NotebookLM: Your AI Note Assistant – Features, Cost, & How to Use
【この記事にはPRを含む場合があります】
On May 19, 2025, Google started offering iOS and Android apps for “NotebookLM“, an “AI-powered” note-taking assistant tool developed by the company.
Google’s NotebookLM is an AI tool that is very easy to use. You can upload materials to it, and the AI will summarize the key points, answer your questions, and explain the content through audio.
Paid subscribers get extra features, but the basic functions are “free” for anyone with a Google account. Users who have tried it have said many good things. They said it’s amazing, convenient, and they were able to find answers quickly. They also said it was useful for reading articles and papers and for using an internal portal.
Many people who heard about NotebookLM’s reputation on social media like X (formerly Twitter) were probably curious.
This article will explain what Google NotebookLM is, what it can do, how much it costs to use the paid version, how it’s different from the free version, and how to use it.
- What is NotebookLM?
- What Can NotebookLM Do?
- Use Case 1: Automatic Organization and Summarization of Key Points
- Use Case 2: Answering Questions
- Use Case 3: Audio Summarization
- Use Case 4: Cross-Referencing Multiple Documents
- Use Case 5: Summarizing YouTube Videos and Web Pages
- How to Use and Get Started with NotebookLM
- Step 1: Access the NotebookLM Official Page or Download the App
- Step 2: Log in to Your Google Account
- Step 3: Create a Notebook
- Step 4: Upload and Add Materials
- Step 5: Ask the AI to Question, Summarize, or Organize
- Additional: You Can Also Organize and Share Notes.
- How much does NotebookLM cost? Differences between paid and free plans.
- NotebookLM: Your Personal AI Assistant!
What is NotebookLM?
(Source: Google NotebookLM)
“NotebookLM” is an “AI-powered note organization and information support tool” developed by Google.
Its main feature is that by feeding it documents like PDFs or URLs, the AI understands the content and summarizes the main points and answers questions.
For example, if you upload class notes, reports, meeting minutes, or research memos, the AI will respond to requests such as “What does this part mean?” or “Summarize the key points”.
In other words, it’s a service that allows you to create “your own personal assistant” to support what you want to know or summarize!
社内問い合わせFQAは、NotebookLM一択になりそうです！最近追加された”一般公開”機能を活用することで、チャットのみを共有できるのです。何がスゴイかというと
・PDFやドキュメントを読み込ませる
・↑だけに基づいて回答されるということで、独自botが一瞬で完成！
— Kadu(かどぅー)@人と組織と組織の探求者＆山形老舗企業のCOO (@hiroyuki_kadosa) June 22, 2025
“NotebookLM” is based on a tool called “Project Tailwind”. This tool was announced at Google’s developer conference, “Google I/O”, in 2023. It was officially released as “NotebookLM” in June 2024.
Since it was released in 2024, it has already attracted attention. Its popularity has grown even more because it has added new features that people like. For example, in April 2025, NotebookLM introduced a “podcast feature” that played audio versions of summarized content. Then, in May 2025, it released mobile apps for both iOS and Android. Finally, in June 2025, it added a “public link feature” that let users share their notes using a “share” button.
最近は興味ある分野の解説系ソースをNotebookLMに突っ込んで、ポッドキャスト形式で聞いたり質問したりしてる pic.twitter.com/fn7nAJOUJc
— 黒神(kokushin) (@kokushing) June 6, 2025
NotebookLM is different from AI like ChatGPT because it is designed to support your own materials, making it perfect for learning and work.
People are excited about it, and companies and corporations are using it more and more. They’re using it for themselves and as an “internal chatbot“. In the past, making an internal chatbot would take a lot of time and money.
What Can NotebookLM Do?
(Source: NotebookLM)
Google’s NotebookLM is a tool that uses AI to help you in various ways, based on your own notes and materials.
You can just feed it documents, and it will summarize them or answer questions. It’s like having an “assistant who knows everything about your materials” right by your side.
Below, we’ve listed what you can do with NotebookLM and given some examples.
Use Case 1: Automatic Organization and Summarization of Key Points
With Google’s NotebookLM, when you feed it a document, the AI understands what the document is about and clearly summarizes the “important points”.
Even for long “meeting materials” or “reports” that take a long time to read, NotebookLM allows you to check the key points in “a few seconds”.
This is helpful when you have trouble reading long texts or when you want to understand the main idea quickly.
Use Case 2: Answering Questions
One of the best things about NotebookLM is that it can “ask the AI questions about the content of your documents“.
The AI will answer questions like “What’s the conclusion of this report?” or “Explain this part in simpler words.” It can also give a list of keywords.
While it’s similar to ChatGPT, NotebookLM’s main feature is that it “answers based on reading your own materials“. If you upload documents or manuals that you use often, you can quickly find the information you need.
Use Case 3: Audio Summarization
With NotebookLM, you can listen to the content of your materials via audio using the “Audio Overviews” function.
It’s like a podcast because it explains things like, “This document follows this flow and says this”, which makes it great for “inputting information by ear” while commuting or working.
The content is presented in a conversational style, which makes it easy to listen to. It’s interesting how it can be used as a learning tool.
Use Case 4: Cross-Referencing Multiple Documents
NotebookLM lets you combine and send multiple documents as one note.
If you upload research reports, references, and interview transcripts together and ask, “What do they have in common?” or “What’s different?” you can easily find their similarities and differences.
Also, if you ask a question like “Which one details ○○?”, it can immediately show you the right document to read to find the information you need.
It can be used across multiple documents, which makes it very convenient for “research and organizing ideas“!
Use Case 5: Summarizing YouTube Videos and Web Pages
NotebookLM supports links to “YouTube videos” and “web pages,” not just text.
For example, if you paste the URL of a lecture video or an explanatory YouTube video, NotebookLM will convert the video into text, summarize it, and answer any questions.
It can also read web pages, so if you add interesting articles or news to your notes, you can ask the AI about them or have it organize them during your free time. This makes it so that you don’t have to spend as much time finding information.
It can also be used as a learning tool.
How to Use and Get Started with NotebookLM
Anyone with a Google account can start using NotebookLM right away.
The basic features are available “for free“, so if you’re interested, take this opportunity to try it out.
Step 1: Access the NotebookLM Official Page or Download the App
First, go to the NotebookLM official page (https://notebooklm.google.com).
Now that there are smartphone apps for both Android and iOS, downloading the app is also fine.
(Source: Google Play)
Step 2: Log in to Your Google Account
If you’re not already logged in to your Google account, the Google account login screen will appear. Please complete the login.
Once you log in with your Google account, you can start using it right away.
You don’t need to register or set up NotebookLM separately.
Step 3: Create a Notebook
After you log in, click the “New notebook” button to create a new notebook.
In NotebookLM, a “notebook” is a space where you can gather documents for a specific theme or purpose.
It becomes easier to use if you “divide them by purpose,” such as “Graduation Thesis Notebook”, “Meeting Notes Summary”, or “Reading Notes”.
Step 4: Upload and Add Materials
After you create a notebook, you can upload the materials you want NotebookLM to process.
NotebookLM supports the following file formats:
< Google NotebookLM Supported File Formats >
PDF / Google Docs / Text files (.txt) / Web page URLs / YouTube video links / Text / Audio (e.g., mp3) / Images (.png, .jpg, .jpeg) / Markdown (a type of markup language), etc.
Just select the file you want to upload or drag and drop it.
You can also import directly from Google Drive, which is very convenient!
Step 5: Ask the AI to Question, Summarize, or Organize
After NotebookLM has processed your materials, you can use the “AI chat screen” at the bottom of the screen to ask questions or make requests.
You can make requests in a chat format, talking to the AI like you’re talking to a person. You can ask things like, “Tell me the most important points of this document”, “What is the purpose of this material?” “Explain this again for beginners”, or “Compare ○○ and △△”. This makes it easy to use, even for people who are not good with machines or are new to AI.
For example, the image above shows an instance where an iPhone settings guide URL was fed into NotebookLM. It’s like a guide page with lots of information, and it can answer specific questions right away, like “How do I set up Face ID?”
This is recommended for two types of people: those who want to reduce research time and those who struggle with searching on their own.
Another appealing feature is that your question history remains, so you can look back at it later.
Click here for the Google “NotebookLM Official Page”
Click here for the Google Play Store “NotebookLM Official App” (for Android)
Click here for the App Store “NotebookLM Official App” (for iPhone/iPad)
Additional: You Can Also Organize and Share Notes.
With NotebookLM, you can save your AI interactions directly into notes. This allows you to reread or add to them later.
If you choose the paid NotebookLM Plus plan, you can share notes with others and change the output style.
We’ve outlined the key differences between the paid and free versions below. If you use NotebookLM often, you should think about getting the paid plan.
How much does NotebookLM cost? Differences between paid and free plans.
NotebookLM lets you use its basic features for free if you have a Google account.
Even with the free plan, you can create “up to 100” notebooks and upload up to 50 documents per notebook.
You can “ask questions via chat” up to 50 times a day, and the “Audio Overviews feature,” which can output content by voice, can be used “up to 3 times a day.”
The free plan is good for “everyday use,” like classes, reports, and meeting memos.
＜ NotebookLM Free Plan vs. Paid Plan ＞
| Free Plan | Paid Plan (NotebookLM Plus) |
|
| Price | Free | 2,900 JPY/month (or from 1,900 JPY/month with a Google Workspace Business Standard subscription) |
| Number of Notebooks | Up to 100 | Up to 500 |
| Documents per Notebook | Up to 50 | Up to 300 |
| Chat Questions (per day) | Approx. 50 times | Improved to an easily usable limit, far beyond 500 times |
| Audio Overviews (Voice Output) |
3 times/day | 20 times/day |
| Answer Style Switching | × | ○ (e.g., Guide, Analyst) |
| Chat Format Sharing Settings | △ | ○ (e.g., Chat-only notebook creation) |
| Analytics Feature | None | Yes (Visualization of usage) |
However, if you need to upload and use a lot of materials for work, share them with many people, or use customization features, we suggest using the paid version, NotebookLM Plus.
The paid plan, NotebookLM Plus, costs 2,900 JPY per month. It has no usage limits, and it allows you to use NotebookLM on five times more notebooks. With the paid plan, you can use NotebookLM on 500 notebooks, 300 sources per notebook, 500 chats per day, and 20 audio summaries.
The paid version also includes “answer style switching” and “detailed sharing settings,” which will make it more useful in more situations.
You can switch to the paid plan at any time by selecting “Upgrade to Pro” from the “Settings” button in NotebookLM.
NotebookLM: Your Personal AI Assistant!
Google’s NotebookLM is an AI tool that summarizes key points, answers questions, and provides audio explanations. You can upload documents, videos, audio, or website URLs to use it.
Anyone with a Google account can use it for free. It helps save time. If you’re interested, please give it a try.
Click here for the Google “NotebookLM Official Page”
Click here for the Google Play Store “NotebookLM Official App” (for Android)
Click here for the App Store “NotebookLM Official App” (for iPhone/iPad)
