SightScript vs NotebookLM for lecture notes
NotebookLM became Gemini Notebook in July 2026, and it is a very good research notebook: drop in readings, slides and recordings, then ask questions across all of them. For a recorded lecture it has one limit that matters more than any feature list: it reads the video's transcript, not the video. What the professor wrote on the board and did not say out loud never reaches the notebook.
SightScript does one narrower thing: it watches the lecture, frames and sound, and writes one finished set of study notes with the formulas, code and diagrams from the board. This page says plainly where each one is the better choice, and how they work together.
Free to try. No account, no card.
Side by side
A check marks the stronger side of each row. Rows with no check are a matter of what you need, not of quality.
What it reads in a lecture video
SightScriptWatches the frames and listens to the speech: formulas on the board, code on the projector, slide text, diagrams, and what was said about them.
Gemini NotebookImports the text transcript only. Google's help page: "Only the text transcript of the video is imported as a source." Anything written but not spoken is absent.
Videos without captions
SightScriptWorks. The model watches the video itself; captions, when they exist, only serve to fine-tune the timestamps.
Gemini NotebookNeeds a public YouTube video with captions, uploaded or auto-generated. No captions, no import; a video with no speech is not supported.
What you get from one lecture
SightScriptOne finished document: study notes organized by topic with every formula in notation and a Key Formulas table, visual notes from the board, timestamped chapters, the transcript, a summary, and key concepts.
Gemini NotebookA source in a notebook. From it you generate what you ask for: a study guide, a briefing, flashcards, a quiz, an audio or video overview, a mind map.
Formulas
SightScriptWritten in LaTeX and typeset on screen, in Word as native equations, and in the PDF.
Gemini NotebookOnly what the transcript carries. A formula the professor read aloud arrives as words; one only written arrives not at all.
Asking questions
SightScriptAsk this video: answers drawn from the document, citing the minute. 20 questions a month free, 250 on Pro.
Gemini NotebookChat across every source in the notebook with citations, 50 questions a day free. Deeper and broader.
Flashcards and quizzes
SightScriptKey concepts as a card deck on the page, exportable to Anki and Quizlet in one click.
Gemini NotebookFlashcards with progress tracking and quizzes, inside the notebook.
A whole course at once
SightScriptOne video at a time. Pro combines up to 5 videos in one run, 80 minutes in total.
Gemini NotebookBuilt for it: 50 sources per notebook on the free plan, questions and overviews across all of them.
Audio overviews, video overviews, mind maps
SightScriptNo.
Gemini NotebookYes, a few of each per day on the free plan.
Back to the moment in the video
SightScriptChapters and transcript entries carry timestamps, checked against the captions when there are any, each one a link into the video.
Gemini NotebookCitations point at the transcript passage.
Exports and sharing
SightScriptMarkdown, Word with editable equations, PDF with typeset formulas, an Anki or Quizlet deck, a read-only share link.
Gemini NotebookNotes saved in the notebook, copy to Google Docs, shared notebooks.
Sources other than video
SightScriptYouTube links, and your own recordings uploaded on Pro.
Gemini NotebookPDFs, Docs, Slides, web pages, pasted text, audio files, YouTube.
Price for a student
SightScriptFree: 10 videos a month up to 90 minutes, and a first try needs no account. Pro at $9.99 a month: 100 videos up to 160 minutes, uploads, several videos per run, custom instructions.
Gemini NotebookFree: 100 notebooks, 50 sources each, 50 questions a day. Plus at $4.99 a month; Pro comes with Google AI Pro at $19.99 a month. Prices as of September 2026.
| SightScript | Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it reads in a lecture video | Watches the frames and listens to the speech: formulas on the board, code on the projector, slide text, diagrams, and what was said about them. | Imports the text transcript only. Google's help page: "Only the text transcript of the video is imported as a source." Anything written but not spoken is absent. |
| Videos without captions | Works. The model watches the video itself; captions, when they exist, only serve to fine-tune the timestamps. | Needs a public YouTube video with captions, uploaded or auto-generated. No captions, no import; a video with no speech is not supported. |
| What you get from one lecture | One finished document: study notes organized by topic with every formula in notation and a Key Formulas table, visual notes from the board, timestamped chapters, the transcript, a summary, and key concepts. | A source in a notebook. From it you generate what you ask for: a study guide, a briefing, flashcards, a quiz, an audio or video overview, a mind map. |
| Formulas | Written in LaTeX and typeset on screen, in Word as native equations, and in the PDF. | Only what the transcript carries. A formula the professor read aloud arrives as words; one only written arrives not at all. |
| Asking questions | Ask this video: answers drawn from the document, citing the minute. 20 questions a month free, 250 on Pro. | Chat across every source in the notebook with citations, 50 questions a day free. Deeper and broader. |
| Flashcards and quizzes | Key concepts as a card deck on the page, exportable to Anki and Quizlet in one click. | Flashcards with progress tracking and quizzes, inside the notebook. |
| A whole course at once | One video at a time. Pro combines up to 5 videos in one run, 80 minutes in total. | Built for it: 50 sources per notebook on the free plan, questions and overviews across all of them. |
| Audio overviews, video overviews, mind maps | No. | Yes, a few of each per day on the free plan. |
| Back to the moment in the video | Chapters and transcript entries carry timestamps, checked against the captions when there are any, each one a link into the video. | Citations point at the transcript passage. |
| Exports and sharing | Markdown, Word with editable equations, PDF with typeset formulas, an Anki or Quizlet deck, a read-only share link. | Notes saved in the notebook, copy to Google Docs, shared notebooks. |
| Sources other than video | YouTube links, and your own recordings uploaded on Pro. | PDFs, Docs, Slides, web pages, pasted text, audio files, YouTube. |
| Price for a student | Free: 10 videos a month up to 90 minutes, and a first try needs no account. Pro at $9.99 a month: 100 videos up to 160 minutes, uploads, several videos per run, custom instructions. | Free: 100 notebooks, 50 sources each, 50 questions a day. Plus at $4.99 a month; Pro comes with Google AI Pro at $19.99 a month. Prices as of September 2026. |
Gemini Notebook facts checked on 13 September 2026 against Google's help page on sources. Something changed? Write to support@sightscript.io.
Use Gemini Notebook when
- Your material is mostly text: readings, slide decks, papers, with a lecture or two beside them.
- You want to question a whole semester at once, across dozens of sources.
- You learn by listening, and an audio overview of the week's readings is what gets you through the commute.
- The lectures are entirely spoken, with nothing on a board that matters.
Use SightScript when
- The lecture lives on the board or the projector: mathematics, physics, chemistry, statistics, programming.
- You want notes you can print, file, and hand in, with the formulas typeset, not a chat window.
- The video has no captions, or the recording is your own (Pro uploads).
- You want to jump back to the exact minute a derivation happened.
The workflow that uses both
Run each lecture through SightScript, export the notes as Markdown or PDF, and add them to a Gemini Notebook for the course. The notebook then answers questions across the whole term with the board content included, which the transcript alone would never have given it.
That is the honest summary: SightScript makes the document, Gemini Notebook makes the library.
Questions, answered
Is NotebookLM the same thing as Gemini Notebook?
Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on 16 July 2026. It is the same product with the same notebooks; only the name and logo changed.
Can Gemini Notebook read what is written on the whiteboard in a YouTube lecture?
No. Google's help page for sources states that only the text transcript of a YouTube video is imported. A formula or diagram that was written but not read aloud is not part of the source.
Does SightScript need the video to have captions?
No. It sends the video itself to the model, which watches the frames and listens to the audio. When captions exist they are used only to check the timestamps of the chapters and transcript.
Can I put SightScript notes into Gemini Notebook?
Yes. Export the notes as Markdown or PDF and add the file as a source. Notes for every lecture of a course make a notebook that knows what was on the board.
Which one is cheaper?
Both have a free plan a student can live on for a while: SightScript gives 10 videos a month up to 90 minutes each, Gemini Notebook 50 sources per notebook and 50 questions a day. Paid, SightScript Pro is $9.99 a month; Gemini Notebook Plus is $4.99 a month and its Pro tier comes with Google AI Pro at $19.99 a month, as of September 2026.
Does SightScript answer questions about the lecture too?
Yes, from the document it produced, citing the minute in the video. The allowance is 20 questions a month free and 250 on Pro, far below Gemini Notebook's chat, which is the right tool for long conversations across many sources.
Try it on a lecture with a board
Paste the link, pick Lecture, and compare the notes with what the transcript alone would have given you.
Start freeMore ways to use SightScript