (neuml/annotateai) · observed Aug 23, 2026
- Last push (neuml/annotateai) · observed May 5, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Aug 23, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 12, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: surf 3.5k · annotateai 423 (synced Aug 12, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between surf and annotateai?
- surf: Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks.. annotateai: Automatically annotate papers using LLMs. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose surf over annotateai?
- Choose surf over annotateai when surf is primarily TypeScript; annotateai is Python; 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 annotateai over surf?
- Choose annotateai over surf when annotateai is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript; Tags unique to annotateai: ai, artificial-intelligence, large language models, llm; Need automated annotations for large volumes of scientific or medical papers.
- 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 annotateai?
- Require detailed, custom annotations that go beyond general LLML capabilities Situations where regulatory approval necessitates human review over machine-generated annotations
- Is surf or annotateai more popular on GitHub?
- surf has more GitHub stars (3,522 vs 423). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are surf and annotateai open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (surf: Apache-2.0, annotateai: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to surf or annotateai?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at surf alternatives and annotateai alternatives (surf markdown twin, annotateai 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 annotateai?
- surf: Very active. annotateai: 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 annotateai?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: surf trust report; annotateai trust report.