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Knowt vs NotebookLM vs NoteMate: Which Suits Your Revision?

Knowt, NotebookLM and NoteMate all make flashcards and quizzes, but they start from different material. This comparison sets out what each one takes in, how it tests you, and which suits which kind of module.

Benjamin Tindal 5 min read

If you are deciding between Knowt and NotebookLM, you are probably choosing how to turn your course material into something you can revise from. Both tools make flashcards and quizzes. So does NoteMate, which is why we have included it. We make NoteMate, so we have kept to facts each company publishes about itself and said where the others are stronger. Everything here was checked on the companies' own pages on 13 October 2026.

One naming note first. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on 16 July 2026. It is the same product at the same address, and existing notebooks were kept (Google blog). Plenty of people still search for NotebookLM, so we use both names.

The short answer

  • Your module is mostly reading, slides and PDFs: NotebookLM.
  • You want a flashcard app with spaced repetition and a shared library: Knowt.
  • Your module is mostly lectures: NoteMate.

The rest of this article explains why, and where each one falls short.

At a glance

Knowt NotebookLM (Gemini Notebook) NoteMate
Lecture audio Yes, AI Lecture Notetaker Yes, audio files and a mobile recorder Yes, record or upload
PDFs, Word, PowerPoint Yes Yes No
YouTube Yes, video summariser Yes, public videos No
Flashcards Yes Yes Yes
Quizzes Yes, plus practice tests and games Yes, with hints and an Explain button Yes, multiple choice with an explanation for every option
Spaced repetition Yes Not mentioned in Google's help Yes
Answers cite your sources Not stated Yes, inline citations Timestamped transcript
Speaker labels Not stated Not stated Yes, when enabled
Platforms iOS, Android, web, desktop, Chrome extension Web and mobile app Web and iOS
Free tier Yes, with ads Yes, with daily limits Yes

Knowt

Knowt describes itself as a free Quizlet alternative with AI study tools (knowt.com). Flashcards are the centre of it.

What it does well

  • Flashcard study. Learn mode, matching games, practice tests and spaced repetition, and its plans page says flashcard study is completely free with unlimited learn mode (knowt.com/plans).
  • Many inputs. An AI lecture notetaker ("Record your next lecture and instantly get detailed notes, flashcards, quizzes, and games"), PDF, Word and PowerPoint uploads, and a video summariser for YouTube.
  • Platforms. iOS, Android, web, desktop and a Chrome extension.
  • A shared library of sets made by other students, which can save time on common topics.

Where it falls short

  • The AI summarisers for lectures, PDFs, video and slides are listed under the paid Ultra plan. The plans page does not say whether free users get any.
  • The free tier shows ads.
  • Its exam prep content is aimed at US tests such as the AP, SAT and ACT, not UK modules.
  • At least one UK App Store review describes being charged after cancelling a free trial, so note the trial end date if you start one.

NotebookLM (Gemini Notebook)

NotebookLM is Google's research and study notebook. You add sources, and everything it produces is grounded in them.

What it does well

  • The widest range of sources. PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Slides and Sheets, web pages, public YouTube videos, audio files, ePubs and images, with up to 50 sources per notebook on the free plan (Google help).
  • Citations. Answers include inline citations that link to the original passage, and Google says it limits its knowledge to the material you upload (Google for Education).
  • Many formats. Study guides with key terms and sample quizzes, mind maps, podcast-style Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, infographics and slide decks.
  • Flashcards and quizzes with adjustable difficulty and quantity, an Explain button, quiz hints, progress that it remembers, and CSV export for flashcards (Google help). In September 2026 Google said more quiz formats (short answer, multiple select and fill in the blank) were coming soon (Google blog).
  • Cost. Google says it is free for education users (Google for Education).

Where it falls short

  • Google's flashcard help page lets you mark cards "Got it!" or "Missed it!", but it does not mention spaced repetition or scheduling. You decide when to come back.
  • Free accounts have daily caps on how many flashcard sets, quizzes and overviews they can generate.
  • It was not designed around lectures. You can add audio or use the new mobile recorder, but the tool's strengths are in written sources.

NoteMate

NoteMate starts from a lecture recording. You record on your phone, laptop or the iOS app, or upload a file.

What it does well

  • Lecture audio, end to end. A transcript with timestamps, speaker labels when enabled (useful for seminars), structured notes, flashcards and a quiz from one upload.
  • Spaced repetition. Flashcards are scheduled so you see each card again when it is due.
  • Explanations for every option. Each quiz question explains why the right answer is right and why each wrong one is wrong, which is where retrieval practice pays off.
  • Notes in another language. The notes can be written in a different language from the lecture, which helps international students.
  • No bot. It never joins a call; you record or upload yourself, so it works for in-person lectures.

Where it falls short

  • It only takes audio. No PDFs, slides, web pages or YouTube.
  • There is no Android app. It runs on the web and iOS.
  • There is no shared library of other students' sets.

Which one should you choose?

Choose NotebookLM if most of your marks come from reading: essay subjects with long reading lists, or modules where the slides and handouts carry the content. Its citations make it quick to check an answer against the source.

Choose Knowt if you already revise with flashcards and want a polished app across every platform, or your topic is common enough that a shared set will save you time.

Choose NoteMate if the lectures are where the content is, as in many science, law and social science modules, and you want notes, flashcards and a quiz without writing them yourself.

Using two together

These tools overlap less than the comparison makes it look. A common setup is NoteMate for lectures and NotebookLM for readings, each making flashcards from its own material. If you prefer to keep all your cards in one place, Knowt or Anki can be the home for them.

Whatever you choose, the timing matters more than the tool. Testing yourself and spacing reviews out are what improve recall (Dunlosky et al., 2013), and spacing needs weeks. For the January exams, have your material loaded by mid-November. For the May exams, start before the Easter break.

Try it on one lecture

If your module is lecture-heavy, try NoteMate on one recording and compare the flashcards and quiz with what you would get elsewhere. Already have a transcript? The free lecture-to-flashcards tool works without an account.

Sources

More from the notebook