In this article on Elephas vs NotebookLM, we'll explore everything you need to know about these powerful knowledge management tools that are changing how we organize and access information.
Here is what we are going to cover:
What is Elephas and its capabilities
What makes Elephas different
What is NotebookLM and its capabilities
What makes NotebookLM different
Key differences between both tools
Pricing comparison between both platforms
Practical test results on both tools:
Research tasks
Citation accuracy
Summarization quality
Which tool is the best choice for different needs
By the end of this article, you'll understand both tools' strengths and weaknesses, helping you decide which knowledge assistant best fits your workflow, privacy needs, and productivity requirements.
Let's get into it.
What is Elephas?
Elephas is a Mac knowledge assistant that helps users capture, organize, and access information easily. It turns your Mac into a personal knowledge center where you can store and find information quickly. The software works both online and offline, making it perfect for users who need constant access to their data.
The app focuses on making information management simple and effective. Users can collect content from different sources and build their own knowledge base without any technical skills needed. What makes Elephas special is its Super Brain feature that creates a dynamic knowledge repository right on your Mac.
Elephas also comes with strong automation features that use AI workflows to perform multiple tasks automatically. These smart agents can search, summarize, and organize your content without manual work. The software includes professional writing tools that help improve your content with different writing styles and grammar fixes.
The offline functionality sets Elephas apart from other tools. It works completely without internet connection and keeps your data private and secure on your device. This makes it perfect for handling sensitive information or working in places with limited internet access.
Key Features That Make Elephas Stand Out
Super Brain - Creates a personal knowledge repository that stores and organizes information from multiple sources
Complete Offline Functionality - Works entirely without internet connection using local embeddings for 100% offline operations
Advanced Automation Features - AI-powered workflows with smart agents for searching, summarizing, and organizing content
Multiple AI Provider Support - Choose from different AI providers like OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini for flexible content processing
Professional Writing Tools - Multiple rewrite modes, grammar fixes, and personalized writing tones
File Format Support - Works with CSV, JSON, and 10 other file types for maximum compatibility
Diagram Creation - Automated generation of mind maps, flowcharts, and timeline charts
Pricing of Elephas
Elephas has different pricing plans, including monthly, yearly, and also lifetime deals. Our monthly plans start from $8.99/month.
What is NotebookLM?
NotebookLM is an AI-powered note-taking tool and research assistant created by Google. It helps users learn new topics quickly by creating custom knowledge bases from uploaded documents. You can upload PDFs, YouTube videos, web pages, and other materials to build a focused information hub for any subject.
What makes NotebookLM special is that it only uses your uploaded content to answer questions. This means no false information or made-up answers like other AI tools sometimes give. The system uses Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash AI model to understand your documents and provide accurate responses based only on what you share.
It is like having a personal research assistant that knows everything about your uploaded materials. You can chat with your documents, ask questions, and get detailed explanations without reading through long papers or videos. NotebookLM saves hours of research time by giving instant access to information from all your sources in one place.
Key Features of NotebookLM
Source-Grounded Responses - Only uses your uploaded content to prevent false information
Custom Podcast Generation - Creates audio discussions between two hosts about your documents
Interactive Chat Mode - Ask questions and get answers from your knowledge base instantly
Multiple Source Support - Upload PDFs, YouTube videos, web pages, and Google Docs
Study Tools - Generate study guides, timelines, FAQs, and mind maps automatically
Collaborative Sharing - Share notebooks with others like Google Docs
Free Access - Basic features available at no cost with optional premium upgrades
NotebookLM is free to use, but it also has a paid plan called NotebookLM Plus, which you can get with the Google One AI Premium plan.
Practical Tests: NotebookLM vs Elephas
When it comes to features, NotebookLM has some features like Podcast Generation that Elephas didn't have, and NotebookLM does not have features like workflow automation and offline functionality like Elephas has.
So, to know which is actually a better tool, let's put both of them against one another in actual practical tests, such as in Research and Citation tasks, and see which performs better.
For the first time in our comparison articles, we are going to add different sources of information like YouTube videos, webpages, etc., which we have never done before, solely because other tools don't have the multiple source functionality.
But this time, both tools have the ability to add YouTube videos and webpages, so we are going to add different sources and see which works the best.
Note: We can directly add different sources into NotebookLM using the discover feature. We can also do it in Elephas using a custom workflow automation. If you are using Elephas, here is the import code.
Research Tasks
For the research task, we have taken the topic of fine-tuning LLM models. We added YouTube videos, research papers, copied text, and webpages on both the tools and asked both Elephas and NotebookLM to give a summarization, and here are the results.
Actually, we got a default summary in NotebookLM which is actually very good compared to when we ask it to summarize. In default summarization, it gave a summarization for every source, like the first YouTube video discussed this and this, the second web page is this, etc.
But when we actually asked for a summary in the chat, it gave a whole blog post content. It is very detailed, but at the same time, it is very long. Whereas Elephas, when asked for a summarization, gave a quick answer and got straight to the topic.
If you need a detailed summarization like a blog post, then go for NotebookLM, but if you want a quick summarization and also want to spend less time learning, then go for Elephas.
In the Citation Task, we gave some author names from the research papers we uploaded and asked both the tools if there was anything mentioned about the authors in the information sources given to them, and to make it a little harder, we also added a fake author onto the list to see if the model could differentiate between them.
Both Elephas and NotebookLM gave good citations, but NotebookLM was noticeably more accurate. Out of the 4 authors listed, one was a fake and three were real. NotebookLM correctly identified and cited the 3 real authors and ignored the fake one.
In contrast, Elephas only recognized 2 authors and stated there was no information about the remaining 2—one of whom was actually a real author and the other a fake.
Also, in NotebookLM it is much easier to find the exact sources because NotebookLM highlights the exact lines, whereas in Elephas we need to scroll through all the citations for the references.
Differences between NotebookLM vs Elephas
When choosing between Elephas and NotebookLM, understanding their key differences helps you pick the right tool for your needs. Both are AI-powered knowledge management tools, but they work in very different ways and serve different purposes.
Core Functionality Differences
The biggest difference lies in how these tools operate. Elephas is a Mac-focused knowledge assistant that can work completely offline, while NotebookLM is a web-based research tool that always needs internet connection. Elephas stores everything on your device for privacy, but NotebookLM processes documents on Google's servers.
NotebookLM focuses purely on research and note-taking tasks. It excels at creating study materials and generating podcasts from your documents. Elephas goes beyond research by offering comprehensive writing assistance and automation features that can handle various productivity tasks.
Key Areas Where They Differ
AI Model Options Elephas lets you choose from different AI providers like OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, or even local models. NotebookLM only uses Google's Gemini models, giving you no flexibility in AI provider selection.
Automation Capabilities Elephas offers advanced workflow automation that can perform multi-step tasks automatically. You can create workflows for web research, PDF form filling, and diagram creation. NotebookLM focuses on manual interactions through chat and has no automation features.
Writing and Content Creation Elephas includes professional writing tools with grammar fixes, rewrite modes, and personalized writing styles. NotebookLM can create content from your documents but lacks dedicated writing assistance features.
Platform Availability Elephas works on Mac desktop and iOS devices with seamless integration. NotebookLM is web-only and works through your browser without dedicated apps.
Integration Features Elephas integrates with note-taking apps like Obsidian, Notion, Devonthink, etc. NotebookLM cannot integrate with external apps.
Pricing Structure NotebookLM offers a free version with basic features and premium options through Google One AI Premium at $20 per month. Elephas starts at $8.99 per month with yearly plans and lifetime deals available.
Also, both tools do have some unique features. NotebookLM's standout feature is podcast generation, where AI hosts discuss your documents in audio format, whereas Elephas has offline functionality, workflow automation, and writing assistance.
Conclusion
Both Elephas and NotebookLM are powerful AI tools, but they serve different purposes and user needs. The choice between them depends on what you want to accomplish and how you work.
NotebookLM excels as a research and study tool. Its podcast generation feature, accurate citations, and source-grounded responses make it perfect for students and researchers who need to learn new topics quickly.
Elephas takes a broader approach to productivity. Its offline functionality ensures complete privacy and uninterrupted work. The multiple AI provider options give you flexibility in choosing the best model for your tasks. Advanced automation features save time on repetitive work, while professional writing tools help improve your content quality.
For users who need comprehensive productivity support, Elephas offers better value. Its automation capabilities, writing assistance, and seamless Mac integration make it suitable for various professional tasks.
While NotebookLM will only help in research tasks, Elephas can help in day-to-day tasks including writing and every step of the day from email replies to automating different tasks.
1. Can Elephas work offline while NotebookLM cannot?
Yes, Elephas works completely offline on your Mac without internet connection, keeping all data on your device for maximum privacy. NotebookLM always requires internet connection and processes documents on Google's cloud servers, making offline work impossible.
2. Which is better for students: Elephas or NotebookLM?
NotebookLM is better for students due to its free access, podcast generation feature, study guides, and excellent citation capabilities. It excels at research tasks and learning new topics quickly from uploaded documents and materials.
3. Does Elephas support multiple AI models like ChatGPT and Claude?
Yes, Elephas supports multiple AI providers including OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Deepseek, and local AI models. You can switch between different providers based on your preferences, while NotebookLM only uses Google's Gemini models.
4. Can NotebookLM generate podcasts from my documents?
Yes, NotebookLM's standout feature is generating custom podcasts where two AI hosts discuss your uploaded documents in conversational format. It also offers interactive mode where you can join the conversation and ask questions in real-time.
5. Which tool offers better automation features for productivity tasks?
Elephas offers superior automation with advanced workflow agents that can perform multi-step tasks like web research, PDF form filling, and diagram creation. NotebookLM focuses on manual interactions through chat without any automation capabilities available.
