Comparisons
EducPilot vs Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM): a video summary of your sources, or a training video you correct?
Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook in July 2026. Its “Video Overviews” turn a notebook’s sources into a narrated video, for free. EducPilot also turns documents into a drawn video, but to train other people: the video is corrected scene by scene. Here are the differences, checked on Google’s own pages on 23 October 2026.
6 min read
The short answer
Pick Gemini Notebook if you want to understand your own sources quickly: it is free with a Google account, reads almost anything (PDF, Word, PowerPoint, web pages, YouTube videos) and narrates in 80+ languages. Pick EducPilot if the video has to train other people: every statement cites its page, an expert corrects it by annotating the frame from a link, only the annotated scene is rewritten, and the video comes out in your colours, in 16:9 or 9:16.
Side by side
| Gemini Notebook (Video Overviews) | EducPilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Understanding and reviewing your sources: Google presents it as a research partner | Producing training videos for your teams or your customers |
| Starting point | A notebook’s sources: PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs and Slides, web pages, public YouTube videos, audio, images; 50 sources per notebook on the free version | PDF with selectable text (50 MB), web page, pasted text or conversation; Word and PowerPoint to export as PDF first |
| Video formats | Explainer (structured), Short (about 60 seconds), Cinematic (18+, English only) | A training video designed for 1 to 3 minutes, up to 30 scenes |
| Styles | Classic, Whiteboard, Watercolor, Retro Print, Heritage, Paper-craft, Kawaii, Anime, or a style you describe (Explainer format) | Seven art directions, Whiteboard by default |
| Before the video | A topic to focus on; since 19 October 2026, a review of the “producer notes” before rendering, rolling out | A plan to approve, then a storyboard you annotate and revise, which uses no minutes |
| After the video | Play, share, download; Google describes no way to correct a video once generated | Notes pinned on the frame, review links without an account, only the annotated scene is rewritten, versions kept |
| Sources | The chat cites your sources in its answers | Every statement in the video linked to the page that supports it |
| Languages | 80+ narration languages (Explainer and Short) | English, French, Chinese |
| Branding | Visible watermark on generated videos, which Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers can turn off | Your brand kit’s colour, name and voice |
| Price | Free with a Google account; higher limits with a Google AI subscription | 7-day free trial, then from €39 excl. VAT per month for 45 minutes |
What Google offers, checked on 23 October 2026
- The name. NotebookLM has been called Gemini Notebook since 16 July 2026. Google says it is the same product, now at notebook.google.
- Three formats. Explainer, a structured overview; Short, videos of about 60 seconds; Cinematic, for users aged 18+ and in English only. Choosing a visual style applies to the Explainer format only.
- Generation can be slow. Google says a Video Overview can take more than 30 minutes, and warns that its AI-generated voices and visuals may contain inaccuracies.
- Review before rendering, not after. On 19 October 2026 Google announced “co-creation”: you review the “producer notes”, the video’s plan, and ask for changes (swapping the order of a scene, for example) before anything renders. Once you proceed, the notes can no longer be refined. The announcement says it is rolling out to all users within the week; the help page still reserves it for Google AI Ultra subscribers.
- Usage limits rather than a price per video. Limits depend on the compute used and refresh every five hours until a weekly cap. Google does not publish a number of videos per plan.
Prices
| Gemini Notebook (Google’s help pages) | EducPilot (EUR excl. VAT, monthly; unlimited users) |
|---|---|
| Standard: free with a Gmail account, 50 sources per notebook, visible watermark | 7-day free trial of Pro, card verified but not charged |
| Plus: Google AI Plus subscription, 100 sources per notebook | Pro: €39 per month, 45 minutes |
| Pro: Google AI Pro subscription, 300 sources per notebook, watermark can be removed | Team: €99 per month, 130 minutes |
| Ultra: Google AI Ultra subscription, 500 or 600 sources per notebook | Business: €249 per month, 350 minutes |
Organisations can also get it through Google Workspace or Google Cloud. Google AI subscription prices depend on the country, so we have not listed them here. With EducPilot, only the generated video uses minutes; the plan, the storyboard and its revisions do not, and a yearly plan gives two months free.
Where Gemini Notebook is the better choice
- Understanding your own documents. To review a file, prepare a meeting or explore a topic, a video summary is enough, and the chat, audio overviews, quizzes and flashcards come with it.
- Entry price. The free version lets you try it on real documents, without a card.
- Input formats. Word, PowerPoint, Google Slides, YouTube videos, audio files: nothing to export as PDF.
- Languages. 80+ narration languages, against three for EducPilot.
Where EducPilot is the better choice
- A video other people will follow. Training gets reviewed before it ships: the expert annotates the frame at the right moment, from a link and without an account, and only that scene changes. Google describes no way to correct a Video Overview once it is generated.
- Verifiable sources inside the video. Every statement points to the page that supports it, so a lawyer or a safety officer reviews facts, not an impression.
- A video in your colours, with no watermark on paid plans, in 16:9 for the intranet or the LMS and 9:16 for phones, with burned-in subtitles.
- A team tool: unlimited users, versions kept, minutes shared by the workspace, data hosted in Germany.
Frequently asked questions
Are NotebookLM and Gemini Notebook the same tool?
Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on 16 July 2026; it is the same product, and Video Overviews are still there.
Does Gemini Notebook make whiteboard videos?
Yes: “Whiteboard” is one of the eight named styles of the Explainer format, which also accepts a style you describe. EducPilot uses whiteboard as its default art direction, and VideoScribe lets you build one by hand: see our VideoScribe alternatives.
Can I train employees with a Video Overview?
The video can be downloaded and shared. But Google presents it as a summary of your sources, warns that it may contain inaccuracies and offers no scene-by-scene correction. For a procedure, a safety instruction or a regulatory topic, plan an expert review before it ships: that is what EducPilot’s annotation is built for. Our PDF to training video page shows what happens to an uploaded document, and our use cases give concrete examples.
Does EducPilot read Word and PowerPoint files?
Not directly: export them as PDF first (File, then Export, then PDF), then upload the PDF. EducPilot does not run character recognition either: a scanned PDF needs an OCR tool first.
Sources
- Google, NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook (16 July 2026), checked on 23 October 2026.
- Google, Gemini Notebook Help, Generate Video Overviews, checked on 23 October 2026 (Explainer, Short and Cinematic formats, styles, languages, generation time, download, co-creation for Google AI Ultra).
- Google, How to shape your slides and videos with Gemini Notebook (19 October 2026: reviewing “producer notes” before rendering).
- Google, Gemini Notebook Help, plans (sources per notebook, watermark), usage limits, supported sources, Studio panel (audio overviews, quizzes, flashcards) and overview (citations, 80+ languages), checked on 23 October 2026.
- Google, Sharpen your study routine with new Gemini Notebook tools (15 September 2026: Short Video Overviews of about 60 seconds).
- EducPilot, pricing and product as of 23 October 2026.
Comparison based on both products’ official pages on the dates shown. Spotted an error or a change? Write to bonjour@educpilot.org and we will correct it.
Compare on your own document
The surest way is to try: 7 days free, nothing charged during the trial.
7-day free trial, nothing chargedPasswordless sign-inHosted in Europe
Read next
- The best AI tools for making training videos in 2026
8 tools compared on the same criteria: what each does best, its limits, its entry price checked on 23 October 2026, and which one to pick for the video you need.
- VideoScribe alternatives: 5 tools for making a whiteboard video in 2026
Doodly, Powtoon, Vyond, Gemini Notebook or EducPilot: 5 VideoScribe alternatives for a whiteboard video, with prices checked on 23 October 2026.
- EducPilot vs VideoScribe: build your whiteboard video, or have it generated?
VideoScribe lets you build whiteboard animations by hand; EducPilot generates the drawn video from your documents. Prices checked 23 October 2026.
- Convert a PDF into a training video: what EducPilot reads, and what it makes of it
Upload a PDF up to 50 MB: EducPilot reads every page, proposes a plan, then makes a drawn, narrated video citing its pages. Limits and an example.
- EducPilot vs Synthesia: an avatar presenter or a drawn explainer?
Synthesia makes avatars talk; EducPilot draws and narrates your documents. Prices checked on 23 October 2026, formats, languages and review: when to pick which.
- EducPilot vs Vyond: an animation studio or a video generated from your documents?
Vyond is a character animation studio with AI tools; EducPilot generates a drawn video from your documents. Prices checked 5 October 2026.