Surf

What is Surf?

Surf is an innovative open-source AI-powered notebook designed to revolutionize how you capture, process, and interact with information from the web, files, and media. Unlike traditional note-taking apps or browsers that force constant context switching, Surf brings everything into a unified stream of thought. Whether you're summarizing hours of YouTube videos, distilling hundred-page PDFs, or exploring foreign languages and scientific diagrams, Surf leverages AI to make sense of it all. Developed by Deta and handcrafted in Berlin, it's now fully open source on GitHub, emphasizing privacy with local data storage and support for your own LLMs.

This tool stands out in the crowded AI landscape by focusing on elevating your thinking rather than just generating content. It's perfect for researchers, students, professionals, and curious minds who want a "trillions of pages more powerful" alternative to standard notes apps.

Key Features of Surf

Surf packs a punch with features that blend AI intelligence with intuitive usability:

• Seamless Web and Media Integration: Explore websites, YouTube videos, and PDFs without leaving your notebook. Ask questions, get AI-generated summaries, and deep dives—all in one place.
• AI-Powered Note Generation: Automatically create personal notes from your media. Less scrolling, typing, or copying compared to browsers.
• Interactive Content Creation: Build interactive graphs, applets, and Surflets (custom mini-apps) without writing code. Ideal for visualizing data or explaining complex ideas.
• Citations and Organization: Every note includes direct links to sources for easy verification. Vertical tabs and customizable notebooks keep everything organized.
• Privacy-First Design: Data stays on your device. Import/export freely, run local LLMs, or bring your own API keys.
• User-Friendly Extras: Dark mode, drag-and-drop file imports (PDFs, images), sketches on notebooks, and a clean sidebar layout.

How Does Surf Work?

At its core, Surf acts as an intelligent bridge between your browser tabs and your brain. Here's the workflow:

1. Capture Content: Drag in files, paste URLs, or browse directly. Surf handles web pages, videos, images, and documents.
2. AI Processing: Integrate with LLMs to summarize, translate, or analyze. For example, feed it a YouTube video for key insights or a dense PDF for bullet-point extracts.
3. Interact and Expand: Pose questions in natural language—get answers with citations. Create visuals or Surflets on the fly.
4. Organize and Export: Notes live in customizable notebooks. Export anytime, all local.

Powered by open-source code, it avoids vendor lock-in. Users praise its ability to "make sense of research around your browser tabs" in ways no other tool matches.

How to Use Surf?

Getting started is straightforward:

• Download the app from the official site or GitHub.
• Install and launch—your data remains local.
• Import Content: Drag PDFs/images or add web/YouTube links.
• Query with AI: Type questions like "Summarize this video" or "Explain this diagram."
• Customize: Add your LLM key or run local models for privacy.
• Build Surflets: Experiment with no-code applets for recurring tasks, e.g., a custom research summarizer.

Join the open beta for the latest features. It's cross-platform friendly, with a focus on desktop for now.

Why Choose Surf Over Other AI Notebooks?

In a sea of AI tools like Notion AI or Obsidian plugins, Surf excels by being radically personal and open. No subscriptions, no data harvesting—pure ownership. Quotes from users highlight its edge: "The new Surf browser shows why everyone's trying to connect AI to the web." It's more powerful than notes apps (trillions of pages via web access) and less fragmented than browsers.

Practical Value:

• Saves Time: Turn hours of research into minutes of actionable notes.
• Boosts Creativity: Interactive elements spark new ideas.
• Enhances Learning: Perfect for job interview prep, as in the example: "How do I prepare for a job interview?"

Who is Surf For?

• Students & Researchers: Summarize papers, videos, and web research effortlessly.
• Professionals: Streamline job prep, content creation, or data analysis.
• Developers & Tinkerers: Leverage open-source code and local LLMs.
• Content Creators: Generate cited notes from media without copy-paste hassles.

If you're tired of tab overload and fragmented workflows, Surf is your upgrade.

Real-World Use Cases

• Academic Research: Upload a 100-page thesis PDF—get summaries, key quotes, and visual graphs.
• Video Learning: Digest YouTube courses with timestamped notes and Q&A.
• Professional Prep: Web search interview tips, auto-generate personalized study notes.
• Creative Projects: Sketch ideas, build Surflets for mood boards or prototypes.

The team at Deta envisions "computers that enhance our own intelligence—and feel like they're ours." With frequent updates and community input, Surf is evolving fast.

Best Way to Boost Productivity? Download Surf today and experience thinking at another level. Search less, think better.