NotebookLM is Google’s source-grounded research and note-taking tool: you add documents, links and other sources to a notebook, then chat with them, generate summaries and create outputs such as audio overviews, reports, slide decks and quizzes. One important update before anything else: on 16 July 2026 Google announced that NotebookLM was being renamed Gemini Notebook, which it described as the same standalone product. Its old address now redirects to the new name.
This guide uses both names, because most existing articles, help pages and user habits still say NotebookLM while Google’s current pages say Gemini Notebook. It draws on Google’s own blog posts and help pages, notes where Google does not publish prices, and explains who the tool suits. We could not capture a homepage screenshot because the vendor site was not available to our browser, so there is no image here.
How we researched this: we did not run hands-on tests for this article. It is based on the vendor’s own documentation and public sources, checked on 14 November 2026. Features and prices change, so confirm details on the vendor’s site before you buy.
Key takeaways
- Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on 16 July 2026, calling it the same standalone product, now also reachable from the Gemini app.
- Google says it has more than 30 million users and over 600,000 organisations.
- Limits vary by plan: the help page lists 50 sources per notebook with no AI plan, rising to 100, 300 and up to 600 on higher Google AI plans.
- Google states that your data is not used to train Gemini Notebook unless you send feedback, and Workspace and Education uploads are not reviewed by human reviewers.
- We could not confirm prices from the help pages, so check the Google AI plan pages for current costs.
What it is and who makes it
A notebook that answers from your sources
The product is built around notebooks. You add sources, then ask questions and generate outputs that are based on those sources rather than on the open web. The current help centre, titled Gemini Notebook Help Center, lists articles on chat, connected apps, notes, Mind Maps, Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, flashcards and quizzes, infographics, slide decks, reports, public and featured notebooks, the mobile app, notebooks in Gemini apps and notebooks in AI Mode in Search.
The rename to Gemini Notebook
A Google blog post dated 16 July 2026, written by Josh Woodward, says NotebookLM was renamed Gemini Notebook and calls it “the same standalone product”, now extended across the Google ecosystem including the Gemini app and Google Search. It says the product began as Project Tailwind at Google I/O 2023 and now has more than 30 million users and over 600,000 organisations. Our slug and title keep the old name so people searching for it can find this page.
Who makes it
Google. Its terms depend on account type: Google Workspace accounts fall under the Workspace Terms of Service, Workspace for Education accounts under the Education terms, and other users under the Google Terms of Service.
Pricing, limits and privacy statements below come from Google help pages we read on 14 November 2026. Product pages in the browser were not available to us.
Who it is for
Students and researchers
Notebooks let you gather lecture notes, papers and readings in one place and ask questions across them. Features such as flashcards, quizzes, mind maps and audio overviews target study use. See our shortlist for students choosing AI tools.
Knowledge workers with document piles
Anyone with long reports, policies or meeting notes can use a notebook as a private question-and-answer layer. Our guide to building a chatbot from your own documents covers the same idea from a different angle.
Teams in Google Workspace
Google says Workspace customers have access, and the March 2026 Workspace update names Business and Enterprise plans. Admins can turn NotebookLM on or off for users through the Admin Help Center.
Analysts
Since mid 2026, notebooks can run code in a secure cloud computer, which Google says supports data analysis on your sources. That moves it closer to a lightweight analysis tool for the plans that have it.
Who should look elsewhere
If you need to search the open web for new sources, or extract structured data from thousands of papers, a literature tool such as those in our Elicit, Consensus and Scite comparison may suit better.
Core features
Chat grounded in your sources
You add sources and ask questions. Chat history saves automatically, stays private to the user, can be resumed and can be deleted at any time, according to the March 2026 Workspace update. In shared notebooks, chats are visible only to the person who created them.
Audio Overviews
Audio Overviews turn your sources into a spoken discussion. Google lists them among the Studio outputs alongside Video Overviews, Mind Maps and Reports.
Video Overviews and Cinematic Video Overviews
Video Overviews launched in July 2025 as narrated slides that pull images, diagrams, quotes and numbers from your sources, and can be tailored by focus, learning goals and audience. In March 2026 Google added Cinematic Video Overviews, described as immersive videos with fluid animation, in English only, for users over 18.
Reports, mind maps and study aids
Reports and mind maps appear in the Studio panel. Flashcards and quizzes were improved in March 2026: progress carries across sessions, you can mark cards Got it or Missed it, shuffle decks and rerun missed cards.
Slide decks and infographics
Slide decks can be revised slide by slide with stylistic or factual feedback, and exported as PPTX as well as PDF. Ten selectable infographic styles were added, including Sketch Note, Scientific, Professional and Bento Grid.
Source types
EPUB uploads were added in March 2026. The help centre also links an article on adding or discovering new sources, which we could not open, so we cannot list every supported type.
Multiple outputs per type
The July 2025 Studio redesign lets you create and store multiple outputs of the same type in one notebook, where previously you could make one of each.
Newer or advanced features and integrations
Code execution on your sources
Google says every notebook gets a secure cloud computer that can write and run code natively for data analysis based on your sources. The rollout began with Google AI Ultra users and Workspace business customers with AI Ultra Access and AI Expanded Access, and Google says all Pro users on the web will get it over the coming weeks. A technology news report adds that the environment runs Python in a secure container and that a June update added a new reasoning engine and support for PDFs and structured data files. Google has not said whether free users will get code execution.
Notebooks inside the Gemini app
Notebooks can already be created and accessed in the Gemini app, with full syncing between the app and the standalone experience. Google says notebooks are coming to AI Mode in Search, with no date given.
Artifacts from chat
You can turn chat conversations into Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, reports and other artifacts without leaving the chat.
Connected apps and public notebooks
The help centre lists articles on connected apps and on public and featured notebooks. We could not read their detail.
Enterprise options
The help page lists Google Cloud options under the name Gemini Notebook for enterprise, with 5X or more notebook artifacts, advanced sharing, and controls such as VPC-SC and IAM. Eligibility requires Gemini Notebook for Enterprise or a Gemini Enterprise plan.
Timeline of documented changes
The table lists the dated changes we found in Google’s own posts.
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 29 July 2025 | Video Overviews launched in English as narrated slides, with a redesigned Studio panel | Google blog |
| 20 March 2026 | Slide revisions, Cinematic Video Overviews, ten infographic styles, EPUB support, PPTX export and saved chat history | Google Workspace Updates |
| June 2026 | Code execution via a secure cloud computer began for Google AI Ultra and select Workspace users | Press report on the rename |
| 16 July 2026 | NotebookLM renamed Gemini Notebook; code execution coming to Pro users on the web | Google blog |
Pricing and plans
Checked on 14 November 2026. The Google help page on upgrading lists plan limits but not prices, so we could not confirm any price. Google ties access to its Google AI plans (Plus, Pro and Ultra) and to Workspace licences, so the price is the price of the wider plan. Check the Google AI plans page for current figures.
| Limit | No AI plan | Plus | Pro | Ultra (20 TB) | Ultra (30 TB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notebooks per user | 100 | 200 | 500 | 500 | 500 |
| Sources per notebook (excluding notes) | 50 | 100 | 300 | 500 | 600 |
| Note sources per notebook | 500 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 600 |
| Gemini model access | Access | Access | Higher | Highest | Highest |
| Early access to key features | Standard | Early | Priority | Priority | Priority |
| Watermark removal | No | No | Yes* | Yes* | Yes* |
*A visible watermark is applied automatically if you live in India, South Korea or Vietnam. The same page says limits are subject to change, daily quotas reset after 24 hours and monthly quotas after 30 days. Eligibility: the no AI plan tier needs a free Gmail account or a qualifying Workspace or Education licence; Plus needs Google AI Plus; Pro needs Google AI Pro or a qualifying Workspace licence; Ultra needs Google AI Ultra or a qualifying Workspace licence. Advanced sharing is for paid users, while custom chat and analytics are available to everyone, and sharing a notebook does not raise a collaborator’s source limit. Our guide on reading an AI tool pricing page helps with usage-based limits.
Strengths
Answers tied to your own material
Because notebooks are built from sources you choose, answers are limited to what you provided, which is a cleaner basis for checking than an open chat.
A very wide range of outputs
Audio, video, mind maps, reports, flashcards, quizzes, infographics and slide decks from one set of sources is an unusually broad set.
Generous free access
Google lists a no AI plan tier with 100 notebooks and 50 sources each, which is usable for many projects without paying.
Private saved chats
Chat history stays private to the user and can be deleted, even in shared notebooks.
Reach across Google products
Notebooks sync with the Gemini app, and Google says they are coming to AI Mode in Search.
Weaknesses and limits
The rename creates confusion
Old articles, help pages and social posts say NotebookLM, while Google’s pages say Gemini Notebook. Search results can mix the two.
Some features are gated by plan or age
Cinematic Video Overviews are English only, for users over 18, and available on specific Business, Enterprise and Google AI plans. Code execution began with Ultra and select Workspace users.
Prices are not in the help pages
Our research found limits but no prices on the help pages, so budgeting means checking Google AI plan pages and Workspace pricing.
Limits are subject to change
Google states limits are subject to change and quotas reset on daily and monthly cycles, so heavy users should watch usage.
Grounded does not mean always correct
A model can still misread a source or summarise it badly. Follow our guide to checking AI output for mistakes before relying on an overview.
Limited visibility into how outputs are made
The pages we read describe what each output is, but not how an Audio Overview chooses what to emphasise or how a video selects images and quotes. Since those choices shape what a listener takes away, treat generated overviews as a first pass and keep the original sources open alongside them.
Privacy, data handling and security
Google’s privacy help page says: your data is protected, and is not used to train Gemini Notebook unless you provide feedback. If you send feedback, Google may review the full context of that interaction, including your queries, uploads and the model’s responses. Google also says it may process data to prevent fraud, abuse and technical issues. For Workspace and Workspace for Education accounts, uploads, queries and responses are not reviewed by human reviewers and are not used to train AI models.
- Do not send feedback on a chat that contains confidential material, since feedback can bring the full context under review.
- Check which terms apply to your account, because personal, Workspace and Education accounts differ.
- Admins can turn the product on or off for users in the Admin Help Center.
- Check your own policy before uploading client or patient documents.
See also our guide on protecting company data when using AI tools.
How it compares
The table lists points documented on each vendor’s pages that we read on 14 November 2026.
| Tool | Main job | Documented points |
|---|---|---|
| NotebookLM (Gemini Notebook) | Answers and outputs from your own sources | Source limits by plan; Audio and Video Overviews; reports, flashcards, quizzes; code execution on Pro and above rolling out |
| Elicit | Search and extraction across academic papers | Says it searches about 138M papers; Systematic Review workflow; extraction tables |
| Julius AI | Data analysis plus slides and sites | Credit-based plans from Free to Business; database connectors on paid tiers |
| Gamma | Presentations, documents and websites | Free, Plus, Pro and Ultra plans with monthly credits; AI Agent |
The main difference is where the knowledge comes from. A notebook stays inside the sources you add, while literature tools search a large corpus for you.
Getting started
- Open Gemini Notebook (the old NotebookLM address redirects) and sign in with a Google account.
- Create a notebook and add three or four sources you know well.
- Ask a question whose answer you can check and compare the response with the source.
- Try one output, such as an Audio Overview or a report, and review its accuracy.
- Look at the help page on usage limits for your plan before you add dozens of sources.
For a wider approach to organising reading, see how to use AI for research notes and reading lists.
If you share a notebook with colleagues, remember that sharing does not raise their source limits and that chats stay private to the person who created them, so agree where team conclusions will be written down.
Frequently asked questions
Is NotebookLM still called NotebookLM?
Google announced on 16 July 2026 that it was renamed Gemini Notebook, and described it as the same standalone product. The old address redirects to the new one.
Is Gemini Notebook free?
Google lists a no AI plan tier that you can use with a free Gmail account, with 100 notebooks per user and 50 sources per notebook. Paid Google AI plans raise the limits.
How many sources can I add?
Per the help page, 50 on the no AI plan, 100 on Plus, 300 on Pro, 500 on Ultra (20 TB) and 600 on Ultra (30 TB). Limits are subject to change.
Does Google train on my notebooks?
Google says your data is not used to train Gemini Notebook unless you provide feedback. Workspace and Education uploads are not reviewed by human reviewers or used for training.
Can it run code?
Google says every notebook gets a secure cloud computer for data analysis, starting with Ultra and select Workspace users, with Pro users on the web to follow. Free users have no confirmed date.
Can I export slide decks?
Yes, the March 2026 update says decks can be exported as PPTX as well as PDF.
What does it cost?
We could not confirm prices from the help pages. Check the Google AI plans page.
Conclusion
Gemini Notebook, still known to many as NotebookLM, is a broad source-grounded tool backed by Google’s plans. Its strengths are grounding in your own sources, a wide set of outputs, private chats and a usable no-cost tier. Its weaknesses are plan-gated features, limits that can change, a recent rename that muddies search results, and the absence of prices on the pages we read.
Best for: students and teams with piles of documents to question and summarise. Think twice if: you need to find new sources or extract data at scale. Check the live plan pages and verify outputs against the sources.
Sources
- Google blog: NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook, 16 July 2026, accessed 14 November 2026
- The Next Web report on the rename, accessed 14 November 2026
- Google help: Upgrade NotebookLM (plan limits), accessed 14 November 2026
- Google help: privacy and data use, accessed 14 November 2026
- Google Workspace Updates, 20 March 2026, accessed 14 November 2026
- Google blog: Video Overviews and Studio upgrades, 29 July 2025, accessed 14 November 2026
- Gemini Notebook Help Center, accessed 14 November 2026
