Google NotebookLM

Free (Personal Google Account) Tier Ratings

Last Reviewed: 2026-03-23

Can summarize market research. Limited to 50 queries/day. Not for content generation without sources.

Excellent for analyzing prior grants, research papers. Citations help with literature review. 50 sources/notebook.

Can analyze donor data docs. Not designed for writing outreach without source docs.

Upload program docs, get summaries, Q&A. Audio Overviews and Video Overviews for team training.

Upload board docs, create briefing docs, executive summaries. Citations build trust.

Audio Overviews and Video Overviews (podcasts/narrated slides) from training materials. Study guides. Flashcards.

Not designed for social content. Only works with uploaded sources, not general content creation.

Not designed for email campaigns. Source-grounded only.

CORE USE CASE. Upload papers, get summaries with citations. Deep Research available (10/month on free tier).

Excellent for policy research synthesis. Cited answers. Briefing docs. Deep Research integration.

Can organize event docs. Not designed for event planning tasks.

Can analyze financial docs. Not for creating reports from scratch.

No content training

Does not train on user data by default. However, if you click thumbs up/down feedback buttons, Google may use your interaction (including queries, uploads, and responses) to improve NotebookLM. Avoid feedback buttons to prevent any training use.

Behavioral

Training is disabled by default. Avoid thumbs up/down feedback buttons for maximum privacy. No formal opt-out setting available — behavioral avoidance is the control.

Possible

If you click thumbs up/down feedback on personal/free accounts, human reviewers MAY see the full context of your interaction, including queries, uploads, and model responses. Does NOT apply to Workspace accounts.

User

Behavioral: avoid feedback buttons for privacy. No admin control available on personal free accounts.

Not available

Google NotebookLM (non-Enterprise) does not support HIPAA compliance and is not covered by the Google Workspace BAA as of March 2026. Only NotebookLM Enterprise has HIPAA certification. Do not use for PHI on this tier.

Session only (prompts/responses)

Prompts and responses are NOT retained after the session ends. Uploaded files and notebooks are retained per user's Google Account until deleted. Users can export via Google Takeout.

Standard (Google infrastructure)

Google infrastructure security. NotebookLM (non-Enterprise) does NOT have ISO, SOC, or FedRAMP compliance certifications. No HIPAA BAA. Data protected under Google's standard Terms of Service.

FREE for up to 2,000 users

Registered nonprofits via Google for Nonprofits (verified by Goodstack). Apply at google.com/nonprofits. Goodstack verifies eligibility (3-5 business days). Includes Google Workspace for Nonprofits with NotebookLM.

Free for Nonprofits (up to 2,000 users)

Google Workspace for Nonprofits includes NotebookLM with enterprise-grade data protections at no cost for up to 2,000 users. No human review. Verified by Goodstack. Apply at google.com/nonprofits.

Source-Grounded AI (Not General Assistant)

Unlike ChatGPT or Claude, NotebookLM only answers based on your uploaded sources. Every response includes citations. Excellent for research and document analysis but NOT for general content creation, social media, or email campaigns.

Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, and Deep Research

Unique features: Audio Overviews generate podcast-style discussions; Video Overviews produce narrated slideshows from your documents; Deep Research agents browse hundreds of websites to build a source library automatically. Mind Maps provide visual topic exploration. Available across free and paid tiers.

No AI Training on User Data

Does not train on user data. Uploads, queries, and responses are not used to train AI models. This is policy across all tiers. Workspace accounts get additional guarantee of no human review.

⚠️ FEEDBACK BUTTON WARNING (Personal Accounts)

WARNING: On personal/free accounts, clicking thumbs up/down feedback may allow human reviewers to see your content including queries, uploads, and responses. Does NOT apply to Workspace/Education accounts. Avoid clicking feedback buttons if privacy is critical on personal tier.

⚠️ HIPAA Compliance Gap — Enterprise Only

CRITICAL: NotebookLM on Workspace Nonprofit, Business, and consumer tiers (free, AI Plus, AI Pro, AI Ultra) does NOT support HIPAA compliance and is NOT covered by the Google Workspace BAA (confirmed March 2025, Google Workspace Privacy Hub). Only NotebookLM Enterprise (separate paid product) has HIPAA certification along with ISO 27001 and SOC 1/2/3. Do not use non-Enterprise NotebookLM tiers for PHI.

FedRAMP: Workspace Yes, NotebookLM No

Google Workspace platform holds FedRAMP High P-ATO. However, NotebookLM itself is NOT listed as a FedRAMP-authorized service on the FedRAMP Marketplace (marketplace.fedramp.gov). Nonprofits with federal funding requirements should confirm suitability with their compliance team.

Google AI Pro Rebranding (Jan 2026)

Google One AI Premium ($19.99/mo) was rebranded to Google AI Pro in January 2026. A new lower tier, Google AI Plus ($7.99/mo), was also introduced. NotebookLM Plus features are now bundled with Google AI Pro (and at reduced access with AI Plus).

2026-03

NotebookLM adds PPTX export with prompt-based slide revisions and custom infographic styles. Multiple new Studio outputs can be created per notebook. Google AI Pro plan (formerly AI Premium) is now the primary paid personal tier at $19.99/mo.

2026-01

Google One AI Premium rebranded to Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo). New Google AI Plus tier launched at $7.99/mo with 'more' NotebookLM access. Google AI Ultra consumer plan remains at $249.99/mo.

2025-12

NotebookLM joins Google AI Ultra tier ($249.99/mo). Highest limits (600 sources/notebook, 5,000 chats/day, 200 audio/video overviews/day, watermark-free Slide Decks and Infographics).

2025-11

NotebookLM adds Deep Research integration: automated web research agents that synthesize reports and recommend sources. Added support for Google Sheets, Drive URLs, images, PDFs from Drive, and .docx files. Deep Research available to all users.

2025-07

Video Overviews launched: narrated slideshow summaries of uploaded documents, a visual companion to Audio Overviews. Studio panel redesigned to support multiple outputs of the same type per notebook. Mind Maps and studio multitasking enabled.

2025-06

10+ new AI features added to Workspace for Nonprofits at no cost, including NotebookLM Audio Overviews in 50+ languages and Deep Research.

2025-03

Google Workspace Privacy Hub updated (March 20, 2025) to explicitly state: NotebookLM (non-Enterprise) does NOT support ISO, SOC, or FedRAMP compliance and is NOT covered by the Google Workspace BAA for HIPAA compliance. NotebookLM Enterprise has separate HIPAA/ISO/SOC certifications.

2025-02

NotebookLM Plus expanded to individual users via Google One AI Premium ($19.99/mo, now renamed Google AI Pro). 50% student discount announced for U.S. students.

For organizations with 5+ staff

EXCELLENT. Register for Google Workspace for Nonprofits (FREE for up to 2,000 users). Includes NotebookLM with enterprise protections and 10+ AI features. Apply at google.com/nonprofits. Verified by Goodstack.

For organizations with fewer than 5 staff

Free tier works for basic research (50 queries/day, 50 sources/notebook). For more access, Google AI Plus ($7.99/mo) or Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo) offer higher limits. Apply for Workspace for Nonprofits if eligible for the best value.

For health data or vulnerable populations

IMPORTANT UPDATE: NotebookLM on Workspace Nonprofit, Business, and consumer tiers does NOT have HIPAA BAA coverage as of March 2025. Only NotebookLM Enterprise (contact sales) has HIPAA certification (ISO/SOC certified). Do NOT upload PHI on any non-Enterprise NotebookLM tier. For HIPAA compliance, contact Google for NotebookLM Enterprise or use a Google Cloud service with BAA coverage.

"Infoxchange is using NotebookLM to save their organization a week's worth of time, per project, on content programming."

"Uses NotebookLM to help creative teams move from technical documentation to creative planning in minutes."