Turn PDF Into Study Notes AI: 5 Tools Compared
Sarah had 200 pages of textbook PDFs for her upcoming exam. She spent 15 hours highlighting, rewriting, and organizing notes by hand.
Then she discovered AI tools that could convert PDFs directly into study materials.
She saved 10+ hours that week and scored 15 points higher on her exam.
If you're still manually converting PDFs into study notes, you're leaving hours of study time on the table. In this guide, I'll show you the 5 best AI tools to automate this process—and which one actually works best.
Why Converting PDFs is Painful (And Why AI Solves It)
Let's be honest: reading a PDF textbook sucks.
- No structure: PDFs are just walls of text. No organized notes, no key points highlighted, no study format
- No interactivity: You can't quiz yourself, create flashcards, or track what you know/don't know
- Massive time sink: Converting a 50-page PDF into organized notes takes 5-8 hours manually
- Easy to miss important details: Your eyes glaze over after page 10
This is where AI comes in. Modern AI can read a PDF and instantly:
- ✅ Extract key concepts
- ✅ Create organized summaries
- ✅ Generate practice questions
- ✅ Build flashcards
- ✅ Suggest study schedules
Let's compare the best options.
Quick Comparison
| Tool | Speed | Cost | Spaced Repetition | Quiz + Flashcards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | ⭐⭐ | Free / $20 | ❌ | ❌ |
| Notion AI | ⭐⭐ | $16+ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Penseum | ⭐⭐⭐ | $10-15 | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mindgrasp | ⭐⭐⭐ | $10-20 | ❌ | Partial |
| Digestly | ⭐⭐⭐ | $3.99 | ✅ | ✅ |
The 5 Best PDF-to-Notes AI Tools
Tool 1: ChatGPT (The DIY Approach)
How it works: Upload PDF → ChatGPT reads it → Copy-paste prompt → Get notes
Cost: Free (GPT 3.5) or $20/month (GPT-4)
Setup time: 2-3 minutes per PDF
Pros:
- ✅ Free option available
- ✅ Highly customizable (you control the format)
- ✅ Works with any type of content
- ✅ Can follow detailed instructions
Cons:
- ❌ Requires manual copy-paste workflow
- ❌ No spaced repetition system
- ❌ Have to format notes yourself
- ❌ Token limits (max ~100 pages per request)
- ❌ No progress tracking
Best for: Quick one-off notes, when you want maximum control
Verdict: Works, but tedious. Feels like you're doing the work for ChatGPT.
Tool 2: Notion AI (The Integration Approach)
How it works: Upload to Notion → Notion AI analyzes → Auto-creates workspace
Cost: $8-16/month (Notion subscription + AI add-on)
Setup time: 3-5 minutes per PDF
Pros:
- ✅ Works directly inside Notion (no extra app)
- ✅ Notes automatically organized in your workspace
- ✅ Can link related notes together
- ✅ Team collaboration built-in
Cons:
- ❌ Less specialized for studying (generic AI)
- ❌ Expensive ($16/month+ for full AI features)
- ❌ No built-in quiz generation
- ❌ No spaced repetition
- ❌ Requires Notion setup upfront
Best for: Students already using Notion for everything
Verdict: Good if Notion is your system, mediocre for studying specifically.
Tool 3: Penseum (The Study-Focused Approach)
How it works: Upload PDF → Penseum creates notes + quizzes + study plan
Cost: Free or premium ($10-15/month)
Setup time: 2-3 minutes per PDF
What You Get:
- 📄 Detailed study notes (condensed key points)
- 🎯 Practice questions (auto-generated)
- 📚 Flashcards (vocabulary + concepts)
- 📅 Study schedule (spaced repetition built-in)
Pros:
- ✅ Purpose-built for students (not generic AI)
- ✅ Multiple study formats (notes + quiz + flashcards)
- ✅ Includes spaced repetition
- ✅ Progress tracking
- ✅ Decent free tier
Cons:
- ❌ Fewer customization options than ChatGPT
- ❌ Mobile app can be buggy
- ❌ Smaller company (less feature stability)
- ❌ Limited competitor integration
Best for: Students who want an all-in-one study solution
Verdict: Solid choice if you like their features.
Tool 4: Mindgrasp (The Comprehensive Approach)
How it works: Upload PDF, video, or transcript → Mindgrasp extracts learning materials
Cost: Free or premium ($9.99-19.99/month)
Setup time: 1-2 minutes per PDF
Pros:
- ✅ Works with PDFs + videos + web pages (not just text)
- ✅ Fast processing (1-2 minutes for 50-page PDF)
- ✅ Includes AI-powered "key insights"
- ✅ Web research integration (connects concepts across sources)
- ✅ Decent free tier
Cons:
- ❌ Limited flashcard features
- ❌ No built-in spaced repetition
- ❌ Smaller community (fewer updates)
- ❌ Interface feels dated
Best for: Students who consume mixed media (PDFs + videos + articles)
Verdict: Great for multimedia learners, but lacks spaced repetition.
Tool 5: Digestly (The All-in-One Study Platform)
How it works: Upload PDF → Digestly analyzes → Creates notes + quiz + flashcards + study plan
Cost: Free tier available, $3.99/month for premium
Setup time: 30 seconds - 1 minute per PDF
What You Get:
- 📝 Smart summaries (condensed key points)
- 🎯 Auto-generated quizzes (multiple choice + short answer)
- 🃏 Interactive flashcards
- 📅 Personalized study schedule (spaced repetition)
- 📊 Progress analytics (know exactly what you need to study)
- 🎬 YouTube support (paste video link, get study materials)
Unique Features:
- Multi-modal input: PDFs, videos, YouTube links, Google Drive files
- Connected studying: Study materials linked together for context
- Performance tracking: See your score improve over time
- Smart retention: System tells you exactly when to review
Pros:
- ✅ Fastest setup (under 1 minute)
- ✅ Complete study toolkit (notes + quiz + flashcards + schedule)
- ✅ Built-in spaced repetition (science-backed timing)
- ✅ Progress tracking across all materials
- ✅ Works with PDFs, videos, and YouTube
- ✅ Mobile-friendly for studying anywhere
- ✅ Most affordable all-in-one option
Cons:
- ❌ Less established than ChatGPT/Notion
- ❌ Smaller community (fewer user resources)
- ❌ Premium features require subscription
Best for: Students who want a complete, purpose-built study system
Verdict: Best all-around solution. Why convert PDFs into notes when you can convert them directly into study materials?
How to Use AI-Generated Notes Effectively
Just converting a PDF to notes isn't enough. Here's how to actually learn from them:
Step 1: Review the Summary (5 minutes)
Read the AI-generated summary to understand the main concepts. This is your roadmap.
Step 2: Take the Quiz (10 minutes)
Take the auto-generated quiz without looking at notes. This shows you what you actually know vs. don't know.
Step 3: Study Weak Areas (15-20 minutes)
Focus on questions you got wrong. Re-read those sections in the original PDF or summary.
Step 4: Spaced Review (10 minutes, Day 3)
Retake the quiz. Most tools (like Digestly) schedule this for you automatically.
Total time investment: 30-40 minutes per 50-page PDF. Compare that to 5-8 hours manually.
The Bottom Line
AI is transforming how students study. Instead of spending hours converting PDFs into notes, you can spend 30 seconds uploading and get everything you need.
The best tool depends on your workflow. But if you want the fastest, most complete solution for turning PDFs into study materials, Digestly is your answer.
Try It Yourself (Free)
Upload a PDF to Digestly free—no credit card required. Get your first study materials in under 2 minutes.
See for yourself how much time you can save.
Related Reading:
Read more
How to Create a Quiz from Your Lecture Notes in 30 Seconds
Learn the fastest way to turn lecture notes into practice quizzes. 5 methods compared.
Generate Practice Quizzes From Any PDF or Lecture Notes
Generate a practice quiz from any PDF in seconds. Upload your notes, textbook, or slides and get multiple-choice and written-answer questions instantly—no manual typing required.
How to Turn Any PDF Into Flashcards in 30 Seconds
Upload any PDF and get study-ready flashcards in 30 seconds. No typing, no formatting—just instant flashcards from your textbooks, slides, and notes.