---
title: "NotebookLM Reviews 2026: Ratings and Top Complaints | Zemith"
description: "NotebookLM rates 4.4 on G2 from 60+ reviews, but 48% of Trustpilot reviews give 1 star (2.5/5). The top complaints, quoted, and what Zemith does."
url: "https://www.zemith.com/en/learn/notebooklm-review"
datePublished: "2026-10-19"
dateModified: "2026-10-19"
content_type: "text/markdown"
---

[Learn](https://www.zemith.com/en/learn) / NotebookLM reviews

# NotebookLM scores 4.4 on G2, but 48% of its Trustpilot reviews give it one star.

By Kevin · Every rating read on 19 October 2026

We read NotebookLM's reviews on 19 October 2026 (Google now calls the product Gemini Notebook). G2 rates it 4.4 out of 5 from 60+ reviews, while Trustpilot scores notebooklm.google 2.5 out of 5 from 35+ reviews. On Trustpilot, 48% of reviewers give it one star, and user complaints center on Gemini-only lock-in, limited file deliverables, and daily Audio Overview caps on the free tier.

## Zemith Plus includes a 50-source Study Library with podcasts, quizzes, and multi-model chat for $15.99/mo.

- Upload up to 50 PDFs, docs, spreadsheets, or YouTube links into Library to generate two-host audio podcasts, interactive quizzes, flashcards, mind maps, and cited study guides.
- Query your sources with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and DeepSeek, or switch seamlessly to live web search and Deep Research when your notes lack context.
- Export real, formatted Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Excel (.xlsx), and PDF files directly from the cloud sandbox with live document preview.
- 1.5M transparent monthly credits on Plus ($15.99/mo) and 3M on Professional ($29.99/mo), with full Creative Studio image and video tools included.

- **NotebookLM via Google AI Pro:** $19.99/mo (_Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo) or Ultra ($99.99–$199.99/mo) · Gemini only · No Office exports_)
- **Zemith Plus:** $15.99/mo (_50-source Library + GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok + Creative Studio + .docx/.pptx/.xlsx exports_)

[Start free on Zemith](https://www.zemith.com/app) (Free plan · $0 today · Cancel anytime)

## Here is how NotebookLM is rated on the two biggest review sites.

### G2: 4.4/5 (60+ reviews, read 19 Oct 2026)

Source: [G2](https://www.g2.com/products/google-notebooklm/reviews)

G2's verified reviewers praise NotebookLM's two-host Audio Overviews and precise source grounding, while noting strict source-only boundaries, inability to query other LLMs, and lack of document export formatting:

- 5 stars: 68%
- 4 stars: 22%
- 3 stars: 6%
- 2 stars: 2%
- 1 star: 2%

### Trustpilot: 2.5/5 (35+ reviews, read 19 Oct 2026)

Source: [Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/notebooklm.google)

Trustpilot reviewers praise the initial podcast generation novelty, but express frustration over strict daily Audio Overview caps, inability to query anything outside uploaded files, and frequent hallucinations when sources contradict each other:

- 5 stars: 34%
- 4 stars: 6%
- 3 stars: 6%
- 2 stars: 6%
- 1 star: 48%

Google's separate company profile on Trustpilot covers broad consumer services, while notebooklm.google specifically captures reviews for Google's AI notebook tool as read on 19 October 2026.

## How NotebookLM compares with Zemith on study tools, models and file exports.

Public US monthly prices and included capabilities, checked 19 October 2026.

| Capability | NotebookLM Free | Gemini Notebook (Google AI Pro) | Zemith Plus | Zemith Professional |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Monthly price (USD)** (Billed monthly / yearly) | $0/mo | $19.99/mo ($239.88/yr) or Ultra $99.99–$199.99/mo | $15.99/mo ($179.88/yr, $14.99/mo) | $29.99/mo ($299.88/yr, $24.99/mo) |
| **AI model families** (Switch mid-chat) | Google Gemini only | Google Gemini only (expanded limits) | GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Kimi, Qwen, GLM, MiniMax, Mistral, Sonar | All Plus models + Claude Opus, GPT 6 Sol & Astra, Gemini 4 Argon, Sonar Pro |
| **Mid-chat model switching & routing** (Compare providers in one thread) | Single vendor only (Gemini) | Single vendor only (Gemini) | Switch between GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok & DeepSeek inside the same conversation | Switch mid-chat across every flagship reasoning model + custom default model |
| **Monthly usage & credit transparency** (Predictable allowance) | Strict daily Audio Overview limits | Higher daily Audio Overview caps | 1.5M credits/mo + visible per-model credit cost + optional top-ups | 3M credits/mo + Max Mode + visible per-model cost + optional top-ups |
| **Web search & Deep Research** (Multi-step cited reports) | Source Discovery and Deep Research can add web sources; answers stay grounded in your sources | Source Discovery and Deep Research can add web sources; answers stay grounded in your sources | Built-in live web search + multi-step cited Deep Research reports + Perplexity Sonar | Built-in live web search + Deep Research + Perplexity Sonar Pro |
| **Image generation & editing studio** (Text-to-image, inpaint & upscale) | Not included | Not included | Creative Studio: Nano Banana, GPT Image, Flux 2, Seedream + bg removal, 4x upscale, generative fill, object swap | Full Creative Studio + highest-tier image models & batch editing |
| **AI video generation** (Text-to-video & image-to-video) | Not included | Not included | Veo 3.1, Kling, Wan, Seedance 2.5 in Creative Studio | Veo 3.1, Kling, Wan, Seedance 2.5 + Motion control workflow node |
| **Finished Office file deliverables** (Real downloadable files) | Export reports to Google Docs, tables to Sheets, slides to PPTX | Export reports to Google Docs, tables to Sheets, slides to PPTX | Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Excel (.xlsx) & PDF built in cloud sandbox with live preview | Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Excel (.xlsx) & PDF built in cloud sandbox with live preview |
| **Document Library & Study Studio** (Up to 50 sources per notebook) | 50 sources; 2-speaker Audio Overviews, study guides, FAQ | Expanded sources; 2-speaker Audio Overviews with customization | 50 sources; 2-speaker AI podcasts, interactive quizzes, flashcards, mind maps, infographics, slide decks & phone call with sources | 50 sources; 2-speaker AI podcasts, interactive quizzes, flashcards, mind maps, infographics, slide decks & phone call with sources |
| **Background & scheduled Cloud agents** (Runs with the app closed) | Not included | Not included | Interactive chat + visual workflows | Zemith Cloud: up to 35 recurring cron schedules, 3 concurrent background tasks, email & push alerts |
| **Connected app plugins with approval** (Human-in-the-loop actions) | Google Drive source import only | Google Drive source import only | Notion, Linear, Canva, Airtable, Google Calendar, Gmail & Drive: asks approval before any write | Notion, Linear, Canva, Airtable, Google Calendar, Gmail & Drive: works in chat & Cloud agents |
| **Live Voice with camera & screen sharing** (Real-time multimodal voice) | Not included (audio podcast playback only) | Not included (audio podcast playback only) | Real-time voice conversation that sees your live camera or shared screen | Real-time voice conversation that sees your live camera or shared screen |
| **Speech Studio (STT, TTS & Voice Cloning)** (Audio transcription & synthesis) | Pre-generated audio overviews only | Pre-generated audio overviews only | Timestamped speaker-diarized Speech-to-Text + multi-speaker Text-to-Speech + custom voice cloning | Timestamped speaker-diarized Speech-to-Text + multi-speaker Text-to-Speech + custom voice cloning |
| **Visual Workflow Builder** (Node-based automation canvas) | Not included | Not included | Chain prompts, web search, image gen, cutout & video nodes into reusable workflows | Full Workflow Studio including Motion video transfer nodes |
| **AI Notes, Whiteboard & FocusOS** (Side-by-side workspace apps) | Basic written notes panel | Basic written notes panel | Rich-text AI Notes, infinite canvas Whiteboard, and FocusOS split-screen tabs | Rich-text AI Notes, infinite canvas Whiteboard, and FocusOS split-screen tabs |
| **Projects, memory, teams & 50+ quick tools** (Web, iOS & Android) | Notebooks only (Web app only, no dedicated mobile app) | Notebooks only (Google Workspace / Google One integration) | Projects, editable memory, shared team threads, 50+ AI tools (humanizer, rewriter, YouTube to blog) on Web, iOS & Android | Projects, editable memory, shared team threads, 50+ AI tools on Web, iOS & Android |

## Our verdict: NotebookLM excels at audio overviews, but Gemini-only lock-in and limited file exports hold it back.

- G2 rates NotebookLM 4.4 out of 5 across 60+ reviews for its conversational podcasts and source grounding, while Trustpilot rates notebooklm.google 2.5 out of 5 across 35+ reviews (with 48% one-star ratings).
- The most repeated complaints are Gemini-only answers, inability to use Claude or GPT on uploaded materials, and having to pay $4.99 to $199.99 a month for Google AI tiers just to raise usage caps.
- Zemith Plus costs $15.99/mo and combines a 50-source Study Library (audio podcasts, quizzes, flashcards, mind maps) with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, live Deep Research, and downloadable Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and PDF files.
- If you want to compare how Zemith handles uploaded documents, read [Chat with PDF & Document Analysis](https://www.zemith.com/en/features/chat-with-pdf), or check our complete breakdown of NotebookLM pricing and plans below.

## These are the questions people ask about NotebookLM reviews.

### Is NotebookLM free to use in 2026?

NotebookLM offers a $0 Free tier that lets you upload up to 50 sources per notebook. However, Free tier users face strict daily limits on generating Audio Overviews, and increasing those limits requires subscribing to Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo) or Google AI Ultra ($99.99–$199.99/mo).

### Can I switch AI models or use Claude in NotebookLM?

No. NotebookLM is strictly limited to Google's Gemini models. You cannot test your uploaded documents against Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, xAI Grok, or DeepSeek within NotebookLM. Zemith's Study Library allows you to query your uploaded sources with any top model.

### How does Zemith Study Library compare to NotebookLM Audio Overviews?

Both create two-speaker conversational audio podcasts from uploaded sources. However, Zemith's Study Library also creates interactive spaced-repetition flashcards, multiple-choice quizzes, visual mind maps, and cited study guides from up to 50 sources, and supports live web search and multi-model chat.

### Can NotebookLM export Word, PowerPoint, or Excel files?

Partly. Gemini Notebook exports reports and notes to Google Docs, data tables to Google Sheets, and slide decks to PowerPoint (.pptx), but we found no way to export finished Word (.docx) or Excel (.xlsx) files directly. Zemith includes a cloud sandbox that generates all four file formats directly in chat.

### What do reviewers complain about most in NotebookLM reviews?

Reviewers on G2 and Trustpilot most frequently complain about strict daily Audio Overview caps on the free tier, Gemini-only answers when documents lack context, limited file exports, and inability to query Claude or GPT models.

## Try Zemith free, with a 50-source Study Library, multi-model chat and Creative Studio.

[Start free on Zemith](https://www.zemith.com/app)

## Read these next to compare the other tools.

- [NotebookLM pricing, plans and the real monthly cost](https://www.zemith.com/en/learn/notebooklm-pricing)
- [The best NotebookLM alternatives in 2026, ranked](https://www.zemith.com/en/learn/notebooklm-alternatives)
- [Chat with PDF & document analysis in Zemith](https://www.zemith.com/en/features/chat-with-pdf)
- [Zemith vs Gemini, feature by feature](https://www.zemith.com/en/products/zemith-vs-gemini)
- [Zemith vs ChatGPT, feature by feature](https://www.zemith.com/en/products/zemith-vs-chatgpt)
- [Zemith vs Claude, feature by feature](https://www.zemith.com/en/products/zemith-vs-claude)
- [Zemith vs Perplexity for deep research](https://www.zemith.com/en/products/zemith-vs-perplexity)
- [Zemith vs Poe: multi-model chat compared](https://www.zemith.com/en/products/zemith-vs-poe)