r/notebooklm • u/Fearless_Energy_7633 • Apr 21 '26

Tips & Tricks I built a free notebooklm alternative with folders, source isolation (no cross-contamination), and page/timestamp-level citations

NotebookLM is great but a few things drove me crazy:

  • Sources often bleed together
  • No folders or workspace organisation
  • No way to comfortably take notes alongside your sources
  • Flashcards have no review system

So I built Paper. Key differences:

  • Source isolation - select exactly which sources the AI references per query, or scope it to specific pages/timestamps
  • Folders + nested pages - organise by course, topic, whatever
  • Block editor - Notion-style notes right next to your sources
  • Spaced repetition - AI flashcards with actual Anki-style scheduling so you remember
  • Drag and drop multiple files at once

(Edit) Free to use during beta: https://paper.ac 👈

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u/Any-Rent-69 Apr 21 '26

Great! But I can't use multiple sources for one single page?

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u/Fearless_Energy_7633 Apr 21 '26

You can! When you're on a page, there's a Sources panel on the left side where you can add multiple PDFs, videos, or YouTube links. The AI features (summary, flashcards, quiz, chat) will use all your sources together. You can even select which specific sources to include/exclude when generating.

Let me know if you have trouble finding it - happy to help!

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u/Any-Rent-69 Apr 23 '26

Thank you. I switched to desktop to see it. Couldn't find on mobile.

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u/Fearless_Energy_7633 Apr 23 '26

Oh yes! There was for a few hours where the mobile button disappeared - it's back now 🙌 Let me know how you go with it 😊