Turn Any PDF Into a Study Podcast You Can Listen To
Upload a textbook chapter, lecture slides, or a research paper. Scholarly creates a natural three-speaker conversation you can review as audio or as a synchronized chapter-slide video.
Free to start · No credit card required
Upload a textbook chapter, lecture slides, or a research paper. Scholarly scripts a three-speaker episode from the document, with Alex hosting, Sam producing, and a Guest explaining the material. Listen as audio or watch the synchronized chapter slides in Video mode. It is free to start in 70+ languages; paid plans can download MP3 and MP4 files.
What a generated episode sounds like
A short excerpt from a podcast generated off a biology chapter PDF.
Alex · Host
So this chapter is all about cellular respiration. Big picture — what is the cell actually trying to do here?
Guest
It's converting glucose into ATP — usable energy. The PDF breaks it into three stages: glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain. The trick most students miss is that only the last stage produces most of the ATP.
Alex · Host
Right, and that's a classic exam question — they'll ask you to count ATP per stage. Let's walk through why.
How to turn a PDF into a podcast
Three steps from a dense PDF to an audio episode you can actually listen to.
Upload your PDF
Drop in a textbook chapter, lecture slide deck, or research paper. Scholarly reads the actual document — no copy-pasting required.
AI writes the episode
Alex hosts and asks questions, Sam adds context, and the Guest explains the material and raises useful review questions.
Listen anywhere
Switch between audio and synchronized video, use chapter markers and the synced transcript, share one link, or download MP3 and MP4 files on a paid plan.
Built for studying, not just listening
A generic text-to-speech reader just drones on. Scholarly turns your PDF into a real conversation that explains the hard parts.
Reads your real PDF
The episode is built from the definitions, examples, and arguments in your upload — not a generic lecture on the topic.
Three-speaker conversation
Alex hosts, Sam adds context, and the Guest explains your material in a natural conversation.
70+ languages
Generate the podcast in your study language or your native language — natural AI voices in over 70 languages.
Chapters and transcript
Jump to any section with chapter markers and read along with a synced transcript when you want to pin down a detail.
From one upload to a full loop
The same PDF also becomes flashcards, study notes, and a practice exam — listen first, then test yourself.
Audio and synchronized video
Listen to the episode or watch each visual companion slide follow its chapter. Paid plans can download the audio as MP3 or the video as MP4.
Why convert your PDFs to audio?
Most students lose hours every week to dead time — commuting, walking between buildings, doing laundry, working out. None of that time is usable for re-reading a 40-page PDF, but all of it is perfect for listening. When you turn a PDF into a podcast, that wasted time becomes a second pass over the material.
Audio gives the material a second form. The three speakers walk through the logic, ask useful questions, and explain hidden assumptions. Listening now and reading later creates spaced, multimodal review.
Scholarly's AI podcast from PDF tool reads your actual source. It does not invent a generic lecture: it pulls the definitions, examples, and arguments straight from the chapter or paper you uploaded, so the episode matches what's on your exam. You can convert PDF to audio for a single dense chapter, a stack of lecture slides, or a research paper you need to digest before a seminar.
Because every podcast lives next to the rest of your study material, you're never just listening in isolation. The same PDF that became a podcast can also become flashcards and a practice test, so a single upload turns into a full review loop. Listen first, then test yourself — that's the workflow that actually moves grades.
Want the full picture of voices, languages, and chapters? See the AI podcast feature for everything the audio player can do.
What the AI podcast from PDF tool does
Scholarly reads the PDF you upload and scripts a three-speaker episode from its definitions, examples, and arguments. Alex hosts, Sam produces, and the Guest brings expertise. Each episode includes page references, a synced transcript, chapters, visual companion slides, and a synchronized video mode. It is free to start in 70+ languages.
Reads your real PDF
The episode is scripted only from the PDF you upload — textbook chapters, slide decks (including PowerPoint exports), handouts, and research papers — not a generic web lecture on the topic.
Grounded with citations
Claims trace back to your source with page references, so what you hear matches what your exam actually covers instead of a hallucinated summary.
Transcript & chapters
Every podcast ships with a full synced transcript and chapter markers. Tap any line to jump to that moment in the audio.
70+ languages
Generate the episode in your study language or your native language with natural AI voices in over 70 languages.
One PDF, full study loop
The same upload also becomes flashcards, study notes, and a practice exam — listen first, then test yourself in the same account.
Audio, video, and downloads
Stream audio or synchronized chapter-slide video and share one link on every plan. Paid plans can download the MP3 or MP4.
Scholarly vs. NotebookLM for PDF podcasts
NotebookLM popularized AI audio overviews — and it's genuinely great at it. Here's an honest comparison.
Where it shines: excellent audio overviews, generous source limits, and a polished research-notebook experience from Google.
Built as a general research assistant — not specifically for students or exam prep.
Audio is a one-off output: there's no flashcard deck, no practice test, no spaced-repetition schedule attached.
No structured study workflow — you still move your notes into another app to actually revise.
Where it shines: the podcast is one part of a full study loop built around active recall.
The same PDF becomes a podcast, flashcards, study notes, and a practice exam — one upload, every format.
Three-speaker episodes with Alex as host, Sam as producer, and a Guest in 70+ languages, with chapter markers and a synced transcript you can read along to.
Everything lives in one student account with a spaced-repetition schedule, not scattered across apps.
PDF to podcast — frequently asked questions
How do I turn a PDF into a podcast?
Upload your PDF and choose the podcast option. Scholarly scripts a three-speaker episode with Alex as host, Sam as producer, and a Guest. Generation time varies with the source, target length, model, and service load. Completed episodes include chapters and a transcript.
Is this a good NotebookLM alternative for students?
Yes. NotebookLM's audio overviews are excellent, but it's a general research tool. Scholarly is built specifically for studying — the same PDF that becomes a podcast also becomes flashcards, study notes, and a practice exam, all inside one account with a spaced-repetition schedule.
What kinds of PDFs work best?
Textbook chapters, lecture slide decks (including PDFs exported from PowerPoint), lecture handouts, and research papers all work well. Clear, text-based PDFs convert best; very image-heavy scans may produce a shorter episode.
Can I convert a PDF to audio in another language?
Yes. Scholarly generates podcasts in over 70 languages with natural AI voices, so you can review in your study language or your native language.
Will the AI make things up?
The podcast is generated from the content of your uploaded PDF, so it stays anchored to your source. As with any AI tool, review the episode against your textbook and lecture notes — use it as a study aid, not a replacement.
Is the PDF to podcast tool free?
You can start for free with no credit card. The Free plan includes one shared lifetime AI creation across Scholarly. It does not reset and can be used for a PDF-to-podcast episode. Premium adds 10 AI creations each week, longer PDFs, and more voices.
Can I download my PDF podcast as audio or video?
Every plan can stream and share the podcast as audio or synchronized chapter-slide video. On a paid plan, download an MP3 for podcast apps or a 16:9 MP4 for offline use and publishing.
How do I study with podcasts effectively?
Study with podcasts by listening to the episode once for the big picture, then re-reading the source while the structure is fresh, and finally self-testing. In Scholarly the same PDF that became a podcast also becomes flashcards and a practice exam, so listening becomes a first pass that you reinforce with active recall — not passive background noise.
What is the best AI podcast generator for studying?
The best fit for studying is a generator that uses your actual course material. Scholarly creates three-speaker episodes from PDFs, slides, notes, or topics, with page references, a synced transcript, and chapters. It supports 70+ languages, and the same material can become flashcards or a practice test. It is free to start.
Can I turn lecture slides or a research paper into a podcast too?
Yes. Beyond textbook chapters, the AI podcast from PDF tool handles lecture slide decks (including PDFs exported from PowerPoint or Keynote), seminar handouts, and research papers. You can also combine several sources into one episode — for example a slide deck plus the chapter it summarizes.
Can I control how long my PDF podcast episode is?
Yes. When you generate a podcast, use the length slider to pick an approximate target episode length — from a quick summary to a longer deep dive. The AI plans toward that target, so the final runtime can vary.
Keep exploring
More ways to study with Scholarly
Pair your PDF podcast with the rest of the Scholarly platform.
AI Podcast Generator
The full podcast feature — voices, languages, and chapters.
PDF to Podcast
Turn a textbook chapter or paper into an audio episode.
AI Podcast Generator
Generate study podcasts from any source — voices and styles.
Notes to Podcast
Convert your lecture notes into audio you can replay.
Study Podcast Generator
Exam-prep episodes built from your course material.
AI Meeting Notes
Record live lectures into notes, flashcards, and a practice exam.
PDF to Flashcards
Turn any lecture PDF into review cards.
AI Study Notes Generator
Organized notes from PDFs, slides, and lectures.
Every tool here is a purpose-built AI agent
Scholarly doesn't just call a model once. Each feature is run by an autonomous AI agent that reads your material, reasons across multiple models, and can research the web and run code — then hands back a finished, cited artifact.
Multiple models
Agents route each step to the model that does it best, instead of relying on a single one.
Live web research
When your sources aren't enough, agents search the web and cite what they find.
Runs code in a sandbox
Each agent gets its own sandbox to compute, transform data, and build your artifact.
Grounded in your sources
Every output is built from the PDFs, notes, and lectures you upload — not guesswork.
Turn your next PDF into a podcast
Upload a chapter, get an episode, and start studying with your ears. Free to start.
Free
See what it does with one of your own sources.
- 3 AI Chat messages per day
- 1 free AI creation total
- 1 free file upload total (8MB)
- 5 quiz questions per day
- 1 exam attempt per day
- 15 voice minutes per day
- 32-page PDF to flashcards
- 500 autocomplete words per day
Use it to generate flashcards, improve a deck, or create a podcast, video lecture, slides, infographic, mind map, study guide, worksheet, spreadsheet, story book, timeline, SOP, flowchart, lesson plan, or outline — or run Deep Research or turn a recording into AI Meeting Notes.
Premium
Steady weekly output from the material you already have.
$30/month
Everything in Free, plus:
- 10 AI creations per week
- Unlimited AI chat & autocomplete
- Unlimited file uploads (up to 300MB)
- Unlimited study sessions
- Unlimited exams & quizzes
- 1000-page PDF to flashcards
- Export to Anki
- Priority support
Laureate
For work where being right matters more than the price.
billed monthly · cancel anytime
Everything in Premium, plus:
- Any Frontier model — Claude Opus 5, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Grok 4.6
- 75 AI creations per week
- 20 Frontier creations per week
- 20 Frontier Chat messages per week
- Unlimited uploads up to 1 GB, plus 3,000-page PDFs
- 12 hours of voice mode per day
- Priority support and early access to new Frontier models
Pricing shown in USD. Local currency may be available for Premium in app.
Compare plans
AI chat
Premium and Laureate include unlimited AI chat. Frontier Boost on makes Auto (Laureate) use Claude Opus 5; off uses GPT 5.6 Luna.
- Free
- 3/day
- Premium
- Unlimited
- Laureate
- Unlimited
Chat Frontier Boosts
Premium includes recommended access to Grok 4.6, Gemini 3.1 Pro, and Claude Sonnet 5. Laureate adds the remaining Frontier catalog plus 20 Frontier creations and 20 Frontier Chat responses each week; Auto uses Claude Opus 5 while boosts remain and GPT 5.6 Luna afterward.
- Free
- —
- Premium
- —
- Laureate
- 20/week
AI creations
AI creations are used for AI Flashcards, deck edits, AI Podcasts, AI Video Lectures, AI Slides, worksheets, AI Infographics, mind maps, study guides, spreadsheets, story books, timelines, SOPs, flowcharts, lesson plans, outlines, AI Meeting Notes, and Deep Research reports.
- Free
- 1 total
- Premium
- 10/week
- Laureate
- 75/week
Creation Frontier Boosts
Frontier Boost on makes Auto (Laureate) use Claude Opus 5; off uses GPT 5.6 Luna. Laureate includes 20 boosts within its 75 weekly creations. Flashcards never spend a boost.
- Free
- —
- Premium
- —
- Laureate
- 20/week · included
Video lectures
- Free
- Uses AI creations
- Premium
- Included in 10/week
- Laureate
- Included in 75/week
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
Practice questions
- Free
- 5/day
- Premium
- Unlimited
- Laureate
- Unlimited
Practice exams
- Free
- 1/day
- Premium
- Unlimited
- Laureate
- Unlimited
Voice mode
- Free
- 15 min/day
- Premium
- 2 hr/day
- Laureate
- 12 hr/day
Autocomplete
- Free
- 500 words/day
- 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
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
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
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
Scholarly user
Your questions, answered
Is Scholarly free to use?
Yes! The free plan includes core study tools with clear limits: 3 AI Chat messages per day, one free AI creation total, 1 free file upload total, quizzes, practice exams, and manual flashcard creation. Upgrade to Premium for 10 AI creations per week and unlimited uploads.
What uses my free AI creations?
Generating flashcards, improving a flashcard deck, making a podcast, creating a video lecture or infographic, building slides, a spreadsheet, or a story book, making a mind map, study guide, or worksheet, having an AI Agent create a timeline, SOP, flowchart, lesson plan, or outline, running Deep Research, or processing a recording uses your free AI creation. It is a lifetime free credit and does not reset. AI Chat messages, quizzes, and exams still have separate daily limits; free file uploads are also lifetime 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 AI creations and the free upload are lifetime credits and do not reset. Premium includes 10 AI creations per week and unlimited uploads.