Google has launched NotebookLM Plus for individual users subscribed to the Google One AI Premium plan, following its initial release for enterprises. This paid version, priced at $20 per month, offers enhanced features such as five times the usage limits of the free version, allowing for 500 notebooks, 300 sources per notebook, and up to 500 chat queries and 20 audio generations daily. A 50% discount is available for U.S. students over 18, reducing the monthly fee to $9.99.
Kelly Schaefer from Google Labs highlighted the strong interest from consumers, particularly students, for NotebookLM Plus. Originally launched in 2023, NotebookLM gained traction with its Audio Overviews feature, enabling users to create audio conversations from uploaded content, inspiring similar offerings from companies like ElevenLabs and Meta. Google plans to enhance this feature with support for additional languages and aims to maintain a natural audio experience.
While the specific Gemini AI models used for NotebookLM were not disclosed, Schaefer confirmed that both Plus and free versions utilize the same underlying model, with ongoing experiments to optimize performance. The team is also working on a mobile app to provide a tailored experience similar to the desktop version, although no timeline has been provided. Additionally, Google is exploring how NotebookLM can incorporate reasoning models for improved functionality.
