Home/Compare/surf vs docs

Comparison

surf vs docs

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 docs if docs is a lightweight document management system that offers comprehensive functionalities including OCR and media conversion tools, accessible via Docker.

Markdown twin · surf alternatives · docs alternatives

GraphCanon updated Sep 16, 2026

15views this month

surf logo

surf

deta/surf

3.5kpushed Aug 10, 2026
vs
docs logo

docs

sismics/docs

2.6kpushed Aug 17, 2026

Trust & integrity

Signalsurfdocs
Maintenance
Very active (2d since push)
As of Aug 12, 2026 · github_public_v1
Active (29d since push)
As of Sep 16, 2026 · github_public_v1
Provenance
Not a fork · Organization account
As of Aug 12, 2026 · github_public_v1
Not a fork · Organization account
As of Sep 16, 2026 · github_public_v1
OSV dependency advisories
No lockfile (source not queried)
As of Jul 15, 2026 · osv@v1
No lockfile (source not queried)
As of Jul 15, 2026 · 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.
docs
Lightweight document management system

Stars

surf
3.5k
docs
2.6k

Forks

surf
251
docs
686

Open issues

surf
32
docs
113

Language

surf
TypeScript
docs
JavaScript

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.
docs
docs is a lightweight document management system that offers comprehensive functionalities including OCR and media conversion tools, accessible via Docker.

Persona

surf
-
docs
-

Runtime

surf
-
docs
-

License

surf
Apache-2.0
docs
GPL-2.0

Last pushed

surf
Aug 10, 2026
docs
Aug 17, 2026

Categories

surf
Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks
docs
Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools

Trust and health

Maintenance

surf
Very active (96%)
docs
Active (82%)

Days since push

surf
2d
docs
29d

Open issues (now)

surf
32
docs
113

Stars delta

surf
Unknown
docs
+8 (30d)

Open issues delta

surf
Unknown
docs
-1 (30d)

Full report

Choose surf if…

  • surf is primarily TypeScript; docs is JavaScript.
  • License: surf is Apache-2.0, docs is GPL-2.0.
  • Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, knowledge-base.
  • Also covers LLM Frameworks.
  • 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 docs if…

  • docs is primarily JavaScript; surf is TypeScript.
  • License: docs is GPL-2.0, surf is Apache-2.0.
  • Requirements: Requires Docker; Requires Java 11, Tesseract 4 for OCR, ffmpeg for video thumbnails, mediainfo for video metadata extraction..
  • Tags unique to docs: cloud, dms, docker, document.
  • docs ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
  • Use docs when you require an open-source solution with the capabilities of high-end document management systems but prefer something lightweight.

When NOT to use docs

  • Do not use docs in environments where strict security protocols are necessary, as default configurations like the 'admin' password must be changed manually before production.
  • Avoid this tool if your document management needs can't tolerate occasional instability during development or when you need a highly reliable and stable environment throughout.

Explore

Sources

Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.

GitHub stars on cards: surf 3.5k · docs 2.6k (synced Aug 12, 2026).

Common questions

What is the difference between surf and docs?
surf: Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks.. docs: Lightweight document management system. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
When should I choose surf over docs?
Choose surf over docs when surf is primarily TypeScript; docs is JavaScript; License: surf is Apache-2.0, docs is GPL-2.0; Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, knowledge-base; Also covers LLM Frameworks; Need a robust integration with both local and remote language models for comprehensive note creation.
When should I choose docs over surf?
Choose docs over surf when docs is primarily JavaScript; surf is TypeScript; License: docs is GPL-2.0, surf is Apache-2.0; Requirements: Requires Docker; Requires Java 11, Tesseract 4 for OCR, ffmpeg for video thumbnails, mediainfo for video metadata extraction.; Tags unique to docs: cloud, dms, docker, document; docs ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Use docs when you require an open-source solution with the capabilities of high-end document management systems but prefer something lightweight.
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 docs?
Do not use docs in environments where strict security protocols are necessary, as default configurations like the 'admin' password must be changed manually before production. Avoid this tool if your document management needs can't tolerate occasional instability during development or when you need a highly reliable and stable environment throughout.
Is surf or docs more popular on GitHub?
surf has more GitHub stars (3,522 vs 2,565). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
Are surf and docs open source?
Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (surf: Apache-2.0, docs: GPL-2.0).
Where can I find alternatives to surf or docs?
GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at surf alternatives and docs alternatives (surf markdown twin, docs 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 docs?
surf: Very active. docs: Active. 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 docs?
GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: surf trust report; docs trust report.

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