Last updated: October 17, 2026
NotebookLM is now called Gemini Notebook. On a paid Google Workspace plan it carries Google’s business data terms, which is fine for most office documents. When client files must stay on your own hardware, the practical self-hosted options are Open WebUI with Ollama, SurfSense, or AnythingLLM. Each answers questions over your documents with citations.
Where things stand
Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. Google calls it the same standalone product, now also available inside the Gemini app, and says it has over 30 million users. Each notebook can now run code against its sources on a “secure cloud computer,” starting with AI Ultra customers and Workspace customers on the AI Ultra Access and AI Expanded Access add-ons.
For a Workspace account, the terms matter more than the features. Google’s help page lists Gemini Notebook as a core service on Business Starter, Standard and Plus, on par with Gmail and Docs. It describes enterprise-grade protections as meaning uploads, chats and outputs are not reviewed by humans or used to train models; confirm your own edition’s row on that page. On Business Base and Workspace Individual it is an “additional service” under general Google terms. Check which edition you are on before uploading client files.
Limits depend on the plan. A review that checked limits in August 2026 lists 50 sources per notebook and 50 chats a day for free accounts and Business Starter, and 300 sources and 500 chats for Business Standard and Plus.
On the self-hosted side, Open WebUI is the most active project. Version 0.12.0 (October 10, 2026) added multi-factor sign-in, nested user groups that inherit access, and a file browser for knowledge bases that shows exactly what text the model searches. Version 0.12.1 (October 14) put users and models in one Analytics table with token counts per user. PyPI listed 0.12.3 as the latest release on October 16. Note the license: it is the Open WebUI License, which requires keeping the Open WebUI branding.
SurfSense is the closest open-source match to the NotebookLM workflow: upload sources, ask questions, get cited answers, even generate podcasts. It is Apache 2.0, runs local models through Ollama or vLLM, and adds team roles (Owner, Admin, Editor, Viewer). AnythingLLM is the simplest single-user option, a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux with its own vector database that connects to Ollama.
| Option | Best for | Cost (month seen) | Runs where | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini Notebook on Workspace Business Standard/Plus | Offices already on Google, non-privileged documents | Included in $14 / $22 per user per month, annual (Sep 2026) | Google cloud | Best quality and least effort. Business data terms apply. Not for files your clients said must stay in-house. |
| Gemini Notebook, free or Google AI Pro | Personal research, public material | $0, or $19.99 per month for AI Pro (Aug 2026) | Google cloud | Consumer terms. Keep client files out of personal accounts. |
| Open WebUI + Ollama | A shared office assistant with user accounts and groups | Free software; you pay for hardware (Oct 2026) | Your server or a Mac on the LAN | The default self-hosted pick. Groups and per-user analytics make it workable for 5 to 30 people. |
| SurfSense + Ollama | Teams that want the NotebookLM workflow with roles | Free, Apache 2.0 (Apr 2026) | Docker on your server | Closest feature match. Younger project, so plan more setup and upkeep time. |
| AnythingLLM Desktop | One person, one laptop, confidential files | Free download (Mar 2026) | Windows, macOS, Linux desktop | Quickest way to test private Q&A. Not built for a whole office. |
What a small office should do now
Sort your documents into two piles first. Pile one is ordinary business material: policies, templates, marketing, vendor contracts. Pile two is anything covered by privilege, patient privacy, a client confidentiality clause, or a client instruction that files stay on your systems.
For pile one, if you are on Workspace Business Standard or Plus, use Gemini Notebook and stop there. The quality is better than anything you can host yourself, and the business terms cover it.
For pile two, run Open WebUI with Ollama on a machine you control, with a model sized to your hardware (see our local AI hardware page). Turn on multi-factor sign-in, put staff in groups that match who may see which matter, and test with a junior account that it cannot see restricted knowledge bases.
Do not bother self-hosting if nobody will maintain it. An unpatched server holding client files is worse than a well-configured cloud plan. And if your only “confidential” files are the ones already sitting in Google Drive, the data has already gone to Google; Gemini Notebook on a business plan adds little new exposure.
What we’re watching
- When Gemini Notebook code execution reaches Business Standard and Plus without an add-on.
- Open WebUI 0.12.x point releases, which include database migrations: back up before upgrading.
- Whether Open WebUI’s Google Drive file picker remains supported in the 0.12 line (not confirmed in the 0.12 release notes).
- SurfSense release pace and whether it adds single sign-on.
Sources
- Google: NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook, July 2026
- Google Help: Use Gemini Notebook with a work or school account, checked October 2026
- SaaS CRM Review: Gemini Notebook pricing and plan limits, October 2026 (limits checked August 2026)
- Open WebUI v0.12.0 release post, October 2026
- Open WebUI v0.12.1 release post, October 2026
- PyPI: open-webui, October 2026
- The Menon Lab: SurfSense for teams, April 2026
- Better Stack: AnythingLLM with local LLMs, March 2026
- eesel: Google Workspace pricing, September 2026
Changelog
- 2026-10-17 — Page created.