NotebookLM suits people who want answers drawn only from documents they upload, with in-line citations back to those sources. ChatGPT suits people who want a general assistant that writes, plans, searches the web and creates images. If you're researching your own material, use NotebookLM; for almost everything else, ChatGPT is the more flexible tool.
These two get lumped together because both are AI tools you chat with, but they're built for different jobs. NotebookLM works inside a notebook of sources you choose. ChatGPT works across everything it knows plus the web. I read Google's NotebookLM help centre and OpenAI's ChatGPT help articles, and the facts below come from those pages.
Side by side from the help pages
| NotebookLM | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Name on Google's pages | Now called Gemini Notebook | ChatGPT |
| Free | Yes, sign up free with a Gmail account | Yes, ChatGPT is free to use |
| What it reads | Your uploads: PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, audio, Google Docs and Slides | Your prompt, uploads, and the web |
| Citations | In-line citations to your sources | Cites sources when it searches the web |
| Free limits | 100 notebooks, 50 sources per notebook | Unlimited everyday text chats; separate limits on uploads, images, voice |
| Outputs | Study guides, briefings, Audio Overviews, mind maps | Writing, analysis, images, search answers |
| Languages | 80+ languages | Not covered on the articles I read |
| Training on your data | Not used to train unless you give feedback | Temporary Chat isn't used to train models |
| Ads | Not covered on the help pages | May appear on Free in some countries |
The name change you may have missed
If you go looking for NotebookLM on Google's help centre now, you'll find Gemini Notebook. The help pages for creating a notebook, the plan limits and the product overview all use the new name, and the address has moved to a Gemini Notebook help centre. It's the same research assistant, but if a colleague tells you to try Gemini Notebook, this is what they mean, and it's worth knowing so you don't think you're comparing three tools rather than two.
NotebookLM for grounded research
NotebookLM, or Gemini Notebook, is an AI research assistant. You upload PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, audio files, Google Docs or Slides, then chat with that notebook and get answers with in-line citations pointing back to your sources. It can turn your material into study guides, briefings, Audio Overviews and mind maps, and it supports more than 80 languages. The free Standard tier allows 100 notebooks per user and 50 sources per notebook, and Google's Plus, Pro and Ultra plans raise those limits.
ChatGPT as an all-round assistant
OpenAI says ChatGPT is free to use. On the free tier you can search the web, analyse data, upload images or files, use GPTs, create images and keep files in a Library with 500 MB of storage. Everyday text chats are unlimited, subject to safeguards, while uploads, image creation, voice and data analysis have their own limits. It runs on the web and on iOS and Android, and Temporary Chat keeps a conversation out of your history and out of training.
Which job suits which tool
Use NotebookLM when the answer must come from your own material: summarising a stack of reports, preparing for a client meeting from their documents, or turning your course notes into a briefing. Use ChatGPT when you want ideas, drafts, plans or a quick answer from the wider web. My ChatGPT power user workflow shows how to get more from it, and if you want your notes to work harder, read my piece on building an AI second brain for a small business.
My advice for using them together
You don't have to choose. Put the documents you trust into a notebook and ask NotebookLM what they say, with citations. Then take that summary to ChatGPT to turn it into a blog post, an email or a plan. One keeps you accurate, the other keeps you moving, and between them you'll spend far less time rereading the same PDFs.
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Frequently asked questions
Is NotebookLM now called Gemini Notebook?
Google's help centre and site now use the name Gemini Notebook for the AI research assistant that was called NotebookLM.
Is NotebookLM free?
Yes. You can sign up free with a Gmail account, and the Standard tier allows 100 notebooks per user and 50 sources per notebook.
Is ChatGPT free?
Yes. OpenAI says ChatGPT is free to use, with web search, file uploads, image creation and unlimited everyday text chats, subject to limits on some tools.
Which is better for research?
For research based on your own documents, NotebookLM cites the sources you upload. For broad questions that need the web, ChatGPT searches and cites sources too.
