Open WebUI
A browser window for local chat and documents.
Installer only · Some setup · Free
Ask questions about my textbook or notes
Chat with your own PDFs.
The tools below run on your computer. Most of them are free, and the local work stays on your machine.
Works offline · Free options
Your computer
Describe your computer
Pick the closest line. Office PC and Mini PC are estimates. Linux and a home server stay in the list. We guess the specs, then hide models that would not fit. The guess stays cautious.
3 results
Most tools here are free.
Study & School Not on the chat board
Searches your own notes
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~1.2 GB · Free to download · License: MIT
Work & Office A step behind Gemma 3 12B, and a clear step ahead of a 3B toy model.
Answers from what the search finds
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~5.2 GB · Free to download · License: Apache 2.0
HONEST COMPARISON
Local or cloud: Ask questions about my textbook or notes?
Reviewed Oct 2026
- Privacy: Local winsThe textbook stays on your disk
- Cost: TieBoth ways can start free
- Quality: Cloud winsHosted notebooks cite the page more reliably
- Ease: Cloud winsUpload and ask, no local app
Local AI
AnythingLLM or a local chat can answer from a textbook that never gets uploaded.
- The PDF stays on your computer
- Follow-up questions work offline
- Good for one book or a folder of notes
Where it falls short
- Quotes can be loose on a small model
- Scanning a whole shelf is slower than a hosted notebook
Cloud & apps
NotebookLM is excellent at quoting the page, and the book is uploaded to do it.
- CChatGPTCloud AIFreemium
A quick question if you are willing to upload a chapter.
Best for: One chapter
The file is uploaded
- NNotebookLMAppFreePopular choice
Answers from your uploads and shows the passage it used.
Best for: QuotesSeveral PDFs
The book is uploaded to Google
Our take
Keep a personal or paid-for textbook local. Use NotebookLM when you want tighter quotes and the file can be uploaded.
Choose local if…
- The book is personal or unlicensed to share
- You study offline
Choose cloud if…
- You want page quotes
- You have many PDFs
How to do it in 3 steps
- Open the model page and pick any app under Runs in, for example AnythingLLM or Open WebUI. Each app page links to that maker's own guide.
- Open the bge-m3 page and check the traffic light for a few kinds of computer.
- Follow that official guide. This site does not add its own install steps.
Questions
- Does this upload my files?
- The local tools on this page don't upload your files. The cloud options in the comparison do.
- What does it cost?
- Most options are free. A few apps are a one-time purchase, and a few models need a computer with more memory.
- What if it will not fit?
- Use Check my computer, or turn on the lighter memory filters. A red light on the model page means the file is too big.
Not into local AI? Try these instead
Ordinary apps for study & school. These are normal links to the maker's site.