Privacy-conscious researchers
People who prefer local storage and local or personally funded models for source-based work.
Independent tool overview
Kompas AI at a glance
Kompas AI is a local-first thinking and writing workspace that combines captured sources, a personal library, retrieval, AI sessions and a document editor.
Visit the official Kompas AI site ↗
- Best for
- researchers and writers who want a local-first knowledge workflow
- Category
- Local-first knowledge workspace
- Access
- Desktop app with optional sync
- Pricing model
- Free local plan plus sync and hosted-AI subscriptions
Overview
What Kompas AI is
Kompas AI is a local-first thinking and writing workspace that combines captured sources, a personal library, retrieval, AI sessions and a document editor.
The current Kompas product is materially different from older descriptions of it as a general conversational assistant. Its focus is keeping research and writing materials in a user-controlled workspace, with local models or bring-your-own API keys on the free plan and optional hosted models and encrypted sync on paid plans.
Use cases
Who Kompas AI is best for
The strongest fit depends on the job you need the product to complete, not the size of its feature list.
Long-form writers
Writers who want captured sources, retrieval, notes and a focused editor in one environment.
Knowledge gardeners
Users building a connected library of documents, highlights, voice notes and web sources over time.
Capabilities
Core Kompas AI features
Local-first library
Stores and organizes research material in a desktop-centered workspace designed around user control.
Bring-your-own models
Supports local inference and personal API keys on the free tier.
Capture and retrieval
Brings documents, web content, highlights and voice material into a searchable knowledge base.
Integrated writer
Provides a writing environment that can draw context from the user's library.
Open-source application
Kompas states that the app is available under the MIT license, making the product architecture inspectable.
Process
How the Kompas AI workflow works
Step 1
Build the library
Import documents and capture web pages, highlights, notes or recordings relevant to a project.
Step 2
Choose the model path
Use a local model, supply an API key or subscribe to Kompas hosted AI depending on privacy and convenience needs.
Step 3
Research and draft
Ask questions across the library, connect useful material and develop the result in the integrated writer.
Cost
Kompas AI pricing and free plan
Kompas has a free local-first plan, a low-cost encrypted sync plan and a full hosted-AI plan. Monthly prices shown at review time were $3 for Pro Sync and $38 for Pro Full.
Free
$0
Local workspace using your own model access.
- Local models or your API keys
- Local library and writer
- No Kompas hosted AI allowance
Pro Sync
$3/month
Adds encrypted synchronization while keeping the BYO model approach.
- $30/year option
- Encrypted device sync
- Local-first workflow
Pro Full
$38/month
Adds Kompas-hosted AI for a more managed experience.
- $33/month on annual billing
- 7-day trial listed
- Hosted models plus sync
Pricing checked . Check current pricing at the source ↗
Assessment
Kompas AI strengths and limitations
Where it stands out
- Local and bring-your-own-model options reduce dependence on a bundled AI subscription.
- Research capture, retrieval and writing are designed as one connected workflow.
- The application is presented as open source under the MIT license.
What to consider
- Older third-party pages may describe a previous version of Kompas and should not be used as current product guidance.
- Running local models or managing API keys adds setup and troubleshooting compared with a fully hosted assistant.
- The highest plan's value depends on whether the included hosted AI is preferable to separate model subscriptions.
Compare
Kompas AI alternatives
The right alternative depends on the specific output, workflow, controls and budget your project requires.
Project Management
Notion AI
Choose Notion AI when shared docs, databases and team collaboration are more important than a local-first architecture.
Explore Notion AI →Data Analysis
Unriddle
Choose Anara, formerly Unriddle, for citation-focused scientific research across papers and large document libraries.
Explore Unriddle →Students
Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)
Choose NotebookLM for a simpler hosted Google workflow that answers from an uploaded set of sources.
Explore Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) →Questions
Kompas AI FAQs
What is Kompas AI?
Kompas AI is a local-first thinking and writing workspace that combines captured sources, a personal library, retrieval, AI sessions and a document editor.
Is Kompas AI free?
Kompas has a free local-first plan, a low-cost encrypted sync plan and a full hosted-AI plan. Monthly prices shown at review time were $3 for Pro Sync and $38 for Pro Full.
Who is Kompas AI best for?
Kompas AI is best suited to researchers and writers who want a local-first knowledge workflow.
What should you consider before using Kompas AI?
Older third-party pages may describe a previous version of Kompas and should not be used as current product guidance.
Where can I verify Kompas AI features and pricing?
Use the official product and pricing links in the sources below. Pricing and product availability can change after this page's 2026-08-28 review date.
Bottom line
Our Kompas AI verdict
Kompas AI is compelling for writers and researchers who want their knowledge workflow to remain local by default. It requires more technical comfort than a typical hosted chatbot, but the tradeoff is greater control over storage and model access.
Visit Kompas AI website ↗Similar Business Operations Tools
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