AI Perks curates and provides access to exclusive discounts, credits, and deals on AI tools, cloud services, and APIs to help startups and developers save money.
What is the best free AI note taking app for students?
Use a free recorder plus a free study tool: Wave gives 30 minutes a month, Gemini Notebook is free with a Google account, and $240 in Google Gemini credits can cover the rest.
No single app does everything well. Goodnotes notes that most students who use AI effectively combine two or three tools rather than one. This guide shows which free plans fit lectures, where each one runs out, and which student upgrades are in the catalogue.
The Google Gemini card shows who qualifies and how to claim. AI Perks tracks more student offers beyond that one, so the card is the place to check before you pay for any note-taking plan.
Free options are plentiful. Toolradar says 83 percent of the 160 note-taking apps it tracks are free or freemium, and 35 are completely free.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
Which free AI note takers work for lectures?
Lectures are long, so the recording limit matters more than any feature list. Here is what the free plans allow, according to each vendor or a recent review.
| Tool | Free allowance | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Wave | 30 minutes of recording a month | Pro is unlimited |
| Otter Basic | 300 minutes a month | 30 minutes per conversation, three imported audio files in total (as of 18 Oct 2026) |
| Gemini Notebook | Free with a Google account | Within a usage limit |
| LunaNotes | 1,000 AI credits a month | AI tools run on credits |
| Mem | 25 notes and 25 AI chat messages a month | Small monthly caps |
| Laxu AI | 1 free upload | Then $1.99 a week, $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year |
Wave is the simplest recorder to start with. It transcribes in 76 languages with speaker labels, it is free to start with no credit card, and it says it never uses your recordings, transcripts or summaries to train AI models. The 30-minute monthly allowance is the limit to watch: that is about one short lecture.
Otter is built for meetings first, and its 30-minute cap per conversation is short for lectures. Pro costs $16.99 a month, or $8.33 a month billed yearly, and Otter offers a 20% student discount with a .edu email.
What can Gemini Notebook do with my course material?
Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook in July 2026. It is free with a Google account within a usage limit. In one published test, a single PDF produced a study guide, 53 flashcards, a quiz and a 17-minute audio episode.
It works from the sources you upload, which matters. General assistants like ChatGPT and Claude answer from their training data, not your specific notes, so a tool that reads your own slides and readings is better for revision.
A May 2026 description, written before the rename, put the free limits at 100 notebooks, 50 sources each and 50 chat queries a day. The same review was vague on the monthly upload cap and pointed readers to the pricing page, so check the current numbers in the app before you plan a semester around them.
If you want more headroom, the $240 in Google Gemini credits card is the one to open first. It shows who qualifies and how to claim, and AI Perks lists other student offers next to it.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
Which other note apps are free, and where do they stop?
Several well-known apps are free at the base level but keep their AI behind a paywall. Check this before you build your notes in one of them.
- Notion: Notion AI is only a limited trial on the Free and Plus plans. Paid plans cost $10 (Plus) and $20 (Business) per member per month. The $120 in Notion credits card in the catalogue shows who qualifies and how to claim.
- OneNote: plain OneNote is free, but the AI Copilot layer is not.
- Evernote: AI features sit only on its most expensive plan, listed at $249.99 a year.
- Goodnotes: Ask Goodnotes, audio transcription, Study Sets and handwriting search are included in the paid Essential and Pro plans.
- Apple Notes: records audio inside a note, with live transcripts you can search.
- Mindgrasp: a 4-day trial that requires a credit card, with no ongoing free tier, so it is not truly free.
- Polar Notes AI: says you can try it free with fair-use limits, per its own website.
PCMag re-vetted its AI note-taking lineup on 13 August 2026 and left it unchanged, so the main picks have been stable this year.
What student credits are in the AI Perks catalogue?
Free tiers run out mid-semester. Student and education credits are the way to keep going without a card on file for a paid plan. These amounts come from the catalogue, and each row opens that perk's own card.
| Company | Free credits | How to get |
|---|---|---|
| Google Gemini (students) | $240 | Get this perk |
| ElevenLabs (students) | $165 | Get this perk |
| Notion (education) | $120 | Get this perk |
| Perplexity (education) | $84 | Get this perk |
Total: $609 in student and education credits ($240 + $165 + $120 + $84).
For a wider comparison, read Free AI Credits for Students 2026: Every Program Compared or the list in AI Student Discount 2026: Every Verified Offer Listed.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
How do I use AI notes honestly?
AI notes are a study aid, not a substitute for the studying. The honest version is simple: the tool organises and tests, and you do the thinking.
- Record only what you are allowed to record. Check your course and institution rules first.
- Feed the tool your own material. Because general assistants answer from training data, your slides, readings and transcripts are what make the output relevant.
- Quiz yourself from the output. Flashcards and practice quizzes are most useful when you answer before reading the key.
- Rewrite in your own words. Summaries are a starting point. Submitted work should be yours.
- Verify before you trust. Check dates, formulas and names against the original source.
For more task-by-task ideas, see Free AI for Students 2026: Best Tools by Study Task.
How do I set this up step by step?
Step 1: Get credits via AI Perks. Open the AI Perks catalogue, find the student and education cards, and open the one you want. The card shows who qualifies and how to claim. Start with $240 in Google Gemini credits if you want the biggest amount.
Step 2: Record the lecture. Use Wave for its 30 free minutes a month, or Apple Notes if you want a transcript inside the note. If you use Otter, remember each conversation stops at 30 minutes.
Step 3: Upload your own material. Put the transcript, slides and readings into Gemini Notebook. Ask for a study guide, flashcards and a quiz.
Step 4: Check and rewrite. Compare the output with the source, fix errors, and write your own summary.
Step 5: Upgrade only when a limit blocks you. If you hit a cap, compare the $165 in ElevenLabs credits and $84 in Perplexity credits cards before paying for a plan.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
FAQ
Is there a free AI note taker for lectures?
Yes, with limits. Wave gives 30 minutes of recording a month, and Otter's free Basic plan gives 300 minutes a month but stops each conversation at 30 minutes. Both are short for a long lecture, so check the student credit cards before you pay for an upgrade.
Is Gemini Notebook the same as NotebookLM?
Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook in July 2026. It is free with a Google account within a usage limit, and in one test a single PDF produced a study guide, 53 flashcards, a quiz and a 17-minute audio episode. The exact upload cap is not clearly stated, so check the app.
Is using AI notes cheating?
Not when it supports your own work. Use it to organise what you recorded, quiz yourself and find gaps, then write answers in your own words. General assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude answer from training data, not your notes, so feed tools your own material and follow your course rules.
Can I get paid AI features free as a student?
Sometimes. The catalogue lists student and education credits, including $240 in Google Gemini credits and $120 in Notion credits. Each card shows who qualifies and how to claim. Amounts differ by company, so compare the cards at getaiperks.com before you choose.
Does Wave train AI on my recordings?
Wave says it never uses your recordings, transcripts or summaries to train AI models. It transcribes in 76 languages with speaker labels, and it is free to start with no credit card. The free plan gives 30 minutes a month, while Pro is unlimited.
Do I need to pay for Otter, Notion AI or Goodnotes?
Not to start. Otter Pro costs $16.99 a month, or $8.33 a month billed yearly, with a 20% student discount for .edu emails. Notion AI is only a limited trial on Free and Plus, and Goodnotes includes its AI in paid Essential and Pro plans. Check AI Perks first.
Ready to find your student credits?
The free tiers get you through a few lectures. The student cards in the catalogue add credits across four companies, and each one shows who qualifies and how to claim.
Get free AI credits at getaiperks.com →
Browse every student and education offer at getaiperks.com, where AI Perks tracks new perks as they appear.
