Overview
Gemini Notebook, renamed from NotebookLM on July 16, 2026, is Google's AI research tool that analyzes sources you upload and answers grounded in them. It can turn notes into audio and video summaries, and notebooks now sync with the Gemini app. A newer code-execution feature lets it run data analysis on your sources, rolling out to AI Ultra, AI Pro and eligible Workspace customers first.
Label: Vendor-described — Captured from the vendor's own materials. Not independently verified.
Best for
- Researchers and students working from their own source documents
- Turning uploaded material into summaries and audio/video explainers
Key features
- AI research assistant grounded in sources you upload
- Analyzes sources and transforms content into new formats
What it does
- Answers grounded in uploaded sources
- Audio and video summaries of sources
- Sync with the Gemini app
- Code execution for data analysis (AI Ultra / Pro rollout)
Use cases
- Research a topic and get answers with sources — Answers grounded in the sources you upload, which keeps responses tied to your own documents.
- Summarize long documents for faster review — Answers grounded in the documents you upload.
Drawbacks & cautions
- Higher usage and new features such as code execution need paid Google AI tiers
- Code execution is rolling out to Ultra and some Workspace customers first
- Answers depend on the sources the user supplies
What users say
Hacker News commenters generally like it as a source-grounded study and research tool with useful audio overviews. The small Trustpilot sample is more negative, citing answers that drift from the uploaded sources and frustration with the move to Gemini Notebook.
What people like
- Answers stay tied to uploaded sources, handy for checking what a document actually says hn.algolia.com
- Popular study and research aid; audio and video overviews help explain complex material hn.algolia.com, nz.trustpilot.com
Common complaints
- Some users say it pulls in outside info or leans on only one or two sources despite instructions nz.trustpilot.com
- Reports of forgotten instructions and drafts lost when switching tabs nz.trustpilot.com
- Rename to Gemini Notebook confused users; some say quality dropped after the change hn.algolia.com, nz.trustpilot.com
Scores are shown as each site published them on the date checked. They come from those sites' reviewers, not from us, and they never affect our rankings. Ratings based on fewer than 10 reviews are left out. The summaries are our own words, gathered Oct 22, 2026; follow the links to read the reviews.
Alternatives
- Google Gemini — Google's AI assistant for chat, research, images and video, built into Google apps
- Grok — AI chatbot with live web and X search, voice, and image and video generation
- Perplexity — AI answer engine that searches the web and returns cited answers and research reports
Evidence
| Fact | Label | Source | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|
| overview | Vendor-described | blog.google | Oct 17, 2026 |
| overview | Vendor-described | notebook.google | Oct 17, 2026 |
| pricing | Vendor-described | gemini.google | Oct 17, 2026 |
Spot something wrong? Send a correction.