Gemini Notebook vs Granola
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Gemini Notebook is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.5. Gemini Notebook wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Granola on 2.
Students, researchers and professionals digesting long documents
Busy professionals who sit in back-to-back video meetings
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Gemini Notebook | Granola |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI Assistants | AI Assistants |
| Category rank | #4 of 10 | #6 of 10 |
| Developer | Granola | |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | — | ✓ |
| Windows | — | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | — |
Common questions
Is Gemini Notebook better than Granola?
Gemini Notebook is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.5. Gemini Notebook wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Granola on 2.
Which is cheaper, Gemini Notebook or Granola?
Gemini Notebook: Free with a Google account; Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra plans raise the limits. Granola: Free plan keeps 30 days of notes; Business is $14 per user a month. On value for money, Gemini Notebook scores higher.
Do Gemini Notebook and Granola work on the same devices?
Only Gemini Notebook runs on Web. Only Granola runs on Mac, Windows.
Which is more private, Gemini Notebook or Granola?
Granola scores higher on privacy (7.2/10). Granola doesn't store meeting audio, and notes are encrypted at rest. It trains on anonymized data by default, with an opt-out in Settings. The App Store label links audio, contacts and usage to you.
Strengths and weaknesses
Gemini Notebook
- Answers grounded in your own documents
- Turns notes into audio, video and flashcards
- Free tier allows 100 notebooks
- AI can still misread or overreach your sources
- Higher limits come only through Google AI plans
- Feedback you send can be read by human reviewers
Gemini Notebook, called NotebookLM until July 2026, is an AI research assistant that sticks to the material you give it. Add PDFs, Google Docs and web links, and it answers with citations pointing back to your sources. It can also turn them into podcast-style Audio Overviews, video explainers, slides, flashcards or reports. The free tier is roomy. It can still get things wrong, so check those citations.
Full Gemini Notebook review
Granola
- No bot joins your calls
- Turns your rough notes into clean summaries
- Works with Zoom, Meet, Teams and in person
- Free plan keeps only 30 days of notes
- No audio recording to replay later
- Trains on anonymized data unless you opt out
Granola listens to your meetings through your computer or phone's audio, so no bot joins the call. You jot rough notes as usual, and afterwards it merges them with the transcript into clean, structured notes using templates you choose. Chat across past meetings, share them in team Spaces, or send them to Slack, Notion or HubSpot. The free plan keeps only 30 days of history, and training on anonymized data is on unless you opt out.
Full Granola review
