As obsessed as I am with NotebookLM, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't switch to a competitor that did what NotebookLM does, only better. I've tested my fair share of alternatives, including those that focus on specific features like Audio Overviews and Mind Maps. Unfortunately, the majority of them aren't all that great yet.
I've also tried different Google Labs experiments to see how they compare, and while some come impressively close (and even outperform NotebookLM in certain areas), they're still very much a work in progress. One fairly new tool that's seriously impressed me is Gistr. The tool now has a Chrome extension, and I've been using it extensively over the last few days. And as I expected, it's been a huge boost to my productivity.
What is Gistr?
The only AI tool you need
The team behind Gistr describes it as an AI-native notebook, and the tool is primarily designed to help you "think, learn, and organize knowledge you discover online." Like NotebookLM, Gistr not only lets you ask questions about the sources you're working with but also keeps everything grounded in the original context. NotebookLM's source-grounded nature is what keeps me coming back to the tool every time.
It's saved me hours of manually cross-verifying everything the AI tells me, so I'm glad to see another tool adopting a similar, reliability-first approach. It also lets you capture highlights and moments from PDFs, YouTube videos, and even web articles, and then organize them into threads or collections.
I used to use NotebookLM to watch YouTube videos a lot, and since I discovered Gistr, I've pretty much made the switch. The tool even fixes nearly every flaw NotebookLM has when it comes to using it for YouTube videos, and I've talked about that in detail in a separate article.
When I first wrote about Gistr, the tool was completely free to use. The team has since introduced a paid plan called Pro Monthly, which costs $5 per month. Despite launching subscription tiers, the team emphasized that "Gistr's core and premium features will always be free with fair use limits."
Gistr's Chrome extension helps you capture what matters while watching
No need to open a separate app for note-taking
Though I've always used Gistr's website, the team has now launched an updated Chrome extension, which they claim is easier to use and more reliable. So, of course, I had to download it the moment I heard about it. While Gistr's website interface works with different source types like PDFs and web articles, the extension seems to be specifically designed for YouTube. Once you've installed it from the Chrome Web Store, every time you open YouTube, you'll notice a small moveable button with Gistr's logo stamped on it. When you open a video and tap the Gistr button, the video will instantly be saved to your sources.
The pop-up also shows a few quick options: View Notes and Get Key Insights. You can also hit the Open in Gistr button to well, be redirected to the full project on Gistr's website, where all your sources and notes are organized.
The View Notes section is where I think the real magic happens. Instead of just passively watching a YouTube video (which, let's be real, we all do), you can take timestamped notes. This means that if there's ever a moment in the video you're watching where you'd like to jot something down and not forget exactly where it happened, you can capture it instantly, and come back to that exact point later without any hassle.
All you need to do is hit the Add Timestamp button, and you can start jotting down notes in the text editor. You can also format the text ± turn it into headings (H1s, H2s, etc.), bullet or numbered lists, bold or italicize text, and for those who love color-coding their notes, you can even change the text color. You can click the Transcript button to view the transcription of the video you're watching.
The transcription is synced with playback, and the current line is highlighted as the video plays. Sometimes, you might want to screenshot a certain part of the video, and Gistr makes that easy, too. You can capture a specific frame directly from the video and attach it to your notes, making it easier to reference later.
The Chrome extension's AI features are genuinely practical and time-saving
AI features you'll actually use
One of the biggest issues I've noticed in AI tools is that many of their features add little to no real value to your daily life. The reason I use NotebookLM so much is that its AI features are actually practical and help streamline my workflow instead of complicating it. Gistr's AI features are fortunately no different.
One AI feature Gistr has that I've talked about before, and absolutely love, is Moments. With this feature, all you need to do is click a single button, and the most important moments of the video you're watching will instantly be identified. You can then click on any of the Moments, and you'll be redirected to that exact part of the video.
Beyond the Moments feature, you can also ask Gistr questions about the video as you watch it, and the AI will use the transcript to generate grounded, context-aware answers. If you're blanking and can't think of questions to ask, there's also a Smart Questions button above the text box, where Gistr suggests questions you can use.
There's also a Toolkit button, which includes different prompts you can send to Gistr, grouped into categories. For instance, the Students category has the following prompts:
* Break this into chapters, a neat, section-by-section breakdown!
* Give me a practice quiz
* Explain this like a story, so I don't forget it!
* Give me a one-page summary to cram before my exam!
Finally, there's a Smart Guide button, which also offers pre-written prompts that instantly populate the text box when clicked. Unlike the Smart Questions prompts, the ones in Smart Guide are designed to help you quickly explore the video you're watching:
* Get the Gist
* Useful advice I can take away from this
* Make it super simple, no jargon!
* Explain Core Concepts in Bullet Points
* Hit me with a deep question that makes me think.
Trust me, you're missing out if you haven't tried this yet
If you're a NotebookLM fan, and you haven't tried Gistr yet, you're missing out on one of the best AI tools available right now. The team behind it is constantly updating it with new features and improvements, making it more capable with every update.
