AI Notes Generator Chrome Extension

Reduz is an AI notes generator that turns source material — YouTube videos, PDFs, articles, webpages, transcripts, and selected text — into reusable structured notes instead of throwaway chat replies. Use it for study notes before exams, meeting recaps after Zoom calls, article notes for research briefs, and lecture notes that survive the semester. Cleo uses it to build a searchable note library across all her course materials. Theo uses it to compress a stack of papers into notes he can revisit. Anya turns industry articles into citation-ready notes for client briefs.

Illustration of a person taking structured notes in a notebook with ideas around them — Photo by Storyset on Pixabay

What you get

One workflow, every source type: YouTube, PDFs, articles, webpages, transcripts, selected text.
Output styles: bullets, full notes, study outline, flashcard prompts, review questions, research brief.
Local SQLite note library with full-text search, source URL, timestamp, and provider tags.
AI notes maker for cross-source synthesis: combine lecture + PDF + articles into one unified note set.
Hosted Free with 100 monthly credits (1 per article/video/webpage, 2 per PDF) or Your own AI key unlimited via your own provider key.
Export to Markdown (Obsidian / Roam / Zettlr ready), PDF, DOCX, JSON, or ZIP for portable note artifacts.

Sample source material summary

A study session combining a 75-minute lecture video, a 12-page PDF handout, and three short reference articles for the same topic — turned into one unified note set.

Key idea: the lecture introduces the framework conceptually; the PDF provides the formal definitions and proofs; the articles show three contrasting real-world applications.
Study note: compare each example against the 3-criterion checklist from article #2 before applying the framework in homework problems.
Review prompt: explain the boundary condition the lecturer mentions at 38:12 in your own words, then cite the PDF section (page 7) that proves it formally.
Flashcard candidate: front — "What does the framework predict when condition X holds?" Back — "It does NOT apply; see article #3 for the counter-example."
Open question for office hours: the PDF and article #2 disagree on the edge case at 12:34 in the lecture — which source is right and what does the lecturer say?

How it compares

Compared with single-purpose AI notes makers like Kuse, Turbo AI, Revisely, and Edubrain — most of which require account creation and upload-based workflows — Reduz reads sources from the Chrome tab where they already live. Compared with broad workspaces like NoteGPT, Reduz is narrower and local-first: notes save to on your device, no account required when you bring your own AI key, optional encrypted cloud backup if you want a copy off-device. Compared with all-in-one assistants like Sider and Monica, Reduz uses click-only permission instead of permission to read every page and ships no analytics or telemetry.

AI notes generator vs AI notes maker: same job, two names

AI notes generator and AI notes maker mean the same thing in practice — both target users who want structured notes from source material, not generic chat output. Reduz handles both intents: paste-in source paths for transcript-style content, in-tab reading for PDFs and articles, and YouTube transcript reading for video lectures. The output style switcher produces study notes, review prompts, flashcards, or research briefs from the same source.

AI study notes generator for exam prep

For exam preparation, Reduz can turn a stack of course materials into a unified note library. Run Reduz on each lecture video, each reading PDF, and each reference article — all summaries save to local storage history searchable by topic, week, or course. The review-prompt output style produces self-test questions; the flashcard style produces front/back pairs ready for Anki import. Cleo builds the note library throughout the semester and revisits it during finals.

Cross-source synthesis: combining lecture, PDF, and articles

For topics that span multiple sources — a lecture introducing the concept, a PDF defining it formally, articles showing applications — Reduz can produce cross-source notes that connect the threads. Generate individual summaries first, then use a meta-summary prompt to combine. The local storage history makes the source set searchable so you can revisit the combination later without re-summarizing.

AI notes from YouTube videos and lectures

For recorded lectures on YouTube, Reduz reads the transcript directly from the watch page with timestamps preserved. The study notes output style produces a structured outline with main argument, key examples, and time-stamped review prompts. Clicking a timestamp seeks the YouTube player back to the moment — useful when reviewing the lecture before an exam.

Export, share, and import into your note system

Notes save to local history by default, but they're also exportable to standard formats. Markdown export imports cleanly into Obsidian, Roam, Zettlr, and Logseq with source-URL frontmatter intact. PDF export is useful for sharing notes with a study group. DOCX export imports into Word with formatting. JSON export keeps the full history payload for backup. ZIP bundles aggregate multiple notes into one archive.

Hosted Free vs your own AI key for note generation

Hosted Free processes the source through the Reduz relay and counts credits per generation (1 per article/video/webpage, 2 per PDF). 100 monthly credits cover roughly 50-100 notes per month with no card. Your own AI key sends source text direct from your browser to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, or xAI Grok using your own API key — unlimited usage at provider cost (cents per note on Haiku or Mini variants). Cleo can use the free Google AI Studio quota effectively for the entire semester.

Frequently asked questions

What sources can Reduz turn into AI notes?

Reduz can generate AI notes from YouTube videos, PDFs (research papers, handouts, textbooks, manuals), articles, readable webpages, YouTube and meeting transcripts, and selected text from the active Chrome tab. One extension, every common source type.

Is Reduz an AI notes generator or an AI notes maker?

Both terms describe the same product category — tools that produce structured notes from source material. Reduz handles the intent behind both phrases: turn what you read or watch into reusable notes with structure, exports, and searchable history.

Can I export AI notes to Obsidian or Notion?

Yes. Markdown export from Reduz imports cleanly into Obsidian, Roam, Zettlr, Logseq, and Notion. Each exported note includes the source URL, title, timestamp, and provider tag as frontmatter, so you can search and link notes in your knowledge management tool.

Can Reduz generate flashcards or review questions?

Yes. Output styles include flashcard pairs (front/back ready for Anki import), review prompts (self-test questions tied to the source), and study outlines (structured argument breakdowns). Switch styles for the same source without re-generating — Reduz keeps the source in memory while the tab is open.

Is Reduz a cheaper alternative to NoteGPT or Turbo AI?

For most users, yes. Reduz Hosted Free is 100 monthly credits with no card — covers 50-100 notes per month. NoteGPT premium is ~$8/mo, Turbo AI is paid-mostly. Reduz Your own AI key is unlimited at provider cost (cents per note on Haiku or Mini models, often free if you stay within Google AI Studio's free quota for Gemini).

Is Reduz free?

Yes. Reduz includes 100 free credits a month. Using your own AI key removes the credit limit.

Do I need an account?

Not when you use your own AI key. An account is only needed for free credits, paid plans, or cloud backup.

Where is my data stored?

Summary history is stored in your browser. Cloud backup is opt-in and encrypted on your device before upload.

Which AI providers does Reduz support?

Reduz supports OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and xAI Grok. You can also use free credits without setting up an AI account.