KnowNote

KnowNote is a local-first, open-source AI knowledge base and notebook application created as an Electron-based alternative to Google NotebookLM that emphasizes privacy, control, and simplicity. It lets users build an intelligent, searchable knowledge base from uploaded documents such as PDFs, Word files, PowerPoints, and web pages, and then interact with that content using LLM-powered chat, summarization, and reasoning tools. Unlike many NotebookLM alternatives that rely on Docker or cloud deployments, KnowNote runs natively on desktop platforms without complex setup, meaning all data stays local unless the user opts to integrate with self-managed or private LLM APIs. Its retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) system offers semantic search and traceable source references, and it supports multiple LLM providers through a flexible plugin-style provider architecture.