Gemini Notebook vs Perplexity
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Gemini Notebook is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.6. Gemini Notebook wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Perplexity on 2.
Students, researchers and professionals digesting long documents
Researchers, students and curious people who want answers backed by sources
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Gemini Notebook | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI Assistants | AI Assistants |
| Category rank | #4 of 10 | #5 of 10 |
| Developer | Perplexity AI | |
| 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 Perplexity?
Gemini Notebook is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.6. Gemini Notebook wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Perplexity on 2.
Which is cheaper, Gemini Notebook or Perplexity?
Gemini Notebook: Free with a Google account; Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra plans raise the limits. Perplexity: Free plan; Pro $20/month or $200/year; Max $2,000/year. On value for money, Gemini Notebook scores higher.
Do Gemini Notebook and Perplexity work on the same devices?
Only Perplexity runs on Mac, Windows.
Which is more private, Gemini Notebook or Perplexity?
Gemini Notebook scores higher on privacy (7.0/10). Google says personal accounts' data isn't used for training unless you send feedback, which human reviewers may read. The App Store label links contact info, content, IDs 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
Perplexity
- Sources make answers easy to verify
- Fast, clean answers to factual questions
- Pro plan bundles models from several AI labs
- Weaker for long-form writing and creative work
- Cited sources can be low quality or misread
- AI data retention is on by default
Perplexity is built for finding things out. Every answer comes with linked sources, so you can check claims quickly, and paid plans let you switch between leading models from several AI labs. Deep Research writes longer reports, Projects keep work organized, and Perplexity Computer can carry out multi-step tasks for you. It is less suited to long creative writing. If most of your AI use is search, it can replace a lot of browsing.
Full Perplexity review
