Head-to-head · facts checked 14 Sept 2026
Google NotebookLM vs Scite
Scite uniquely has 12 features · Google NotebookLM uniquely has 9 features.
From
Not applicable, Gemini Notebook has no standalone price; access comes via Google AI Plus/Pro/Ultra subscriptions
Free plan
Yes
The verdict
Google NotebookLM or Scite?
Section 01
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Google NotebookLM
Free
Free
Up to 50 sources per notebook, standard Audio and Video Overviews
NotebookLM
Free
Up to 50 sources per notebook, standard Gemini model access, standard Audio & Video Overview generations
Google AI Plus
$4.99/mo · $59.88/yr
Up to 100 sources per notebook, 2X more generations vs. standard, early access to new features
Google AI Pro
$19.99/mo · $239.88/yr
Up to 300 sources per notebook, 5X more generations vs. standard, higher Gemini model access, priority access
Google AI Ultra
$99.99/mo
Up to 600 sources per notebook, up to 50X more generations vs. standard, highest Gemini model access, priority access and no watermarks on generations
Scite
Free
Free
Free Connect tier, used through ChatGPT or Claude, no credit card
Basic
$20/mo · $144/yr
Unlimited Assistant queries, Full-Text Search, Smart Citation Reports, 250 MCP credits/month, collections up to 1,000 papers
Pro
$50/mo · $480/yr
Everything in Basic plus 2,500 MCP credits/month, collections up to 10,000 papers, patents/clinical trials/grants search
Team
$50/seat/mo · $480/seat/yr
Everything in Pro plus private/shared collections, team analytics, centralized billing, flexible seat management
Enterprise
Contact us
Unlimited users, API access, regulatory datasets (FAERS, MAUDE, 510(k), MHRA), SAML/SSO, dedicated customer success manager
For everything else about each tool, read the full Google NotebookLM review and Scite review.
Side by side
| Company | ||
| Founded | 2023 | 2018 |
| HQ | Mountain View, USA | Henderson, NV USA |
| AI model | Gemini | Proprietary (built on licensed scholarly database with AI assistant layer) |
| User base | Millions (Google product) | 2M+ |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Chrome Extension, Zotero Plugin, API, Claude/ChatGPT integrations (MCP) |
| Languages | 80+ | English primarily |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Freemium | Subscription |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes, free Connect tier (MCP-only, via ChatGPT/Claude, no credit card) |
| Free trial | No | Yes |
| Starting price | Not applicable, Gemini Notebook has no standalone price; access comes via Google AI Plus/Pro/Ultra subscriptions | $20/mo |
| Enterprise | Available via Google Workspace (Business), Google Workspace for Education, and Google Cloud (Enterprise) — custom pricing | Contact us |
| Refund policy | — | Non-refundable; users can cancel future renewals at any time |
| All plans | Free — Free NotebookLM — Free Google AI Plus — $4.99/mo Google AI Pro — $19.99/mo Google AI Ultra — $99.99/mo | Free — Free Basic — $20/mo Pro — $50/mo Team — $50/seat/mo Enterprise — Contact us |
| Positioning | ||
| Best for | Research, analysis, and learning from uploaded sources | Individual researchers, labs, and small teams doing deep research |
| Differentiator | Source-grounded AI notebooks with Audio & Video Overviews and large notebook sizes up to 600 sources | Scite's Smart Citations uniquely classify how later research has supported, contradicted, or mentioned a paper, grounding every AI-generated answer in verifiable sentence-level evidence from 1.6B+ indexed citations across 40+ licensed publisher agreements. |
| Competitors | Notion AI, Perplexity AI, Elicit, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot | Semantic Scholar, Elicit, Consensus, ResearchRabbit, Connected Papers |
| Features | ||
| Artifact Creation | ✓ | — |
| Audio Overviews | ✓ | — |
| Chatgpt & Claude Integrations | — | ✓ |
| Citation Alerts | — | ✓ |
| Enterprise API (Preview) | ✓ | — |
| Full Text Search | — | ✓ |
| Large Notebook Size | ✓ | — |
| MCP Credits | — | ✓ |
| Patent, Clinical Trial & Grant Search | — | ✓ |
| Slides Generation | ✓ | — |
| Smart Citations | — | ✓ |
| Video Overviews | ✓ | — |
| Academic Search | ✕ | ✓ |
| AI Summarization | ✓ | ✓ |
| API Access | — | ✓ |
| Browser Extension | ✕ | ✓ |
| Citation Generation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data Privacy | ✓ | ✓ |
| Document Upload | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export Formats | Google Docs, Google Sheets, PDF, DOCX, Markdown, CSV, JSON, XLSX, PPTX | — |
| Fact Checking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Follow Up Questions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile App | ✓ | ✕ |
| Multi Source Synthesis | ✓ | ✓ |
| Team Collaboration | ✓ | — |
| Web Search | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ||
| API Access | ✕ | ✓ |
| Browser Extension | ✕ | ✓ |
| Google Docs Export | ✓ | — |
| Key Integrations | Google Workspace (Docs, Drive, Slides), Google Cloud, Google One AI Premium subscription | Zotero, Claude, ChatGPT, MCP-compatible assistants, API |
| Notion Integration | ✕ | — |
| Zotero Integration | ✕ | ✓ |
Section 02
Google NotebookLM vs Scite: common questions
Is Google NotebookLM or Scite cheaper?
Google NotebookLM's cheapest paid plan is Not applicable, Gemini Notebook has no standalone price; access comes via Google AI Plus/Pro/Ultra subscriptions and Scite's is $20/mo. Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
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