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

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

Gemini

Google's assistant with Nano Banana images, Veo video and Deep Research

8.8 /10

Pricing: Free plan, paid from $4.99/mo

Pros

Image and video generation in the same app as chat
Free plan already includes image creation, Deep Research and Gemini Live
AI Plus at $4.99 is the cheapest paid tier among major assistants
Bundled storage (up to 20 TB+) and Gemini in Gmail and Docs

Cons

Video generation needs a paid plan and consumes Flow credits
Best models and Deep Think are gated behind AI Pro or Ultra
Ultra costs $99.99 to $199.99 per month
Plan features change often and are tied to Google account bundles

Visit Gemini ↗

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) ↗

Gemini vs Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) at a glance

	Gemini	Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)
Editor score	8.8 / 10	8.4 / 10
Pricing model	Freemium	Freemium
Starting price	$4.99/mo	$4.99/mo
Reader upvotes	0	0
Best for	chatbot, google, image-generation	research, google, audio-overviews
Model choice	No	No
Commercial use	Yes	Yes
No watermark (free)	No	No
API	Yes	No
Official MCP server	No	No
MCP client	No	No
Agent Skills	No	No
Brand kit	No	No
Teams	Yes	Yes
Content Credentials	No	No
Mobile app	Yes	No
20+ languages	No	No
Makes	Blog posts & articles, Emails & newsletters, Images & illustrations, Short-form video	Podcasts, YouTube & long video, Presentations & docs, Blog posts & articles
AI models inside	4	1

Our pick

Gemini edges it with a score of 8.8 versus 8.4. Gemini is the better fit if you value: image and video generation in the same app as chat, free plan already includes image creation, deep research and gemini live. 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.