Surf

What is Surf?

Surf is a notebook-style research and browsing app for macOS focused on collecting information from the web and your local files in one workspace. It helps people read, organize, and develop ideas without constantly switching between browser tabs, PDFs, videos, and notes. Users can gather websites, images, documents, and written notes into notebooks, then ask questions, generate summaries, and continue writing from the same context. Surf also supports citations in notes, local file import, and model flexibility for people who want to work with different AI setups. The app is designed for research-heavy workflows such as studying, writing, analysis, and topic exploration. Deta publishes Surf as a desktop app with a local-first approach to stored data and an open-source core.

Key features

• Collect websites, files, images, and notes into notebooks
• Ask questions about web pages, PDFs, and other source material
• Generate summaries and notes from videos, documents, and online content
• Keep source citations linked directly to referenced material
• Import local files with drag and drop for research workflows
• Organize browsing with a notebook-centered workspace and tab sidebar

Safety overview

Status: Mostly safe

Surf is legitimate software for research, note-taking, and web exploration. Its smart features may send the content you choose to AI services so the app can answer questions or generate notes, which is a normal part of how this kind of tool works. The app also works with local files and stored notes, so the main precaution is to avoid placing sensitive personal or work material into AI-assisted workflows unless you are comfortable with the app's privacy terms and model setup. Removing Surf can also remove access to notebooks and locally stored app data unless you export or back it up first.

Recommendation: Keep Surf if you actively use it for reading, research, or AI-assisted note-taking on your Mac. If you no longer use it, removing it is reasonable after exporting any notebooks, documents, or saved work you want to keep.

Common paths

• /Applications/Surf.app

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