# Is NotebookLM free? > Yes, NotebookLM is free with any Google account. What the free plan includes, its daily and per-notebook limits, and when it's actually worth paying. (NotebookLM is now called Gemini Notebook.) _Markdown version of https://gemini-notebook-hub.online/guides/is-notebooklm-free โ€” for AI and LLM crawlers. Content is identical to the web page._ --- _3 min read ยท updated 17 Jul 2026_ One sentence: yes, NotebookLM is free with any Google account, and the free plan is generous enough that most people never need to pay. --- **NotebookLM was renamed Gemini Notebook** in July 2026. This guide covers the same product under its new name โ€” everything below still applies whether you know it as NotebookLM or Gemini Notebook. > **Quick answer** > Yes. NotebookLM is free with any Google account, personal or Workspace. The free plan includes 100 notebooks, 50 sources per notebook, 50 chat messages a day and 3 Audio Overviews a day. No trial period, no credit card, no feature paywall on the core product. ## What's actually included for free - **Every core feature.** Chat with citations, Audio and Video Overviews, mind maps, study guides, flashcards and quizzes are all available free, not locked behind a paywall. - **100 notebooks**, each holding up to **50 sources**, each source up to 500,000 words. - **50 chat messages a day** and **3 Audio Overviews a day**, resetting daily. - **10 Deep Research runs a month**, for pulling in web sources on demand. ## What you do not get for free Paid tiers do not unlock new capabilities, they raise the ceilings on the same product. Google AI Plus ($7.99/month) and Google AI Pro ($19.99/month) increase sources per notebook, daily message and generation limits, and Deep Research quota. The very top Ultra plans add Cinematic Video Overviews and watermark-free downloads. Nothing about answer quality or accuracy changes with a paid plan; you are buying headroom, not a smarter model. ## When free stops being enough In practice, three situations push people to pay: hitting the 50-source cap on a large research project (which [consolidation tricks](/guides/notebooklm-source-limits) can delay but not eliminate forever), running Deep Research more than a few times a month, and wanting Cinematic Video Overviews. Everything else, casual research, studying, meeting notes, most professional work, fits comfortably inside the free daily limits. ## People also ask ### Do I need a credit card to use NotebookLM? No. Sign in with any Google account and start using it immediately. A credit card is only needed if you choose to upgrade to a paid Google AI plan. ### What's the difference between NotebookLM Plus and Pro? Plus and Pro are two different paid tiers with different limits, not a free-vs-paid split. See [Plus vs Pro](/guides/notebooklm-plus-vs-pro) for the exact numbers. ### Is NotebookLM free for students? Yes, the same free plan applies to any Google account, including student accounts. Some schools also provide NotebookLM through a Google Workspace for Education account with additional data protections. ### Is NotebookLM the same as Gemini Notebook? Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook in July 2026 โ€” it's the same product, same features, just a new name.