# Learnfold vs NotebookLM, now called Gemini Notebook

> One is a research notebook built on the documents you bring. The other writes a course from a question and keeps adding pages as you ask.

https://learnfold.app/compare/learnfold-vs-notebooklm/ · Updated 2026-10-31

Prices and features of other products checked on 2026-10-31.

The deciding question is whether you already have the readings. If you do, Gemini Notebook, which Google called NotebookLM until July 2026, gives you cited answers, audio overviews, flashcards and quizzes built from them. If you are starting from a question, or from one link or PDF, Learnfold writes a planned course of short lessons and adds a new linked page each time you ask where to go next. Learnfold writes with AI, and AI makes mistakes.

The two overlap less than the "learn from your PDF" label suggests. Gemini Notebook is organised around your sources. Learnfold is organised around a course.

## NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook

On July 16, 2026, Google announced it was renaming NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook. Google describes it as a standalone product focused on research. Notebooks can already be opened and created in the Gemini app, with syncing between the two, and Google says notebooks are coming to AI Mode in Search, without a date. The same post introduced a secure cloud computer in each notebook that can write and run code for data analysis over your sources. Google said it was available first to Google AI Ultra users and rolling out to Pro users on the web.

The iPhone and iPad app on the App Store now shows the name Gemini Notebook, with the subtitle "Understand anything". It is free with in-app purchases and needs iOS 17 or later.

Search results and help pages still say NotebookLM in many places, including Google's own URLs, so both names will be around for a while. This page uses both.

## Study tools inside a notebook

As of October 2026, the App Store listing says you can upload PDFs, websites, YouTube videos or text into a notebook, and that answers cite your sources inline. It can turn sources into podcast-style Audio Overviews with two AI hosts. The listing's event text also names slides, quizzes, flashcards and Video Overviews.

Google's September 2025 post for students added flashcards and quizzes generated from your documents, where you set the topic and difficulty. Tapping "explain" on a card or a missed question gives a fuller explanation, with citations back to the source. The same post introduced Learning Guide, a chat option that Google says "encourages participation with probing, open-ended questions."

Google's plans page lists a free Standard tier with 100 notebooks per user and 50 sources per notebook, marked as subject to change. Higher limits come with Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra plans.

## A course instead of a notebook

Two things separate Learnfold from a notebook of sources.

**No sources needed.** Learnfold can start from nothing more than a question. It also takes a web link, a PDF, notes, Markdown or a photo, but you never have to gather material first. Either way, you see a course plan and approve it before any lesson is written, so a single PDF comes back as an ordered sequence of short pages.

**It grows where you point it.** Each lesson ends with "Where next?": Go deeper, Go sideways, Zoom out, or your own question. Picking one writes a new page linked to the lesson it came from. The course map shows every page you opened, the open threads you have not finished, and a "Tie it together" option that combines them into one page.

## Notebook versus course

| | Gemini Notebook (was NotebookLM) | Learnfold |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Built around | The sources you add to a notebook | A course plan you approve |
| Starts from | PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, text | A question, link, PDF, notes, Markdown or photo |
| Answers | Chat that cites your sources inline | Lessons written as short pages |
| Going further | Ask more questions of your sources | "Where next?" writes a new linked page |
| Study aids | Flashcards, quizzes, Learning Guide | Optional checks per page, no flashcards |
| Audio and video | Audio Overviews, Video Overviews | Narrated whiteboard lessons on the Studio plan |
| Finding your place | Notebooks synced with the Gemini app | Course map with "You are here", Continue |
| Pricing | Free Standard tier, more with Google AI plans | Monthly App Store subscriptions |

## Reasons to choose Gemini Notebook

- **You have a pile of readings.** A notebook holds up to 50 sources on the free tier. If your job is to master a reading list for a seminar or a literature review, a tool that works across all of them at once is what you want.
- **You need to trace claims back to your documents.** Gemini Notebook cites your sources inline. When you must quote or defend a point, being able to jump to the passage matters.
- **You want to listen.** Audio Overviews turn your sources into a two-host discussion, which suits a commute or a walk.
- **You want to start without paying.** The Standard tier is free and, as of October 2026, allows up to 100 notebooks.
- **You live in Google's apps.** Notebooks sync with the Gemini app, and the plans page ties higher limits to Google AI subscriptions you may already have.
- **You want it in a browser.** Gemini Notebook also runs on the web. Learnfold is an iPhone and iPad app.

## Reasons to choose Learnfold

Learnfold makes more sense when you do not have the readings yet, or when one document is a starting point rather than the whole job. Ask "why does the Moon cause tides on both sides of the Earth?" and you get a plan, then lessons, then a choice at the end of each one about where to go next. Nothing has to be uploaded first.

It also fits when you want a single PDF taught to you in order. Approve a plan, read it as a sequence of short pages, and select the passages that lose you to ask Why, How or for an example. The guide on [turning a PDF into a course](/guides/turn-a-pdf-into-a-course/) walks through that, and the one on [studying a textbook chapter with AI](/guides/study-a-textbook-chapter-with-ai/) covers a common case.

And it fits when your questions wander. Each "Where next?" choice becomes a page linked to where it came from, and the course map keeps the whole branching trail visible. That is the idea behind [following your curiosity down a rabbit hole](/use-cases/follow-your-curiosity-rabbit-hole/).

Learnfold's explanations are written by AI and can contain mistakes, so treat it as a tutor and check important facts against a reliable source. If you use Learnfold Cloud, Learnfold's own AI, your prompts and sources go to Learnfold's cloud service and an AI model provider, as the [privacy page](https://learnfold.app/privacy) explains. There is no certificate or accreditation. Plans are monthly App Store subscriptions, listed at [learnfold.app/#pricing](https://learnfold.app/#pricing), and a starter practice course can be read without paying.

## Running them side by side

One holds your sources and the other teaches you the background, so they can share a topic without getting in each other's way.

- **Readings in the notebook, background in Learnfold.** When a paper in your notebook assumes something you never learned, start a Learnfold course on that idea, then go back to the paper.
- **Check one against the other.** If a Learnfold lesson makes a claim about a document you also loaded into Gemini Notebook, ask the notebook where the document says it. Its inline citations make that quick.
- **Listen, then read.** Play an Audio Overview to get the shape of a topic, then build a course that goes through it at your own pace.

If you are also deciding whether a general chatbot is enough, the [Learnfold vs ChatGPT for learning](/compare/learnfold-vs-chatgpt-for-learning/) page covers that.

## Quick answers

**Is NotebookLM now called Gemini Notebook?**

Yes. Google announced on July 16, 2026 that it was renaming NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook. Google describes it as a standalone product, and notebooks can also be opened and created in the Gemini app with syncing between the two. The iPhone app now carries the Gemini Notebook name.

**Is Gemini Notebook free?**

As of October 2026, Google's plans page lists a free Standard tier with up to 100 notebooks and 50 sources per notebook, with the note that limits are subject to change. Higher limits come with Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra plans.

**Can Gemini Notebook make flashcards and quizzes?**

Yes. Google added flashcards and quizzes generated from your sources in September 2025, with an option to explain an answer and citations back to the source material. Google also added a Learning Guide chat that asks open-ended questions.

**Do I need my own documents to use Learnfold?**

No. Learnfold can start from a plain question or topic. It can also start from a web link, a PDF, notes or Markdown, or a photo. You see a course plan and approve it before lessons are written.

**Which should I use for a stack of course readings?**

Gemini Notebook is built for that. It works across many sources at once and cites them inline in its answers. Learnfold is a better fit when you want a planned course on a topic, or on one document, that grows as you ask questions.

## Sources

1. [We're renaming NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-notebook/notebooklm-gemini-notebook/), Google (The Keyword)
2. [Gemini Notebook plans and usage limits](https://support.google.com/gemininotebook/answer/16213268), Google Help
3. [Gemini Notebook on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gemini-notebook/id6737527615), Apple App Store
4. [New NotebookLM features for students](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/google-labs/notebooklm-student-features/), Google (The Keyword)