Comparison
Kagi vs NotebookLM
Kagi vs NotebookLM, laid out side by side: pricing model, platforms, available models, core features, and supported formats. Both tools are listed under the Text Generation category, and every field comes from this site's directory records. A pricing model is not an amount.
Quick verdict
Kagi: Ad-free search paid for by users; NotebookLM: Source-grounded research workspace now named Gemini Notebook. Start with the task you need to finish. Sharing a category does not establish that they are interchangeable; they may serve different stages of a workflow. The conditions and evidence gaps for each follow below.
How to choose for the same task
Both sides belong to the Text Generation category. The conditionals below come from this site's directory records: first check which side's suitability fits your task and which side's exclusions affect you less; if both fit, decide by pricing basis and by how well platforms and formats line up. Prices appear only where a record has been verified; where it has not, no number is given.
Kagi
Fact sourceWhen to pick it Choose Kagi when you want ad-free, no-tracking search and will compare Trial, Starter, Professional, and Ultimate on the official pricing page, rather than treating 25 dollars as the only price.
When to skip it Trial is 100 searches, not a long-term free tier. If you only want a local model and not a search subscription, the closer directory record is Ollama. If the task is chat Q&A rather than changing search engines, the closer record is Perplexity. This is not a ranked review.
Verified price: Trial 100 searches 0; Starter 5; Professional 10; Ultimate 25 — USD / month; annual billing discount 10% (region: not stated, checked 2026-10-10). Annual prices are not converted to monthly.
Official sourceNotebookLM
The official site and help centre now write NotebookLM as Gemini Notebook: the sign-in page at notebooklm.google.com is titled Sign in to Gemini Notebook.
Fact sourceWhen to pick it Choose Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) to turn a pile of your own files into a research workspace with explicit source caps: the free Standard tier gives 100 notebooks per user and 50 sources per notebook, and Pro raises that to 500 and 300.
When to skip it It answers only from what you upload and adds no outside facts; source caps are fixed per tier — 100 on Plus, 300 on Pro, and 500 or 600 on Ultra — and going over means another notebook. For open-web retrieval with clickable citations, the closer directory record is You.com; to run the same PDFs through local or self-hosted models without buying Google AI, the closer record is Ollama. This is not a ranked review.
Verified price: Standard Free; Google AI Pro 19.99 / month, 199.99 / year; Google AI Ultra 99.99 / month (monthly billing only) — USD / month (region: US, checked 2026-10-12). Annual prices are not converted to monthly.
Official source| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Directory score | 4.6 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension | Not verified |
| Models | Claude Sonnet 4.5, GPT-5, Third-party models | Not verified |
| Core features | Ad-free results, Manual ranking and blocking, FastGPT summaries | Document Q&A, Audio overviews, Cited sources |
| Formats | HTML, PDF | Not verified |
Cells marked "Not verified" in the table are fields the directory still keeps but did not check item by item against the official source this time; they are not verified facts. Please double-check them on the detail pages for NotebookLM.
Open a tool page for its official source link and directory record date.
Open the comparison tool to combine more tools →FAQ
How does Kagi pricing compare with NotebookLM?+
Kagi: Verified price: Trial 100 searches 0; Starter 5; Professional 10; Ultimate 25 — USD / month; annual billing discount 10% (region: not stated, checked 2026-10-10). Annual prices are not converted to monthly. NotebookLM: Verified price: Standard Free; Google AI Pro 19.99 / month, 199.99 / year; Google AI Ultra 99.99 / month (monthly billing only) — USD / month (region: US, checked 2026-10-12). Annual prices are not converted to monthly.
Which platforms do Kagi and NotebookLM support?+
Kagi runs on Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension; NotebookLM runs on "Not verified" (see the NotebookLM page). If you hand work between devices — draft on desktop, tweak on mobile — check that both ends of your usual setup are covered, and note that feature completeness can differ per platform.
Which file formats do Kagi and NotebookLM support?+
Kagi supports HTML, PDF; NotebookLM supports "Not verified" (see the NotebookLM page). Format coverage decides whether either tool slots into your existing asset and delivery pipeline, so align inputs and outputs before pairing them.
Should I pick Kagi or NotebookLM?+
Kagi: Choose Kagi when you want ad-free, no-tracking search and will compare Trial, Starter, Professional, and Ultimate on the official pricing page, rather than treating 25 dollars as the only price. NotebookLM: Choose Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) to turn a pile of your own files into a research workspace with explicit source caps: the free Standard tier gives 100 notebooks per user and 50 sources per notebook, and Pro raises that to 500 and 300.
Where does this comparison data come from, and how fresh is it?+
The directory record for Kagi is dated 2026-10-12 and for NotebookLM 2026-10-12. Pricing models, platforms, models, features, and formats come from this site's directory records rather than live crawling. A pricing model is not an amount. Capabilities and prices change between versions, so re-check the official sources linked from each tool page before deciding.