Comparison
surf vs unstract
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 unstract if unstract is a Python-driven tool for transforming unstructured data into structured formats using OCR, PDF extraction, and other techniques to integrate with APIs and ETL workflows under AGPL-3.0 license.
Markdown twin · surf alternatives · unstract alternatives
GraphCanon updated Oct 4, 2026
14views this month
Trust & integrity
| Signal | surf | unstract |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active (26d since push) As of Sep 20, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Very active (1d since push) As of Sep 20, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 20, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 20, 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 Oct 4, 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.
- unstract
- LLM-Driven Extraction of Unstructured Data for API Deployments and ETL Pipeline Workflows
Stars
- surf
- 3.6k
- unstract
- 7.2k
Forks
- surf
- 251
- unstract
- 718
Open issues
- surf
- 32
- unstract
- 95
Language
- surf
- TypeScript
- unstract
- 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.
- unstract
- Unstract is a Python-driven tool for transforming unstructured data into structured formats using OCR, PDF extraction, and other techniques to integrate with APIs and ETL workflows under AGPL-3.0 license.
Persona
- surf
- -
- unstract
- -
Runtime
- surf
- -
- unstract
- -
License
- surf
- Apache-2.0
- unstract
- AGPL-3.0
Last pushed
- surf
- Aug 24, 2026
- unstract
- Sep 18, 2026
Categories
- surf
- Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks
- unstract
- Data & Retrieval, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Maintenance
- surf
- Active (82%)
- unstract
- Very active (96%)
Days since push
- surf
- 26d
- unstract
- 1d
Open issues (now)
- surf
- 32
- unstract
- 95
Stars delta
- surf
- +50 (30d)
- unstract
- +313 (30d)
Open issues delta
- surf
- 0 (30d)
- unstract
- +7 (30d)
Full report
- surf
- Trust report
- unstract
- Trust report
Choose surf if…
- surf is primarily TypeScript; unstract is Python.
- License: surf is Apache-2.0, unstract is AGPL-3.0.
- 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 unstract if…
- unstract is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript.
- License: unstract is AGPL-3.0, surf is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to unstract: ai-agents, data-engineering, document-ai, generative-ai.
- You prioritize open-source contributions and require the flexibility of the AGPL-3.0 license.
When NOT to use unstract
- Your workflow strictly adheres to closed-source software management policies and requires proprietary control.
- Projects needing direct integration with commercial data processing services incompatible with AGPL-3.0 licensing.
- Cases where real-time performance is critical, as the LLM-driven extraction may introduce latency.
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 Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (deta/surf) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (deta/surf) · observed Aug 24, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub stars (Zipstack/unstract) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (Zipstack/unstract) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (Zipstack/unstract) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- License file (AGPL-3.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 16, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Oct 4, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: surf 3.6k · unstract 7.2k (synced Sep 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between surf and unstract?
- surf: Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks.. unstract: LLM-Driven Extraction of Unstructured Data for API Deployments and ETL Pipeline Workflows. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose surf over unstract?
- Choose surf over unstract when surf is primarily TypeScript; unstract is Python; License: surf is Apache-2.0, unstract is AGPL-3.0; 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 unstract over surf?
- Choose unstract over surf when unstract is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript; License: unstract is AGPL-3.0, surf is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to unstract: ai-agents, data-engineering, document-ai, generative-ai; You prioritize open-source contributions and require the flexibility of the AGPL-3.0 license.
- 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 unstract?
- Your workflow strictly adheres to closed-source software management policies and requires proprietary control. Projects needing direct integration with commercial data processing services incompatible with AGPL-3.0 licensing. Cases where real-time performance is critical, as the LLM-driven extraction may introduce latency.
- Is surf or unstract more popular on GitHub?
- unstract has more GitHub stars (7,245 vs 3,572). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are surf and unstract open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (surf: Apache-2.0, unstract: AGPL-3.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to surf or unstract?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at surf alternatives and unstract alternatives (surf markdown twin, unstract 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 unstract?
- surf: Active. unstract: 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 unstract?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: surf trust report; unstract trust report.