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Gemini Notebook vs Novastart

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Gemini Notebook logo

Gemini Notebook

Google's Gemini Notebook, formerly NotebookLM, answers questions and builds summaries from your own sources

Freemium
Visit websiteView details
Novastart logo

Novastart

Infinite canvas desktop where your apps, teammates and AI agents share one workspace

Freemium
Visit websiteView details

Verdict

Gemini Notebook is listed under AI Assistants and Novastart under Productivity. Gemini Notebook scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.7 vs 7.3 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only Gemini Notebook is available on Web, iOS and Android. Only Novastart is available on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Best overall

Gemini Notebook

  • Students
  • Researchers
  • Educators
  • Analysts

Choose Gemini Notebook if

  • You want a tool built for summarizing and questioning your own documents.
  • Answers cite the uploaded sources, so claims can be checked against the original text.
  • Free Standard tier with 100 notebooks and 50 sources per notebook.

Choose Novastart if

  • You want a tool built for keeping many apps and projects organized in saved workspaces, watching AI agents work step by step, sharing a live workspace with teammates.
  • Agents work with a visible cursor and can be paused, steered or taken over.
  • Permanent free plan with all apps available.
Best for beginners
Gemini Notebook
Best for business
Novastart

Features

18 features compared.

  • Source-grounded chat
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Audio Overviews
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Video Overviews
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Study tools
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Reports, slide decks and infographics
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Multiple source types
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Cloud computer
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Gemini app sync
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Sharing and public notebooks
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Infinite canvas
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Saved canvases
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Visible AI agents
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Multi-agent runs
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Agent modes
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Team collaboration
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Real apps
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Local-first data
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Undo history
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    Gemini Notebook
    Freemium
    Novastart
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Gemini Notebook
    Yes
    Novastart
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Gemini Notebook
    $0
    Novastart
    $0
  • Plans
    Gemini Notebook
    5 plans
    Novastart
    3 plans

Gemini Notebook plans

  • Standard

    $0

    Free with a Google Account

    • 100 notebooks
    • 50 sources per notebook
    • Audio Overviews
    • Chat with citations

  • Plus

    $4.99/month

    Through the Google AI Plus subscription

    • 200 notebooks
    • 100 sources per notebook
    • Early access to features
    • 2x higher usage than Free

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $19.99/month

    Through the Google AI Pro subscription

    • 500 notebooks
    • 300 sources per notebook
    • Higher Gemini model access
    • Priority access to new features
    • Watermark removal
    • 4x higher usage than Free

  • Ultra 5x

    $99.99/month

    Through the Google AI Ultra subscription

    • 500 notebooks
    • 500 sources per notebook
    • Highest Gemini model access
    • 5x higher usage limits than AI Pro
    • Cloud computer for code execution

  • Ultra 20x

    $199.99/month

    Through the Google AI Ultra subscription at the higher tier

    • 500 notebooks
    • 600 sources per notebook
    • Highest Gemini model access
    • 20x higher usage limits than AI Pro
    • Cloud computer for code execution

Novastart plans

  • Free

    $0

    Try Novastart with limited canvas space.

    • All apps
    • 1 folder
    • 2 canvases
    • 4 windows per canvas
    • AI agents pay per use

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $10/month

    Unlimited canvas space, marked as the recommended start.

    • All apps
    • Unlimited folders
    • Unlimited canvases
    • Unlimited windows
    • AI agents pay per use

  • Team

    $20/month

    Pro plus shared canvases for teams.

    • Everything in Pro
    • Team collaboration
    • Shared canvases

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed November 2026.

Gemini Notebook
8.7overall
Novastart
7.3overall

  • Grounded Citation Fidelity

    Gemini Notebook
    8.8
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Audio Overview Quality

    Gemini Notebook
    8.7
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Source Handling

    Gemini Notebook
    8.6
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Output Formats

    Gemini Notebook
    8.8
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Value for Money

    Gemini Notebook
    8.5
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Agent Transparency

    Gemini Notebook
    Not rated
    Novastart
    8.0

  • Workspace Organization

    Gemini Notebook
    Not rated
    Novastart
    8.0

  • Team Collaboration

    Gemini Notebook
    Not rated
    Novastart
    7.5

  • Setup & Compatibility

    Gemini Notebook
    Not rated
    Novastart
    6.0

  • Pricing Clarity

    Gemini Notebook
    Not rated
    Novastart
    7.0

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

Gemini Notebook

Pros

  • Answers cite the uploaded sources, so claims can be checked against the original text
  • Free Standard tier with 100 notebooks and 50 sources per notebook
  • Wide range of outputs, including Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, mind maps, flashcards, quizzes and slide decks
  • Accepts PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, audio files, Google Docs and Google Slides
  • Available on web, iOS and Android, and synced with the Gemini app

Cons

  • Works from the sources you add and is not built for live web news search
  • Higher limits require a Google AI subscription; Ultra starts at $99.99 per month
  • The cloud computer for code execution started with Ultra and Workspace AI Ultra Access customers, with Pro rollout still described as upcoming
  • No public API for the consumer product, and the renamed brand can make older guides and app listings confusing

Novastart

Pros

  • Agents work with a visible cursor and can be paused, steered or taken over
  • Permanent free plan with all apps available
  • Pro at $10 per month removes canvas limits
  • Local-first design keeps canvas contents on the user's machine
  • Peer-to-peer canvas sharing with per-person cursors

Cons

  • The app is a full computer in a window and the site warns to expect some lag
  • App supports only Windows and Intel Macs, and needs 8 GB RAM and virtualization
  • Novastart OS replaces the existing system on the PC it is installed on
  • Agent use costs extra on every plan and needs credits of $25 or more
  • Young product launched in September 2026 with little independent review history

Platforms

  • Web
    Gemini Notebook
    Supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Windows
    Gemini Notebook
    Not supported
    Novastart
    Supported
  • macOS
    Gemini Notebook
    Not supported
    Novastart
    Supported
  • iOS
    Gemini Notebook
    Supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Android
    Gemini Notebook
    Supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • API
    Gemini Notebook
    Not supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Browser Extension
    Gemini Notebook
    Not supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Linux
    Gemini Notebook
    Not supported
    Novastart
    Supported

Integrations

Gemini Notebook

4 integrations
  • Google Docs
  • Google Slides
  • YouTube
  • Gemini app

Novastart

No integrations listed.

Company

  • Company
    Gemini Notebook
    Google LLC
    Novastart
    Marketplace Distributors LLC
  • Founded
    Gemini Notebook
    1998
    Novastart
    Not listed
  • Headquarters
    Gemini Notebook
    Mountain View, CA
    Novastart
    Manhattan Beach, CA
  • Monthly users
    Gemini Notebook
    30M+
    Novastart
    Not listed
  • Listing
    Gemini Notebook
    Claimed
    Novastart
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Gemini Notebook better than Novastart?

It depends on your workflow. Gemini Notebook is built for summarizing and questioning your own documents. Novastart is built for keeping many apps and projects organized in saved workspaces, watching AI agents work step by step, sharing a live workspace with teammates.

What are the key feature differences between Gemini Notebook and Novastart?

Gemini Notebook: Google's Gemini Notebook, formerly NotebookLM, answers questions and builds summaries from your own sources. Novastart: Infinite canvas desktop where your apps, teammates and AI agents share one workspace.

Does Gemini Notebook or Novastart have a free plan?

Yes, both do. Gemini Notebook is freemium and Novastart is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, Gemini Notebook or Novastart?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.