Artificial intelligence (AI) has made notetaking faster, easier, and more convenient. There are many tools that simplify the notetaking process, but two popular options are NotebookLM and Notion.Â
Both offer unique features and benefits, but how to determine which is the best fit for your needs?Â
From organization capabilities to collaboration tools, each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses that may impact your decision.
This article will cover the differences between NotebookLM and Notion to help you determine which one will better suit your needs. But first, let’s look at the two note-taking tools in detail.
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About NotebookLM
Google NotebookLM is an AI-powered tool designed to help you process, organize, and understand information more efficiently. It is built using Google’s advanced language models and is ideal for researchers, and students, working on complex subjects or gathering notes for new projects.Â
NotebookLM can generate summaries, answer questions, and even create FAQs and timelines, all based on the sources you provide.
Recently, Google introduced a new feature called Audio Overview to the tool. This new feature allows you to convert your documents into podcast-like summaries. Two AI-generated hosts summarize key points, engage in dynamic conversations, and make connections between topics in your documents. Now, with Notebook LM, you can listen to your notes on the go.
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About Notion
Notion AI is an all-in-one AI tool to help streamline and enhance productivity. It can handle a wide range of tasks, from searching for information across various platforms like Slack and Google Drive to generating and editing documents in a personalized style.
With this tool, you can analyze PDFs and images, extract insights or create summaries, and engage in real-time chats with AI powered by models like GPT-4 and Claude.
One of the standout features of Notion AI is its ability to search across multiple knowledge sources. Plus, this note-taking tool can turn large databases or documents into actionable insights.
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NotebookLM vs Notion
Here are some of the key differences between NotebookLM and Notion:
| Feature | NotebookLM | Notion |
| AI Power | NotebookLM uses Google Gemini as its large language model (LLM). While still in beta, it has the potential to become powerful within the Google ecosystem. Gemini performs well across various Google apps, allowing you to use the AI seamlessly within Google Sheets and other Workspace tools. | Notion utilizes a variety of LLMs, including those hosted by Notion, as well as models from Anthropic and OpenAI. This multi-model approach allows Notion to have robust AI capabilities across multiple use cases, offering greater flexibility and knowledge access in its AI features. |
| User Experience | The interface of NotebookLM feels less polished, as it is still in beta. Navigation can be challenging at first, with the sidebar being somewhat cluttered, and responsiveness (especially in the settings menu) could be improved. Once accustomed, you can manage documents effectively, but there is still room for improvement in the overall user experience. | Notion provides a seamless experience across mobile, desktop, and tablet platforms, with consistent performance across devices. Its web app also functions smoothly across most browsers. Notion’s user-friendly design, easy navigation, and smooth operation across different platforms contribute to an excellent overall user experience. |
| Summarization Capabilities | NotebookLM is good at summarizing documents quickly and accurately, making it easy to identify the essential topics. While it excels at breaking down content, you may need to provide more comprehensive documents to get detailed tips or insights. The summaries are clear, with key topics highlighted in a toolbar for easy note-taking. | Notion’s summarization tool is occasionally buggy and can take longer to load, but it offers a clean presentation of summaries, complete with expandable points for further exploration. This allows you to get a more in-depth understanding of the content. However, the slower loading times may disrupt the flow of work. |
| Note Customization | NotebookLM offers limited customization for notes. You can rename notes but cannot make substantial formatting changes or additions like tables or highlights. This limits flexibility for those who want to personalize their notes or collaborate within documents. | Notion excels in customization options, allowing you to add comments, highlight text, format content in various ways (e.g., adding tables, bullet points, and images), and embed external documents like Google Docs. Also, you can select different fonts and styles, and Notion’s collaboration features make it easy to mention and interact with others directly within notes. |
| Third-Party Integrations | NotebookLM integrates primarily with Google Workspace tools, such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Drive. If you rely heavily on Google’s ecosystem but limit integrations with non-Google apps, then this is ideal for you. If you use other tools outside of Google, you may find the integration options lacking. | Notion integrates with a wide range of apps, including Google Drive, Asana, GitHub, and Trello. It also supports AI integrations like Nightfall AI and cloudeagle.ai, which allows you to extend the app’s functionality without needing a Notion AI subscription. Embedding third-party content, like Google Docs, is smooth and instantaneous. |
| Non-AI Features | NotebookLM is focused primarily on AI-driven features and requires you to upload a source (document, website, etc.) to use the app effectively. Outside of its AI features, there is little else it offers, which could frustrate you if you need more traditional note-taking features. | Notion offers non-AI features, including the ability to create multiple workspaces, use templates, and build elements like Gantt charts, calendars, and to-do lists. Notion’s versatility extends far beyond AI, making it a comprehensive note-taking and project-management tool even without the use of AI features. |
NotebookLM vs Notion: Which is better?
If you want accurate AI summarization, organizing, and processing of information, then NotebookLM is the ideal note-taking tool. It excels in generating concise overviews and answers tailored to specific sources.
On the other hand, Notion AI offers a broader range of features from customization, real-time chat, and extensive third-party integrations, to non-AI features like project management tools, templates, and collaboration options.
Overall, Notion takes the edge over NotebookLM. However, that does not mean that NotebookLM is not a valuable tool in its own right.
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