Explainer
What is NotebookLM, now called Gemini Notebook? What it does, what’s free, and how to start
NotebookLM is one of the most useful free AI tools for students and anyone who reads a lot, and in July 2026 Google renamed it Gemini Notebook. Instead of answering from the whole internet, it answers from the files you give it. Here’s what it does, what the free plan includes and how to get started.
NotebookLM, renamed Gemini Notebook in July 2026, is Google’s AI research notebook. You add your own sources (PDFs, Google Docs, websites, YouTube videos) and it answers only from them, with citations, and can turn them into podcast-style Audio Overviews, slide decks, study guides and quizzes. The free plan allows 100 notebooks of 50 sources each.
What is NotebookLM (Gemini Notebook)?
A normal chatbot answers from everything it learned online, which is why it sometimes makes things up. NotebookLM works the other way around: you give it the material, and it answers from your sources, showing which passage each point came from. That makes it good for:
- Studying: upload lecture notes and readings, then ask for a summary, flashcards or a practice quiz.
- Work: load reports, contracts or manuals and ask questions you’d normally search for by hand.
- Busy reading lists: turn a stack of articles into a 10-minute audio conversation for your commute.
Google renamed it Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. Old notebooklm links redirect, and notebooks now also open inside the Gemini app, but slide decks, Audio and Video Overviews are still made in Gemini Notebook itself.
Is it free? Free vs paid plans
| Plan | Notebooks | Sources per notebook | Price (US / Taiwan) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 100 | 50 | $0 |
| Google AI Plus | 200 | 100 | about $4.99 / NT$165 a month |
| Google AI Pro | 500 | 300 | $19.99 / NT$650 a month |
| Google AI Ultra | 500 | 500–600 | from NT$3,300 a month |
Notebook and source counts from Google’s Gemini Notebook plans page; Taiwan prices from Google’s Taiwan pages; checked Oct 11, 2026. US AI Plus price reported.
How the limits work now: since September 2, 2026 Google no longer gives personal accounts a fixed number of chats or overviews per day. Your allowance refills every 5 hours up to a weekly cap, and heavier features (long video, big notebooks) use more of it. Paid plans get a larger allowance. Old figures like “3 Audio Overviews a day” describe the previous system.
Students: Google’s free year of AI Plus or AI Pro for college students includes the higher Gemini Notebook limits. Redeem by December 31, 2026.
How to start in 5 steps
- Go to notebook.google (or open the Gemini app) and sign in with a Google account.
- Click Create notebook.
- Add sources: upload PDFs or files, pick Google Docs or Slides from Drive, or paste a website or YouTube link.
- Ask a question in the chat. Click the small numbers in the answer to see the exact passage it used.
- Open the Studio panel to make an Audio Overview, slide deck, mind map, study guide, flashcards or quiz.
Tip: questions get better answers when they say what you need it for. See how to ask AI better questions.
Podcasts, slides and videos
- Audio Overviews: two AI hosts discuss your sources like a podcast. Formats include Deep Dive, The Brief (under 2 minutes), The Critique and The Debate. Available in 80+ languages including Traditional Chinese and Spanish; the “Longer” length and joining the conversation by voice are English only.
- Slide decks: a detailed deck or presenter slides with talking points, exportable as PDF or PowerPoint (.pptx), and you can revise single slides. For users 18 and over. Check text inside images before presenting; users report garbled Chinese characters reported.
- Video Overviews: narrated explainer or short videos made from your sources; the Cinematic style is English only and 18+.
Google warns that generated decks and overviews can contain mistakes. Treat them as a first draft and check facts against your sources.
NotebookLM vs ChatGPT and Gemini
| NotebookLM / Gemini Notebook | ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Answers from | Your sources only, with citations | General knowledge plus web search and uploads |
| Best for | Studying, research, long documents | Writing, brainstorming, any question |
| Makes | Podcasts, slides, videos, quizzes from your files | Text, images, code |
| Making things up | Rarer, because it sticks to your files | More likely; these prompts help |
Is it private?
For personal Google accounts, Google says your sources, questions and answers aren’t used to directly train its foundation models. The exception: if you click thumbs up or down, that feedback and the content it includes can be read by trained reviewers and kept up to 3 years. School and work accounts are never reviewed or used for training. Don’t upload anything you couldn’t share, such as ID documents or medical records, to a personal account. More on AI privacy settings.
Where it works: it’s available in most countries, including the US and Taiwan, in 80+ languages. Hong Kong and mainland China aren’t on Google’s supported list.
Sources: Google: NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook (July 16, 2026) · Gemini Notebook plans · Google: new usage limits · Audio Overviews · Slide decks · Video Overviews · Availability · Privacy and terms · Google AI plans
Quick answers
Is NotebookLM the same as Gemini Notebook?
Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. It’s the same product; old links redirect automatically, and you can now also open your notebooks inside the Gemini app.
Is NotebookLM free?
Yes. The free plan gives you up to 100 notebooks with up to 50 sources each, plus chat, Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, slide decks and study tools within Google’s usage limits. Paid Google AI plans raise the limits.
How much does NotebookLM cost?
The separate NotebookLM Plus plan is gone; higher limits now come with Google AI plans. In Taiwan, Google AI Plus costs NT$165 a month and Google AI Pro NT$650. In the US, AI Plus is about $4.99 and AI Pro $19.99.
Can NotebookLM make slides in Chinese?
Yes. Slide decks, Audio Overviews and some Video Overviews support Traditional Chinese, and decks export to PDF or PowerPoint. Some users report that Chinese characters inside generated slide images can come out distorted, so check them before presenting.
Does Google train its AI on my NotebookLM files?
For personal accounts, Google says your content isn’t used to directly train its foundation models, unless you send feedback with the thumbs up or down, which trained reviewers may read. School and work accounts are never reviewed or used for training.
NotebookLM vs ChatGPT: which should I use?
Use NotebookLM when the answer must come from your own documents, such as class notes, reports or manuals, because it cites the exact passage. Use ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini for open-ended questions, writing and general knowledge.
Keep learning
Free AI for students in 2026: every ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Copilot offer, by country
Gemini gives college students a free year (redeem by Dec 31), ChatGPT 4 free months in the US (claim by Oct 31). Claude, Copilot, Perplexity: who qualifies where.
Is Claude free? What you get without paying, and what you don’t
Yes, Claude has a free plan. What it includes (Sonnet, web search, files, voice), what needs Pro at $20 (Claude Code, Opus, Research) and how limits work.
Does your AI assistant learn from your chats? How to turn it off
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