--- title: "surf vs openagent" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/deta-surf-vs-the-open-agent-openagent" tools: ["deta-surf", "the-open-agent-openagent"] --- # surf vs openagent *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 openagent if next-generation personal AI assistant powered by LLM, RAG and agent loops focusing on tasks like computer-use, browser navigation, coding support with an emphasis on Go language. [surf](https://deta.surf) reports 3.6k GitHub stars, 251 forks, and 32 open issues, last pushed Aug 24, 2026. [openagent](https://openagentai.org) has 5.6k stars, 657 forks, and 45 open issues, last pushed Sep 17, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [surf's repository](https://github.com/deta/surf) and [openagent's repository](https://github.com/the-open-agent/openagent). | | [surf](/tools/deta-surf.md) | [openagent](/tools/the-open-agent-openagent.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks. | next-generation personal AI assistant powered by LLM, RAG and agent loops | | Stars | 3,572 | 5,628 | | Forks | 251 | 657 | | Open issues | 32 | 45 | | Language | TypeScript | Go | | Adopt for | surf is an open-source tool for managing personal notes by integrating local or remote AI models to process files and webpages. | next-generation personal AI assistant powered by LLM, RAG and agent loops focusing on tasks like computer-use, browser navigation, coding support with an emphasis on Go language | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks | AI Agents, Data & Retrieval, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [surf](/tools/deta-surf.md) | [openagent](/tools/the-open-agent-openagent.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Active (82%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 26d | 2d | | Open issues (now) | 32 | 45 | | Stars delta | +50 (30d) | +176 (30d) | | Open issues delta | 0 (30d) | -2 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/deta-surf/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/the-open-agent-openagent/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: openagent - **Adopt for:** next-generation personal AI assistant powered by LLM, RAG and agent loops focusing on tasks like computer-use, browser navigation, coding support with an emphasis on Go language ## Choose when ### Choose surf if… - surf is primarily TypeScript; openagent is Go. - Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, local-llm. - Also covers Developer Tools. - Need a robust integration with both local and remote language models for comprehensive note creation ### Choose openagent if… - openagent is primarily Go; surf is TypeScript. - Tags unique to openagent: agent, agentic-ai, agi, chatbot. - Also covers AI Agents. - openagent ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - When needing advanced coding assistance, offering deep integration with the Go programming environment ## 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 openagent - If looking for broader language support beyond the focus on Go, as openagent may not cater to other programming languages or frameworks as seamlessly - In environments where real-time performance is critical, as its reliance on LLM and RAG might introduce latency ## Common questions ### What is the difference between surf and openagent? surf: Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks.. openagent: next-generation personal AI assistant powered by LLM, RAG and agent loops. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose surf over openagent? Choose surf over openagent when surf is primarily TypeScript; openagent is Go; Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, local-llm; Also covers Developer Tools; Need a robust integration with both local and remote language models for comprehensive note creation. ### When should I choose openagent over surf? Choose openagent over surf when openagent is primarily Go; surf is TypeScript; Tags unique to openagent: agent, agentic-ai, agi, chatbot; Also covers AI Agents; openagent ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When needing advanced coding assistance, offering deep integration with the Go programming environment. ### 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 openagent? If looking for broader language support beyond the focus on Go, as openagent may not cater to other programming languages or frameworks as seamlessly In environments where real-time performance is critical, as its reliance on LLM and RAG might introduce latency ### Is surf or openagent more popular on GitHub? openagent has more GitHub stars (5,628 vs 3,572). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are surf and openagent open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (surf: Apache-2.0, openagent: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to surf or openagent? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [surf alternatives](/tools/deta-surf/alternatives) and [openagent alternatives](/tools/the-open-agent-openagent/alternatives) ([surf markdown twin](/tools/deta-surf/alternatives.md), [openagent markdown twin](/tools/the-open-agent-openagent/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-the-open-agent-openagent.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, surf or openagent? surf: Active. openagent: Very 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 openagent? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [surf trust report](/tools/deta-surf/trust); [openagent trust report](/tools/the-open-agent-openagent/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/_