NotebookLM
Answers only from your own documents, with citations to the exact paragraph and nothing invented from the web
| Vendor | |
|---|---|
| Category | Research and search |
| Website | notebooklm.google.com |
| Free plan | Yes |
| Paid plans | Paid plans from $14/mo. Free plan available |
| Models | gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-2.5-pro |
| Updated | 2026-09-22 |
NotebookLM is a notebook where you upload your sources (PDFs, Google Docs, websites, videos, audio), and the model answers only from them and shows which paragraph each statement comes from. For a lawyer it is a way to work with a contract or a statute without invented articles, for an accountant a collection of tax guidance at hand, for a manager a way to digest long reports. It produces summaries, FAQs, timelines, flashcards and an audio overview in the form of a two-host conversation, in many languages. The base tier is free, higher limits come with Google AI Pro.
Free plan
Up to 100 notebooks, up to 50 sources per notebook, up to 50 questions a day and a few audio overviews a day; each source up to 500 thousand words
Paid plans
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Included in Google AI Pro | $19.99/mo | Five times the notebooks, sources and questions, collaboration in notebooks, usage analytics |
| Included in Workspace Business | $14/mo | Per user with annual billing (Business Standard), company data out of model training, shared notebooks for the team |
Tasks it handles well
- Summarize a long PDF
- Summarize changes in legislation for colleagues
- Compare two versions of a contract
- Write a structured legal memo
- Write a customer FAQ
- Write meeting minutes from an audio recording
- Prepare a reply to a tax authority request
- Draft a personal data processing policy
- Answer a client's tax question
- Write up an audit working paper
- Update the accounting policy document
- Find case law to support a position
- Draft a statement of claim
- Review a batch of contracts for the same risks
Most useful for
- Accountant
- Lawyer
- HR manager
- Finance manager
- Manager
- Marketer
- Sales manager
- Data analyst
- Teacher
- Executive assistant
- Logistics manager
- Procurement manager
Pitfalls to watch at work
- The model answers only from uploaded sources: if the notebook holds an old version of a law, the answer follows the old version and still sounds confident
- Keep documents with personal data and trade secrets out of notebooks in a personal account: use NotebookLM as part of Workspace for them
- Scanned PDFs without a text layer read poorly: run them through OCR first
- A shared notebook opens all sources to everyone with access: check the list of people before sharing
Billing
The base tier is free with a Google account. Higher limits come with Google AI Pro, billed through Google One.
Common problems and fixes
- NotebookLM not working: four causes and what to do
- NotebookLM source limits: 50 per notebook, 500 thousand words per source, and how to work around them
- NotebookLM will not read a PDF or retells it with errors: scans, tables and protection
Compare NotebookLM with
- NotebookLM vs Claude
- NotebookLM vs ChatGPT
- NotebookLM vs Readwise Reader
- NotebookLM vs Copilot in Word
- NotebookLM vs ElevenLabs
- NotebookLM vs ChatPDF
- NotebookLM vs Humata
- NotebookLM vs Gemini in Google Drive
AI tools weekly for your role
One email a week: new tools, price changes and one tested prompt for your job. Free, unsubscribe in one click.