Study podcast generator

The AI Podcast Generator Built for Studying

Turn PDFs, slides, recordings, videos, and notes into a three-speaker podcast series for each course. Alex hosts, Sam produces, and the Guest explains each source. Every episode includes chapters, a transcript, and citations.

Create a study podcast free

Free to start · No credit card required

Used by 170,000+ learners and professionals worldwide
170,000+
Learners and professionals worldwide
70+
Languages supported
3
Conversation styles

Quick answer

What is the best AI podcast generator for studying?

Scholarly turns course material into three-speaker podcast episodes with chapters, a searchable transcript, and source citations. Alex hosts, Sam produces, and the Guest explains the material. The same source can also become flashcards, quizzes, and cited AI chat. Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) also creates audio overviews; Scholarly keeps listening and self-testing in one workspace. Episodes are available in 70+ languages.

Updated July 2026. Speaker roles and length controls reflect the current version of Scholarly.

Any source mix

Start from whatever your course gives you

Every course hands you material in a different shape. All of these become episodes.

Textbook chapters and PDFs

Assigned readings, study guides, and research papers. PDFs are processed up to 1,000 pages on Premium (3,000 on Laureate).

Lecture slides

Slide decks already highlight what the instructor cares about, which makes tight episodes.

Recorded lectures

Record or upload lecture audio; Scholarly transcribes it and podcasts the content back to you, condensed.

YouTube videos

Paste a link to a lecture or explainer video and turn it into a listenable recap.

Notes, docs, and images

Typed notes, pasted text, or photos of handwritten pages from your notebook.

A plain topic

No file yet? Describe the topic. Source-backed episodes are stronger, but a topic works for orientation.

You can combine several sources into one episode — for example, this week's slides plus the matching textbook chapter plus your own notes — and the hosts weave them into a single narrative with citations showing where each point came from.

How it works

From source pile to study podcast

Choose the sources, style, target length, and language, then start generation.

01

Add your sources

Upload one source or a mix: a PDF, slides, a recorded lecture, a YouTube link, your notes. Pick what belongs in this episode.

02

Pick a style and language

Conversational, Exam Prep, or Deep Dive, plus custom instructions. Generate in any of 70+ languages.

03

Listen and organize by course

Keep each course together. Every plan includes streaming, transcripts, chapters, and link sharing. Paid plans can download MP3s.

Playlist per course

Build a podcast series for each course

The real power is not one episode, it is a series: one episode per week or unit, generated as the course moves, sitting in a course folder you can replay before exams.

BIO 201 — Midterm playlist

Five episodes covering units 1 through 4, generated week by week

01

Cell structure and organelles

11 min

From the weeks 1 and 2 slide decks

02

Membranes and transport

14 min

From textbook chapter 5

03

Enzymes and metabolism

12 min

From a recorded lecture plus your own notes

04

Cellular respiration

13 min

From textbook chapter 7

05

Whole-unit quick summary

8 min

From the midterm study guide, Conversational style

That is about an hour of audio covering four units — replayable on the commute during midterm week. When a new unit lands, generate its episode and regenerate the quick summary so the playlist stays current.

Styles and length

Three styles, three jobs

Pick the style by what you need the episode to do, not by habit.

Conversational

Mid-length

A natural first pass on new material. Best the week a unit is taught, before you have read anything twice.

Exam Prep

Focused

Emphasizes definitions, distinctions students confuse, and likely exam questions. Best in the two weeks before a test.

Deep Dive

Longest

Slower and more thorough. Spend it on the one chapter that actually confuses you, not on everything.

Runtime depends on the sources and target length. Alex hosts, Sam produces, and the Guest explains. Custom instructions can focus the episode on a specific section.

Honest limits

Where audio fits in real studying

A study podcast earns its place in three moments: priming before a lecture so the material lands the first time, re-exposure during dead time that would otherwise be zero studying, and a final-pass recap before an exam.

It is not problem-solving practice. If your course is graded on working problems — math, physics, accounting — the podcast can explain methods and when to use them, but the points come from doing problems on paper. And re-listening has diminishing returns: by the third pass you are recognizing the audio, not learning the material.

That is why every episode keeps its source attached. After a listen or two, switch to retrieval on the same material: flashcards or practice quizzes generated from the exact sources the episode covered, plus a cited transcript when you want to verify a claim against the original page.

FAQ

Study podcasts, frequently asked

What makes a podcast generator good for studying specifically?

Three things: it should work from your actual course material rather than a generic topic summary, it should cite where claims come from so you can verify against the source, and it should connect to self-testing. Scholarly does all three — episodes are grounded in your uploads with page citations, and the same source generates flashcards and quizzes.

Can I combine different sources into one episode?

Yes. A common setup is the week's lecture slides plus the matching textbook chapter plus your own notes in a single episode. The hosts merge them into one narrative, and citations show which source each point came from.

How do I organize episodes by course?

Use folders: one per course, holding that course's sources, episodes, flashcards, and quizzes together. Before an exam, the folder works like a playlist — play the episodes in order, most recent unit first.

How is Scholarly different from Audio Overviews in Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)?

Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) is an excellent general-purpose research notebook and popularized AI audio overviews. Scholarly is built for students: three conversation styles including Exam Prep, 70+ languages, and a study loop where the same source becomes flashcards, quizzes, and a cited AI chat. If you only want audio from documents, both work; if listening is one step in exam prep, that loop is the difference.

What languages can I generate in?

70+ languages, including Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, and Portuguese. The source and the episode do not have to match — you can podcast an English textbook chapter in your native language.

Can I download episodes or share them with classmates?

Every plan can stream an episode and share a public link. Paid plans can download MP3s for offline listening.

Does listening to podcasts count as real studying?

As one layer, yes; alone, no. Listening builds familiarity and is dramatically better than nothing during a commute, but exams reward retrieval. The honest workflow: listen once or twice, then test yourself with flashcards or a quiz from the same source. The podcast finds your gaps cheaply; retrieval closes them.

Is the study podcast generator free?

Yes. The Free plan includes one AI Creation Credit shared across Scholarly for the life of the account. It does not reset, and you can use it for a podcast. Premium includes 10 AI Creation Credits each week. No credit card is required.

Is there a free AI study podcast I can make from my course material?

Yes. The Free plan includes one AI Creation Credit shared across Scholarly for the life of the account. Use it to turn a PDF, slides, a lecture, or notes into a three-speaker episode with chapters, a transcript, and citations. Premium includes 10 AI Creation Credits each week and longer documents. No credit card is required.

Keep exploring

Podcast study workflows

Start from a PDF, your notes, or a whole course folder.

AI Podcast Generator

The full podcast tool: any source, any style, 70+ languages.

Podcast Feature Overview

Everything Scholarly podcasts include, with examples.

PDF to Podcast

Textbook chapters and papers as three-speaker audio episodes.

Notes to Podcast

Your own class notes as a weekly audio recap.

AI Podcast from PDF

A deeper guide to PDF-based study episodes.

AI Flashcards

Retrieval practice from the same sources after you listen.

Get started

Start your first course playlist

Free to start. Add this week's sources, generate an episode, and build the series as the semester moves.

Create a study podcast free

Trying your first source? Start Free. Working with new material each week? Premium includes 10 AI Creation Credits a week. Need more capacity? Compare Laureate.

Pricing shown in USD by default. Local currency may be available in app or at checkout.

Compare plans

AI chat

Premium and Laureate include unlimited AI chat. The chat model menu is a curated selection and is smaller than the creation catalog — some models, including the Frontier tier, are reserved for credit-metered AI creations.

Free
3 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

AI Creation Credits

AI Creation Credits share one balance across every creation tool. Most models use 1 credit, a few use 2, and Frontier models use 3.

Free
1 total
Premium
10/week
Laureate
80/week

Podcast length

Free episodes are fixed at 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target length up to 60 minutes.

Free
2 minutes
Premium
Up to 60 minutes
Laureate
Up to 60 minutes

Video lecture length

Free lectures with a length control are fixed at 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target up to 45 minutes. Short uses its own short video format.

Free
2 minutes
Premium
Up to 45 minutes
Laureate
Up to 45 minutes

File uploads

Free
1 total (8MB)
Premium
Unlimited (300MB)
Laureate
Unlimited (1 GB each)

PDF to flashcards

Free
32 pages
Premium
1000 pages
Laureate
3000 pages

Sources per creation

Free
Up to 1
Premium
Up to 10
Laureate
Up to 20

Practice questions

Free
5 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Practice exams

Free
1 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Voice mode

Free
15 min total
Premium
2 hr/day
Laureate
12 hr/day

Autocomplete

Free
500 words total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Export to Anki

Free
—
Premium
Included
Laureate
Included

Support

Free
Standard
Premium
Priority
Laureate
Priority

What customers say

Scholarly has enhanced the quality of notes and questions I administer to my tutees. Insightful, to the point.

TD Georgas

TD Georgas

Tutor

I have very good experience with Scholarly it summarize me scientific text in hovel academic level with citation. I use this for any therapeutic area . It is great and useful tool.

Diana

Diana

Scholarly user

Scholarly has been a valuable tool for my studies. The AI-generated flashcards and intuitive features make organizing and retaining information much easier.

Briana

Briana

Scholarly user

This app is great for studying for big test. Drop your PDF's in the system and it'll do the trick. You can organize it specifically for your needs.

Kelvin

Kelvin

Scholarly user

Your questions, answered

Is Scholarly free to use?

Yes! The free plan includes core study tools with lifetime allowances: 3 AI Chat messages, 500 autocomplete words, 5 quiz questions, 15 voice minutes, 1 practice exam, one free AI Creation Credit total, and 1 file upload. These allowances do not reset. Upgrade to Premium for 10 AI Creation Credits per week and unlimited uploads.

What uses my free AI Creation Credits?

AI Creation Credits are shared across flashcards, podcasts, videos, slides, AI Documents, Deep Research, and the Transcribe tool. The selected model determines the credit cost. Recording live audio and saving its transcript uses your file upload allowance instead; it does not use AI Creation Credits.

Can I cancel anytime?

Absolutely. There are no contracts or commitments. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings, and you'll keep access until the end of your billing period.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept all major credit and debit cards through Stripe. Pricing is displayed in USD by default, but local currency is available in the app.

Can I use Scholarly with a class or school?

Yes. For a school or organization-wide rollout, contact us at hello@scholarly.so and we'll help you find the right setup.

What happens when I hit a free plan limit?

You'll see a prompt to upgrade. Your existing work is never lost — limits only apply to new actions. Free-plan allowances are lifetime credits and do not reset. Premium includes 10 AI Creation Credits per week, podcasts up to 60 minutes, video lectures up to 45 minutes, unlimited uploads, chat, autocomplete, quizzes, and exams, plus more daily voice time.