E
ECapacities vs NotebookLM
Pricing, features, platforms and who each one suits — side by side.
C
Choose Capacities if…
- you need an API to build on
- you work on macOS, Windows, Linux
- you're in its core audience: writers, researchers
N
Choose NotebookLM if…
- you're in its core audience: students, researchers
Side by side
Feature Capacities NotebookLM
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$9.99/mo—
Free plan
Free trial
API
Open source
Trains AI on your contentNo—
Data retentionAI providers store data only temporarily; no permanent storage of content—
Backlinks & graph—
Meeting transcription—
MCP connector—
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, APIWeb
CategoryNotes & KnowledgeResearch Assistants
CompanyCapacities Labs GmbHGoogle
Based inGermany—
Founded2022—
Part of——
Key features
C Capacities
- Custom object types with properties
- Backlinks, graph view and daily notes
- Related content and unlinked mention detection (Pro)
- AI assistant and image, PDF, weblink analysis (Pro)
- Task management with actions to Todoist and Things (Pro)
- AI Chat Connectors for ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor (Pro)
- Import/export to Markdown, CSV and more
- Capture via WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter and email
N NotebookLM
- Notebooks organized around your uploaded sources
- Answers questions using a Gemini model
- Up to 600 sources per notebook on top tiers
- Notebook sharing, with advanced controls on Enterprise
- Workspace and Workspace for Education access
- Enterprise security controls via Google Cloud
Plans and prices
From each vendor's site. Prices change — confirm before buying.
Capacities
Capacities BasicFree
Capacities Pro$9.99/month
Capacities Believerfrom $12.49/month
Plus AI Power-Up$8.33/month billed annually
NotebookLM
StandardFree
Plus (Google AI Plus)Price not stated
Pro (Google AI Pro)Price not stated
Ultra (Google AI Ultra)Price not stated
EnterpriseCustom
Strengths and limitations
Capacities
- Free plan includes unlimited objects, sync and offline support
- Apps for web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
- Full export to standard formats
- EU hosting, GDPR compliant
- AI, tasks, whiteboards and API require a paid plan
- Pro includes only a light AI budget; regular use needs the Plus add-on
- Built for individuals, not team collaboration; sharing is view-only
- Free plan media uploads capped at 5 GB, then 100 MB/month
NotebookLM
- Free Standard tier allows 100 notebooks and 50 sources per notebook
- Paid tiers raise limits to as many as 600 sources per notebook
- Available through Workspace, Workspace for Education and Google Cloud
- NotebookLM help page gives no prices; they sit on separate Google AI plan pages
- Watermarks stay on output in India, South Korea and Vietnam even on paid plans
- Google labels plan limits as subject to change
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Built from each vendor's public website; we haven't tested them hands-on. Editorial policy