FinderAtlas
Sign in

Gemini Notebook vs Shortwave

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
Shortwave logo

Shortwave

AI email client for Gmail that searches, organizes, drafts and schedules from plain-language prompts

Freemium
Visit websiteView details

Verdict

Gemini Notebook and Shortwave are both AI Assistants tools. Gemini Notebook scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.7 vs 8.1 out of 10), led by value for money. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Gemini Notebook is available on Web. Only Shortwave is available on Windows and macOS.

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 Shortwave if

  • You want a tool built for heavy Gmail users who want AI search, drafting and inbox triage inside the email client itself.
  • AI search covers up to five years of email on Business and unlimited history on Premier and Max.
  • Native apps on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, with a 4.7 average rating on the App Store.
Best for beginners
Gemini Notebook
Best for business
Shortwave

Features

19 features compared.

  • Source-grounded chat
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Audio Overviews
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Video Overviews
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Study tools
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Reports, slide decks and infographics
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Multiple source types
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Cloud computer
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Gemini app sync
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • Sharing and public notebooks
    Gemini Notebook
    Available
    Shortwave
    Not available
  • AI Assistant
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Search
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Write in Your Voice
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Filters
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Bundles and Split Inboxes
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • AI Scheduling
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Team Collaboration
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Tracking and Reminders
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • App Connections and MCP
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available
  • Privacy Controls
    Gemini Notebook
    Not available
    Shortwave
    Available

Pricing

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

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

Shortwave plans

  • Free

    $0

    Individual tier with basic AI and limited daily AI quota

    • Basic intelligence
    • limited daily AI quota
    • 90 days of search history
    • Sent with Shortwave signature

  • Pro

    $18/user/mo

    Individual plan for personal users

    • AI assistant
    • paid AI features for individuals

  • Business

    Most popular

    $30/user/mo

    Everyday AI productivity for teams

    • Standard intelligence
    • 5 years AI search history
    • max 50 threads per AI search
    • 3 AI filters
    • AI integrations and web browsing

  • Premier

    $45/user/mo

    Everything in Business with more AI capacity

    • Advanced intelligence
    • 2x AI usage
    • 100 threads per AI search
    • 10 AI filters
    • unlimited AI search history

  • Max

    $120/user/mo

    Highest AI capacity per seat

    • Expert intelligence
    • 6x AI usage
    • 150 threads per AI search
    • 50 AI filters
    • unlimited AI search history

Our ratings

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

Gemini Notebook
8.7overall
Shortwave
8.1overall

Gemini Notebook leads in 1 category and Shortwave in 0.

  • Grounded Citation Fidelity

    Gemini Notebook
    8.8
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Audio Overview Quality

    Gemini Notebook
    8.7
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Source Handling

    Gemini Notebook
    8.6
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Output Formats

    Gemini Notebook
    8.8
    Shortwave
    Not rated

  • Value for Money

    Gemini Notebook leads by 1.2
    Gemini Notebook
    8.5
    Shortwave
    7.3

  • Ease of Use

    Gemini Notebook
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.5

  • Feature Depth

    Gemini Notebook
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.4

  • Performance & Speed

    Gemini Notebook
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    8.3

  • Documentation & Support

    Gemini Notebook
    Not rated
    Shortwave
    7.8

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

Shortwave

Pros

  • AI search covers up to five years of email on Business and unlimited history on Premier and Max.
  • Native apps on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, with a 4.7 average rating on the App Store.
  • Team features such as shared threads, comments and assignments sit inside the inbox.
  • AI connects to outside tools including Notion, HubSpot, GitHub and MCP servers.
  • Per-plan model tiers let users pay for stronger models only when needed.

Cons

  • Paid plans are priced per seat from $30 (Business) to $120 (Max), higher than many email clients.
  • Built around Gmail; support for other providers is limited or unclear.
  • AI usage is capped by plan, with Business allowing roughly 150-300 Standard requests per day.
  • The free tier is not clearly documented on the official pricing page.

Platforms

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

Integrations

Gemini Notebook

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

Shortwave

10 integrations
  • Gmail
  • Google Calendar
  • Slack
  • Notion
  • HubSpot
  • Asana
  • GitHub
  • Linear
  • Zapier
  • Tasklet

Company

  • Company
    Gemini Notebook
    Google LLC
    Shortwave
    Shortwave Communications, Inc.
  • Founded
    Gemini Notebook
    1998
    Shortwave
    2020
  • Headquarters
    Gemini Notebook
    Mountain View, CA
    Shortwave
    San Francisco, CA
  • Monthly users
    Gemini Notebook
    30M+
    Shortwave
    Not listed
  • Listing
    Gemini Notebook
    Claimed
    Shortwave
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Gemini Notebook better than Shortwave?

It depends on your workflow. Gemini Notebook is built for summarizing and questioning your own documents. Shortwave is built for heavy Gmail users who want AI search, drafting and inbox triage inside the email client itself.

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

Gemini Notebook: Google's Gemini Notebook, formerly NotebookLM, answers questions and builds summaries from your own sources. Shortwave: AI email client for Gmail that searches, organizes, drafts and schedules from plain-language prompts.

Does Gemini Notebook or Shortwave have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, Gemini Notebook or Shortwave?

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