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Gemini Notebook: what’s new and our verdict

Source-grounded notebook that turns your documents into answers, slides, video overviews and study aids.

Official site

Release Ruler for Gemini Notebook: marked at its Reported release date on the timeline of every AI model we track.

At a glance

Evidence
Reported
Released
Oct 23, 2026
Last verified
Oct 25, 2026
Pricing
Not verified
Best for
writing

Evidence and ranking

Evidence behind this verdict

  1. Sources read5 cited sources, latest fetched Oct 25, 2026. (done)
  2. Facts re-checkedLast verified Oct 25, 2026. (done)
  3. Not run by us yetWe have not run it, so this is labelled Reported. (not done)

Where we rank it (editorial)

Editorial picks, not benchmark scores. How we rank.

Pricing: We have not verified pricing for this tool; see the official site.

Our verdict

A good fit for turning a pile of documents into drafts and decks you can check against sources; availability of new features is rolling out.

Good for

  • Students and researchers working from their own sources
  • Writers who want a briefing doc or slide deck from notes
  • Google Workspace users

Skip if

  • You want a general chatbot with no source upload step
  • You are in the EEA and want the Gemini app connection on by default

Status: Reported. This write-up is based on official release notes and docs; we have not run this release ourselves yet.

Best for

  • Best AI tool for writing: Source-grounded reports, briefing docs and decks; the October update adds review steps before generation.

What’s new

Google added guided creation for Slide Decks and Video Overviews in Gemini Notebook (Oct 19-21) and, on Oct 23, a Connected App so you can manage notebooks from the Gemini app. The help center now calls the product Gemini Notebook.

  • Oct 19-21: Guided creation for Slide Decks and Video Overviews, with suggested topics and styles from your sources and a Review toggle to check an outline or producer notes before rendering.
  • Oct 23: Gemini Notebook is a Connected App in the Gemini app; type @Gemini Notebook to create notebooks, add sources, save notes or retrieve information. On by default except in the EEA.
  • Oct 16: Study features: 60-second Short Video Overviews, Interactive Learning Overviews and more quiz formats (short-answer, multi-select, fill-in-the-blank).
  • Notebooks can generate reports, data tables (export to Sheets), flashcards, quizzes, slide decks, infographics and mind maps from your sources.

How to set it up: Create your first notebook

Steps come from the vendor's own pages or docs. We have not run them ourselves.

  1. Create a notebook

    Open Gemini Notebook and choose Create new notebook. A notebook is a collection of sources for one project.

    https://notebook.google/

  2. Add sources

    Upload a source or discover new ones. The Chat panel shows a summary of all sources and answers questions about them.

  3. Generate and review an output

    In the Studio panel create a report, slide deck or video overview. Turn on the Review toggle to check the outline or producer notes first.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Answers grounded in your own sources
  • Exports to Docs and Sheets
  • Review step before slides and video are generated

Cons

  • Each notebook is independent; it cannot read across notebooks
  • Features roll out gradually
  • Pricing and usage limits not verified

Alternatives and comparisons

  • ChatGPT: OpenAI's assistant for chat, writing, images, voice and agent-style work.
  • Claude: Anthropic's assistant app, with Claude Duet as a new proactive agent in research preview.
  • Gemini CLI: Google's open-source terminal agent for Gemini, now largely replaced by Antigravity CLI for consumers.
  • Copy.ai: Go-to-market AI platform now priced by workflow credits.

See all alternatives to Gemini Notebook

Google models we track

All models · Releases by month

FAQ

What changed in Gemini Notebook in October 2026?

Guided Slide Deck and Video Overview creation with a Review toggle, a Connected App in the Gemini app (Oct 23), and new study features such as 60-second video overviews.

How do I use Gemini Notebook from the Gemini app?

Type @Gemini Notebook in a Gemini chat. It is on by default for users globally except in the EEA, controlled in Settings > Connected Apps.

Is this the same as NotebookLM?

Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. It remains a standalone research and learning tool and is being integrated more with the Gemini app and Search.

What we have not verified

  • Pricing and usage limits
  • Output quality (not tested)

Sources

Last verified · Agentic Weekly

Part of the week of Oct 19, 2026 archive.

  • Copy.ai: Go-to-market AI platform now priced by workflow credits.
  • Grammarly: AI writing assistant that works across apps; Free $0, Pro $12 per month, Enterprise custom.
  • Jasper: AI platform for marketing teams with brand governance and AI visibility tracking; 7-day free trial.

How to cite this page

Agentic Weekly, "Gemini Notebook: what's new, verdict & setup", last updated 2026-10-25, https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/gemini-notebook

Keep the Reported or Tested label when you quote a verdict. Plain-text version: https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/gemini-notebook.md. More for AI assistants: /ai, /tools.json, /llms.txt.