NotebookLM

1:12 NotebookLM is Google's AI research notebook: you add sources such as PDFs, websites, YouTube videos and notes, and it answers questions with citations to those sources, then turns them into podcast-style Audio Overviews, narrated Video Overviews, slide decks, reports, quizzes and flashcards. On Jul 16, 2026 Google renamed it Gemini Notebook, keeping it a standalone app and syncing notebooks with the Gemini app; notebooklm.google now redirects to notebook.google. It is free: the standard plan allows 100 notebooks with 50 sources each, and Google says more than 30 million people and 600,000 organizations use it.

Gemini Notebook is the pick for studying, reading a pile of documents and turning research into something you can listen to on a walk. Because it answers from your sources, it is less suited to open questions about the wider web; for that, Perplexity or Gemini Deep Research fit better. For notes inside a team workspace, Notion AI fits; for meeting notes, Granola or Otter.ai. See Free AI Tools.

Quick facts

Free vs paid limits

Sources: Gemini Notebook plans and Google AI plans, read Nov 6, 2026. Since Sep 2, 2026, usage limits are based on the computing a task needs rather than fixed counts per feature, refresh every five hours instead of daily, and let you queue a Video Overview or slide deck to finish later when you hit the limit. Google says limits are subject to change. US college students could claim a year of Google AI Pro free until Dec 31, 2026 (Google).

Features

3:07 Answers grounded in your sources. Every answer cites the passages it came from, and a notebook can be private, shared with people or public (help). Since the rename, each notebook can also use a secure cloud computer that writes and runs code for data analysis on your sources (Google).

6:04 Audio Overviews. The feature that made NotebookLM famous: two AI hosts discuss your sources like a podcast you can listen to. Paid plans raise how many you can make (Google AI plans).

0:00 Video Overviews and slide decks. Narrated videos and slide decks built from your sources. Since Oct 19, 2026 you can review the outline or the "producer notes" and give feedback before anything renders. Short Video Overviews, about 60 seconds, come in more than 80 languages.

Study tools. Quizzes, flashcards, infographics and interactive learning overviews under Reports, a voice conversation with your notebook in nearly 100 languages on mobile (Ultra first), and an audio recorder for lectures, all added on Sep 15, 2026. On Oct 29, 2026 Google made hundreds of textbooks available to add as sources.

NotebookLM vs the alternatives

Gemini now opens the same notebooks inside the Gemini app; use Gemini itself for questions beyond your sources, with Deep Research on the free plan (Google).

Perplexity searches the live web with citations; pick it when the sources are not in hand yet.

Notion AI works inside a team's Notion workspace and its connected apps.

ChatGPT and Claude take uploaded files in projects too, but neither makes podcast-style overviews.

Frequently asked questions

Is NotebookLM free? Yes. NotebookLM (now Gemini Notebook) is free with up to 100 notebooks of 50 sources each; Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra raise those limits, as of Nov 6, 2026.

Is NotebookLM now called Gemini Notebook? Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on Jul 16, 2026; it remains a standalone app at notebook.google and also syncs with the Gemini app.

What is a NotebookLM Audio Overview? An Audio Overview is a podcast-style conversation between two AI hosts that discusses the sources in your NotebookLM notebook, which you can listen to in the app.

How many sources can NotebookLM hold? NotebookLM's free plan holds 50 sources per notebook, Google AI Plus 100, Pro 300 and Ultra 500 or 600, each source up to 500,000 words or 200 MB.

Does NotebookLM use my data for training? Google's help center for Gemini Notebook says it will never share your data; work and school accounts are covered by Google Workspace terms.

Sources

• NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook, Google, Jul 16, 2026
• Learn about Gemini Notebook's plans, Gemini Notebook Help, read Nov 6, 2026
• FAQ, Gemini Notebook Help, read Nov 6, 2026
• We're introducing flexible usage limits for Gemini Notebook, Google, Aug 28, 2026
• Sharpen your study routine with new Gemini Notebook tools, Google, Sep 15, 2026
• How to shape your slides and videos with Gemini Notebook, Google, Oct 19, 2026
• Gemini Notebook makes hundreds of textbooks available, Google, Oct 29, 2026
• Google AI plans, Google, read Nov 6, 2026
• How to Use Google NotebookLM (Full Tutorial), Kevin Stratvert, May 11, 2026 (video)
• Introducing NotebookLM Video Overviews, Google, Jul 29, 2025 (video)