1. KnowFi: for the practice phase on Mac
Like NotebookLM, KnowFi uses your own notes, but it comes in when you practise. A shortcut captures the practice question on screen, and the answer appears in the menu bar with reasoning from your local PDF, text and Markdown files. No Google account, no uploading to a notebook.
Good for: past papers and practice questions with your own notes. Less good for: long summaries or audio overviews.
2. ChatGPT: files in the chat
In ChatGPT you can upload files and ask about them, also across several conversations in projects. On top of that you get the model's broad general knowledge.
Good for: explanations in dialogue and lots of follow-up questions. Less good for: sticking strictly to your sources.
| KnowFi | ChatGPT | Claude | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Practising with your notes | Explaining in dialogue | Long documents | Research with sources |
| Your own material | Select locally | Upload | Upload | Mostly web |
| Asking a question | Shortcut from the screen | Typing | Typing | Typing |
| Google account needed | No | No | No | No |
As of November 2026. Details about other providers without guarantee; please check features and prices with each provider.
3. Claude: long documents
Anthropic's Claude also works with uploaded documents and handles long texts well. Here too, you can group material in projects.
Good for: summarising and discussing long notes. Less good for: quick practice without switching windows.
4. Perplexity: research with sources
Perplexity combines AI answers with source citations from the web and suits research beyond your notes.
Good for: finding background and current sources. Less good for: answers that should match your lecture exactly.
Which alternative fits?
If you mainly used NotebookLM for practice, KnowFi is the most direct replacement. For conversations about the material, ChatGPT or Claude; for research, Perplexity. For a broader overview see AI study tools for Mac.
Updated 11 November 2026