--- title: "NotebookLM vs PDF.ai: Which is searched more?" description: "Is NotebookLM or PDF.ai more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the AI PDF tools set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/notebooklm-vs-pdf-ai" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # NotebookLM vs PDF.ai: Which is searched more? Is NotebookLM or PDF.ai more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the AI PDF tools set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: NotebookLM and PDF.ai - **Competitive set**: AI PDF tools - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **NotebookLM Share of Search**: 86.2% - **PDF.ai Share of Search**: 0.05% ## Is NotebookLM or PDF.ai more popular in search? - In September 2026, NotebookLM had more branded searches than PDF.ai among AI PDF tools worldwide. NotebookLM had about 24.5 million branded searches, while PDF.ai had 14,800. NotebookLM made up 86.2% of all AI PDF tool searches we track, and PDF.ai accounted for 0.05%. - NotebookLM was ahead of PDF.ai in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NotebookLM’s share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide moved from 67.1% to 86.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 11.9M to 24.5M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PDF.ai’s share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide moved from 0.28% to 0.05%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 49.5K to 14.8K. ## Top AI PDF tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, NotebookLM was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. PDF.ai did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Adobe Acrobat | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | NotebookLM | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | ChatPDF | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Humata | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | PDF.ai | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | AskYourPDF | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Documind | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about AI PDF tools - Asked ChatGPT "Which AI PDF tool should I use?": 1. NotebookLM, 2. Adobe Acrobat, 3. ChatPDF - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best AI PDF tools?": 1. NotebookLM, 2. Adobe Acrobat, 3. ChatPDF - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best AI PDF tool for PDF documents?": 1. Adobe Acrobat, 2. NotebookLM, 3. ChatPDF - Searched Google, AI Overview "ai pdf tool": 1. Adobe Acrobat, 2. ChatPDF - Searched Google, AI Overview "chat with pdf": 1. ChatPDF, 2. Adobe Acrobat Not named in any answer: Humata, PDF.ai, AskYourPDF and Documind. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for AI PDF tools worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, NotebookLM gained share of searches among AI PDF tools worldwide, from 85.1% to 86.2%. - In September 2026, PDF.ai fell from 4th to 5th among AI PDF tools worldwide. ## Month by month | Month | NotebookLM estimated searches | NotebookLM Share of Search | NotebookLM rank | PDF.ai estimated searches | PDF.ai Share of Search | PDF.ai rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 11.9M | 67.1% | 1 | 49.5K | 0.28% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | 13.8M | 73.4% | 1 | 40.5K | 0.21% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 16.3M | 79.8% | 1 | 33.1K | 0.16% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 19.9M | 81.1% | 1 | 27.1K | 0.11% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 19.9M | 79.6% | 1 | 27.1K | 0.11% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | 24.5M | 83.8% | 1 | 33.1K | 0.11% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | 29.9M | 87% | 1 | 33.1K | 0.1% | 4 | | May 2026 | 29.9M | 86.9% | 1 | 27.1K | 0.08% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 24.5M | 85.3% | 1 | 22.2K | 0.08% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | 19.3M | 82.7% | 1 | 18.1K | 0.08% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | 19.9M | 85.1% | 1 | 14.8K | 0.06% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | 24.5M | 86.2% | 1 | 14.8K | 0.05% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using NotebookLM’s and PDF.ai’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **NotebookLM**: Measured on the search terms “notebook lm” and “notebooklm”, summed into one figure. - **PDF.ai**: Measured on the search term “pdfai”. - [NotebookLM profile](/demand/global-en/brands/notebooklm) - [PDF.ai profile](/demand/global-en/brands/pdf-ai) - [All AI PDF tools worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/ai-pdf-tools): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is NotebookLM or PDF.ai more popular in search? In September 2026, NotebookLM had more branded searches than PDF.ai among AI PDF tools worldwide. NotebookLM had about 24.5 million branded searches, while PDF.ai had 14,800. NotebookLM made up 86.2% of all AI PDF tool searches we track, and PDF.ai accounted for 0.05%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "NotebookLM vs PDF.ai: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/notebooklm-vs-pdf-ai This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/notebooklm-vs-pdf-ai. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.