What is better-vault?
An open-source, bring-your-own-model alternative to Google NotebookLM that keeps your notebooks on your own device, in the browser or the desktop app.
better-vault is a free, open-source alternative to Google NotebookLM (now called Gemini Notebook) that runs on the AI model you choose.
You add sources such as PDFs, web pages and notes to a notebook. You can then ask questions and get answers that cite the passages they came from, or turn the sources into reports, flashcards, quizzes, mind maps, slide decks and more.
It works with your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google API key, or with a local model through Ollama or LM Studio. Everything you make stays on your device: in your browser when you use the web app, or in a file on your computer when you use the desktop app. There is no account, no server database and no subscription.
What can you do with it?
Chat with your sources
Grounded answers with numbered citations, or Web mode with your provider's built-in search.
Create with the Studio
Nine tools: reports, flashcards, quizzes, data tables, mind maps, slide decks, infographics, Anatomy figures and a whiteboard.
Choose your model
OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Google (Gemini), Ollama or LM Studio. Switch per question.
Keep your data
Notebooks stay on your device. Export and import them as a file.
Who is it for?
Students use it to turn their own course material into flashcards, quizzes and study guides. Researchers and analysts use it when they need answers they can check against the source.
Teams and self-hosters get a NotebookLM-style tool on infrastructure and models they control. People who run local models get a private notebook that works with Ollama or LM Studio, with nothing leaving their computer.
How is it different from NotebookLM?
NotebookLM runs only on Google's Gemini models, needs a Google account and stores your notebooks on Google's servers. better-vault is MIT-licensed, works with several providers and local models, needs no account and keeps your data on your device.
It does not make audio or video overviews. The full comparison covers the rest.