# Base vs Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)

Gemini Notebook, which Google renamed from NotebookLM in July 2026, is the better tool when you are the one reading: it answers from your sources with citations and turns them into audio overviews and study guides. Base is built for handing documents to someone else. A reader opens a Base in any browser, without a Google account in link mode, can reach it from Claude, ChatGPT or another AI app, and loses access the moment you revoke it.

Updated October 7, 2026. Canonical page: https://createbases.com/compare/gemini-notebook

## At a glance

|  | Base | Gemini Notebook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Built for | Handing a set of documents to other people and their AI | Researching and learning from your own sources |
| What a reader needs | A browser. Link mode needs no account; invite mode asks each reader to sign in with the email you invited | A Google account to open a shared notebook |
| Answers point to the source | Yes. Every fact carries a verbatim quote and the file it came from, and a fact whose quote cannot be found in that file is dropped | Yes. Answers cite passages from your sources |
| The reader's own AI | Paste the link into a chat, or connect Base once in Claude, ChatGPT or any app that takes an MCP connector | Inside Google's apps. We found no official MCP connector as of October 2026 |
| Limiting what a reader sees | Turn downloads and AI access off, set an expiry date, revoke at any time; choose which files each reader sees on Pro | Viewer or editor roles. A chat-only view hides the sources, which Google notes does not remove the viewer's underlying access |
| Audio overviews | No | Yes |
| Charging for access | One-time or monthly, from $1; Base keeps 10% of the price plus card processing (2.9% + 30¢) | We found no way to charge for access to a notebook |
| Price | Free for 2 Bases with 500 credits; Pro is $29 a month | Free, with higher limits on Google AI plans |

## When Gemini Notebook is the better choice

- You are the reader: studying a topic, preparing for a meeting, or working through research of your own.
- You want the material turned into something else, such as an audio overview, a briefing document or a study guide.
- Everyone involved already works in Google and has an account.

## When Base is the better choice

- The readers are outside your company and may not have, or want to use, a Google account.
- They will work through the material in their own AI, whether that is Claude, ChatGPT or something else.
- You need to take access back: revocation and expiry are checked on every request, so a revoked link stops working on the next page load or AI call.
- The documents disagree with each other. Base shows both figures, each with its own quote, rather than picking one.
- You want to know whether the package was opened. Every plan counts opens and AI connections, and Pro shows who opened it.
- You want to charge for it. Any Base can be sold, once or monthly, and buyers get the same cited answers in their own AI. See [how to sell access to your research](https://createbases.com/guides/sell-access-to-documents).

## How sharing works in each

Sharing a Gemini Notebook gives another Google user access to your notebook, as a viewer or an editor, or to everyone with the link if you make it public. Google's help center says shared notebooks open for people signed in to a Google account, and that a personal account can share a notebook with up to 50 people.

Sharing a Base publishes a read-only site built from the documents: an overview, key facts with their quotes, a timeline, the people and organizations involved, and the files you chose to make available. The same Base is reachable by AI apps as a remote MCP server, and every request from a browser or an AI is checked against the access you set.

## Moving from Gemini Notebook to Base

Base does not import notebooks. Upload the original source files to a new Base and it reads them again. See [how to share documents so the recipient's AI can answer questions](https://createbases.com/guides/share-documents-with-ai) for the steps.

## Questions

### Is NotebookLM the same product as Gemini Notebook?

Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. Google says it remains a standalone product, and existing shared notebooks and links redirect automatically.

### Can someone without a Google account read a Base?

Yes. A Base shared in link mode opens for anyone with the link, with no account. In invite mode, readers sign in with the email address you invited, which works with any email provider.

### Can Claude or ChatGPT read a Gemini Notebook?

Not through an official connector as of October 2026. Community connectors exist; the ones we found work by driving a browser that is signed in to a Google account. Base has an official connector that Claude, ChatGPT and other MCP clients connect to directly.

### Does Base make audio overviews?

No. Base turns documents into an overview, cited facts, a timeline and the people and organizations involved, and answers questions about them. If audio is what you need, Gemini Notebook does it well.

## Sources checked on October 7, 2026

- [Google Workspace Updates: NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook](https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2026/07/notebooklm-now-gemini-notebook.html)
- [Gemini Notebook Help: create and share notebooks](https://support.google.com/notebooklm/answer/16206563)
- [Google: NotebookLM introduces public notebooks](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/google-labs/notebooklm-public-notebooks/)