Build a Searchable Notebook from Video, PDF and Audio
Notebook AI takes what you upload, a video, an audio file, a PDF, or a link, and turns it into one searchable notebook entry with a transcript and AI notes. Add another source and it joins the same notebook, so the AI chat can answer from all of them at once instead of one file at a time.
A general chatbot only sees what you type into it. This tool reads the material itself: AI reads video frames, not just the audio in a video, and PDFs and office documents are converted so they can be read and chatted with, the same as a recording for a PDF, so questions get answered from what is actually in your files.
What you get:
- A transcript with speaker labels and timestamps, in 99 languages
- AI notes: a summary, the main points, and action items with an owner and deadline, and decisions listed separately
- search across recordings by name or transcript
- one AI chat that searches and answers from every recording in your library, or a single folder
- team workspaces and share links
- Export as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT
- Free plan: one recording of up to 45 minutes, with AI chat on it
How to Use Notebook AI
- Add your material: upload a video, an audio file, or a PDF, or paste a link. Each one is processed and added to your notebook as its own entry.
- Let it process: the transcript, speaker labels and AI notes are ready a few minutes after upload, and a PDF is read by the AI the same way.
- Search, ask and export: search by name or by what was said, ask the AI chat a question across the whole notebook or one folder, and export any document as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT.
Accuracy depends on the source: a clear recording with one speaker at a time transcribes well, while background noise or several people talking over each other leaves gaps, and a scanned PDF reads better than a blurry photo of a page. See how we measure accuracy.
Notebook AI vs Other Apps
Google’s NotebookLM (renamed Gemini Notebook) is the best-known notebook tool, built around documents and an Audio Overview feature. It needs a Google account and does not accept a video upload; this notebook takes video, audio and PDFs directly, on a ScreenApp account that is Yes, free (no card).
| Feature | ScreenApp | NotebookLM | Notion AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account required | No | a Google account | Yes |
| Video upload and transcription | Yes | Not offered | Not offered |
| PDF / document chat | PDFs and office documents are converted so they can be read and chatted with, the same as a recording | Yes | Meeting notes on Business and Enterprise plans only |
| Sources per notebook (free) | 1 recording, up to 45 min | 50, up to 500,000 words or 200 MB per uploaded file each | Not stated |
| Chat across the whole library | one AI chat that searches and answers from every recording in your library, or a single folder | 50 chat queries/day free | Not stated |
| Two-host audio discussion of sources | Not offered | Yes: a deep-dive discussion between two AI hosts that summarizes the key topics in your sources, playable as one audio track, 3/day free | Not offered |
| Public help center or sharing | team workspaces and share links | Share a notebook link | Free plan (publish a page to the web) |
| Paid plan | $19/month annual | Not stated | $20/user/month |
Sources, checked 2026-09-14: screenapp.io/pricing, screenapp.io/help/how-many-minutes-can-i-record, support.google.com/gemininotebook/answer/16213268, notion.com/product/ai, support.google.com/notebooklm/answer/16215270, support.google.com/notebooklm/answer/16212820, notion.com/pricing
- vs NotebookLM: NotebookLM’s Audio Overview turns your sources into a deep-dive discussion between two AI hosts that summarizes the key topics in your sources, playable as one audio track, with 3 free a day. This notebook does not generate that two-host audio format; it works from video and audio you already have, transcribing and answering questions on it directly, which NotebookLM does not accept as an upload.
- vs Notion AI: Notion is a wiki and workspace. Its AI meeting-notes feature needs Business and Enterprise plans, and it has no video transcription. This notebook is built around the recording or document itself, not a page you write.
Who Uses Notebook AI
Students upload a lecture recording or a course PDF, then search the notebook for a term or ask the AI chat instead of scrolling back through a video.
Academic researchers add interview recordings, PDFs of papers, and presentation videos to one notebook, then ask a question that pulls the answer from whichever source covered it.
Business teams record a client call or a training session, upload the deck as a PDF, and let new team members ask the AI chat instead of re-explaining what was said.
Content creators and journalists paste a YouTube link or upload an interview recording, get the transcript and AI notes, and search across everything they have collected for a project.
Small teams without a dedicated documentation process build a notebook from meetings, walkthroughs and reference PDFs they already have, and search it later instead of trying to remember which file covered what.
