Gemini Notebook

Productivity

7.6~~/10~~

Our score

★ 4.7 Google Play·10M+ installs

Reviewed by Editorial Team, ScoredApps editorial · updated 2026-10-06

Screenshots

Gemini Notebook promo frame with the headline about podcast-style overviews from an AI research assistant, a robot emoji and the line The new app is here

iPhone notebook list with Recent, Shared, Title and Downloaded tabs, notebooks such as Science in Motion showing source counts, and a Create new button

Add-sources sheet offering PDF, Audio, Website, YouTube and Copied text, above a box for finding sources from the web

Audio Overview player for the Science in Motion notebook with a waveform, a Join button, and download and share icons

Chat tab answering a request for physics paper ideas, with numbered in-line citations and Sources, Chat and Studio tabs under the prompt box

iPhone share sheet for a 14.8 MB PDF with the Notebook app icon circled among Message, Mail and WhatsApp

About Gemini Notebook

Gemini Notebook, Google's NotebookLM until its July 2026 rename, is free for 100 notebooks of up to 50 sources each. You add PDFs, web pages, YouTube links or audio, and chat replies cite only those sources. It also turns them into Audio Overviews, flashcards, quizzes, slide decks and infographics. The catch is quota: usage is metered by compute with a weekly cap, and the phone app lacks mind maps and data tables.

App information

DeveloperGoogle LLC

Version1.60.8.990840121 (Android) · 1.60.7 (iOS)

Size41 MB (Android) · 217 MB (iOS)

Price / In-appFree

Contains adsNo

In-app purchasesYes

Content rating13+

Requires (Android)Varies with device

Requires (iOS)iOS 17.0+

Offline modeDownloaded Audio Overviews play offline in the mobile app

Interface languagesAF, SQ, AM, AR, HY, AZ + 58 more

Store rating (Google Play)4.7 from 332,888 ratings

Installs10M+

Updated by developer2026-10-02

Data checked2026-10-06

Specs come from the official store listings and were last checked on 2026-10-06. Developers change pricing and requirements — check the store page before installing.

Gemini Notebook Review: Strong Free Limits, a Thinner Phone App

50 Sources Per Notebook, and a Quota That Resets Every 5 Hours

A free Standard account gets 100 notebooks, and each notebook takes 50 sources. One source can run to 500,000 words, or 200 MB for an uploaded file, with no page limit. Paid plans lift the ceiling: Plus allows 100 sources per notebook, Pro 300, and Ultra 500 or 600 depending on the storage tier. Limits are not fixed daily counts. Google meters compute, weighing prompt length, model and feature, and the quota refreshes every 5 hours until a weekly limit. Plus gives two times the standard allowance, Pro four times, Ultra five or twenty times Pro. Studio shows an expected-cost bar before each generation, and on the web a Generate later button queues a job for a couple of hours when you are out of quota.

Deep Dive, Brief, Critique and Debate: Four Podcast Formats in 80+ Languages

Audio Overview is the headline feature, and it comes in four formats. Deep Dive is the default, a conversation between two hosts. Brief is a single speaker covering the key points in under two minutes. Critique gives constructive feedback on something like an essay, and Debate stages a back-and-forth. Narration works in more than 80 languages, while the Shorter, Default and Longer length setting is English only. In Interactive mode, still labelled Beta and English only, you tap Join and put a question to the hosts by voice before they resume. Video Overviews follow the pattern with Cinematic, Explainer and Short formats, the last about 60 seconds, and Google warns that a video can take over 30 minutes. Flashcards and quizzes add easy, medium and hard levels and an Only cards you missed retry.

Mind Maps, Data Tables and 18+ Gates: What the Phone App Leaves Out

Google calls the mobile app an early version. It accepts five source types, PDF, website, YouTube, audio and copied text, while the web also takes Docs, Slides up to 100 slides, Sheets capped at 100k tokens, Word, PowerPoint, EPUB and images. Mind maps and data tables are missing on the phone, and Play reviews from September and October 2026 still say so; chat configuration is unsupported too. Slide Decks, Infographics, Deep Research, Cinematic video and live voice chat are 18+ only, while the App Store age rating is 13+. On data, Google says content is not used to train its foundation models unless you send feedback, and reviewed feedback is kept for up to 3 years.

Pros

Free tier holds 100 notebooks of 50 sources, 500,000 words each
Audio Overviews come in four formats and more than 80 languages
Chat replies carry in-line citations that jump to the quoted passage
Slide decks export to PDF or PowerPoint; flashcards retry only missed cards
Downloaded Audio Overviews play offline with background playback in the mobile app
Google Docs and Drive sources re-sync every few minutes

Cons

Phone app lacks mind maps and data tables and takes only five source types
Quota is compute-based with a weekly cap, so there is no fixed count to plan around
Slide decks, infographics, Deep Research and live voice chat are 18+ only
Play reviewers report failed generations, sign-in loops and Android Auto audio problems

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Verdict

The 7.6 rests on answers that cite your own sources, four Audio Overview formats and a free tier of 100 notebooks, held back by compute quotas with a weekly cap and a phone app that trails the web version. Take it if you study or research from your own PDFs, slides and lecture videos. Skip it if you need a general assistant that searches the web and drafts from nothing, where Gemini, ChatGPT or Claude fit better, or if mind maps on your phone matter.

Core function8.5Answers cite your own sources, Audio Overviews come in four formats, and Google Drive files re-sync every few minutes.

Ease of use7.5Three tabs, Sources, Chat and Studio, keep it simple, but the phone app skips mind maps and chat settings.

Monetisation7.5No ads or standalone fee; Plus and Pro raise limits 2x and 4x, but quotas are compute-based and capped weekly.

Performance6.5Play reviewers report stalled Audio Overviews, failed slide decks and sign-in loops; Video Overviews can take over 30 minutes.

Privacy & permissions7.0Not used for training unless you send feedback, kept up to 3 years once reviewed; the label links location and contacts.

7.6out of 10 · weighted average of the five scores above

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Frequently asked questions

Is Gemini Notebook (NotebookLM) free?

Yes, the Standard plan is free with a Google account: 100 notebooks, 50 sources per notebook, and sources up to 500,000 words or 200 MB each. Usage is metered by compute rather than a daily count, and the quota refreshes every 5 hours until a weekly limit. Paid Google AI plans raise those ceilings.

Can Gemini Notebook turn a PDF into a podcast?

Yes, the Audio Overview feature does it. Upload the PDF, open Studio and pick Deep Dive for two hosts, Brief for a single speaker in under two minutes, Critique or Debate. Narration supports more than 80 languages, and in the mobile app you can download the result for offline playback. Interactive mode, which lets you join by voice, is Beta and English only.

How much does Gemini Notebook cost, and is a paid plan worth it?

There is no standalone price: higher limits come through Google AI plans, and Apple's US listing shows Plus at $4.99 and Pro at $19.99 a month. Plus allows 200 notebooks with 100 sources each at twice the standard quota; Pro allows 500 notebooks, 300 sources and four times. It is worth paying only if you hit the 50-source or quota ceiling. Prices vary by region.

Does Gemini Notebook work offline?

Only partly. Audio Overviews downloaded in the mobile app play offline with background playback, and they sit in the Downloaded tab rather than saving as a file on the phone. Google's help pages describe no offline mode for chat, adding sources or generating new outputs, and a generation can take a couple of minutes.

Does Gemini Notebook train AI on my files?

Google says your uploads, queries and outputs are not used to train its foundation models unless you choose to send feedback. A thumbs up or down sends the related content to trained review teams, and reviewed feedback is kept up to 3 years with the link to your account removed. Workspace and Education accounts are not reviewed or used for training.