ChatGPT vs Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) (2026): Which AI Tool Is Better?

Both are popular AI chat assistants. Here is how ChatGPT and Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) stack up on price, strengths and weaknesses, and which one we would pick.

ChatGPT

OpenAI's general assistant for writing, research, images and voice chat

9.0 /10

Pricing: Free plan, paid from $8/mo

Pros

GPT-5.6 family covers quick drafts through long reasoning in one chat
ChatGPT Images 2.5 handles text in images and multi-turn edits well
Cheap Go tier ($8) gives 10x the free limits
Apps on web, desktop, iOS and Android plus voice mode
Business and Enterprise plans add shared workspaces and admin controls

Cons

Free and Go users only get the lighter GPT-5.6 Luna model
Video generation is gone: Sora and the in-ChatGPT video feature closed on 2026-04-26
Pro $200 tier sign-ups were paused in September 2026
Usage caps on images, files and top models are not published as hard numbers

Visit ChatGPT ↗

Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)

Google's source-grounded notebook that turns documents into audio and video overviews

8.4 /10

Pricing: Free plan, paid from $4.99/mo

Pros

Answers stay grounded in the sources you upload
Generous free plan: 100 notebooks, 50 sources each, 3 audio and 3 video overviews a day
Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, slide decks, infographics, mind maps and reports
Syncs with the Gemini app; code execution on higher tiers

Cons

Output styles are fixed and hard to brand or edit
Cinematic video overviews and the highest limits need AI Pro or Ultra
Renamed in July 2026, and plan limits changed again in September
Only as good as the sources you feed it

Visit Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) ↗

ChatGPT vs Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) at a glance

	ChatGPT	Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)
Editor score	9.0 / 10	8.4 / 10
Pricing model	Freemium	Freemium
Starting price	$8/mo	$4.99/mo
Reader upvotes	0	0
Best for	chatbot, openai, writing	research, google, audio-overviews
Model choice	No	No
Commercial use	No	Yes
No watermark (free)	No	No
API	Yes	No
Official MCP server	No	No
MCP client	Yes	No
Agent Skills	No	No
Brand kit	No	No
Teams	Yes	Yes
Content Credentials	No	No
Mobile app	Yes	No
20+ languages	Yes	No
Makes	Blog posts & articles, Ad & marketing copy, Emails & newsletters, Social media posts	Podcasts, YouTube & long video, Presentations & docs, Blog posts & articles
AI models inside	3	1

Our pick

ChatGPT edges it with a score of 9.0 versus 8.4. ChatGPT is the better fit if you value: gpt-5.6 family covers quick drafts through long reasoning in one chat, chatgpt images 2.5 handles text in images and multi-turn edits well. Choose Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) instead if you need: answers stay grounded in the sources you upload, generous free plan: 100 notebooks, 50 sources each, 3 audio and 3 video overviews a day.