Video Highlight vs LensNote
LensNote is slide-first: one visual note per slide, exported to PowerPoint, PDF or Word. Video Highlight is video-first: the player sits beside your notes, and every point opens the video at its time.
LensNote is a lecture note taker built around slides. It records on a Mac or takes your video and audio uploads, saves a frame each time it detects a slide change, and puts the transcript, the time and a key message with each one. You can export the slides to PowerPoint with the notes in the speaker notes, or a report to PDF or Word. For slide-heavy lectures where you want every slide in an office file, it is the right tool. When the video itself is what you learn from, Video Highlight keeps it beside your notes.
Video Highlight vs LensNote: feature by feature
| Feature | Video Highlight | LensNote |
|---|---|---|
| When a picture goes into the notes | Video Highlight looks at what is on screen and reads what is said, and keeps pictures where the screen matters, with or without slides | When it detects a slide change or another meaningful visual change2 |
| Open the video at a point | Every point has its time; press it and the video plays from there | Press Play on a slide and the recording starts where it was shown3 |
| How a video gets in | Paste a YouTube, Vimeo or Dailymotion link, upload a file, or record a Chrome tab (files and recording on paid plans) | Upload a video or audio file, or record it on a Mac5 |
| Recording a video | A video playing in a Chrome tab, with its sound; press H to save highlights while it records | Any app or a playback window, in the Mac app for macOS 14+4 |
| PDF of the notes | Notes as PDF with pictures; from a YouTube video the times are links | A report as PDF with the slides as figures, or as Word6 |
| Transcript export | Markdown, PDF, Word, CSV, TXT, SRT and VTT | Timestamped transcript as TXT6 |
| Share links | A video, one highlight, all your highlights, or Deep Watch notes from a YouTube video | Read-only share links on every plan7 |
| Free to start | Summary, Transcript, Highlights and Ask on YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion links | 14-day trial with 180 processing minutes, then 30 minutes a month8 |
Comparison based on publicly available information as of November 2026; prices and features may have changed. Found something outdated? Tell us and we'll fix it.
All product names and brands are property of their respective owners and are used for identification only; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.
Sources
Updated November 2026
- LensNote calls itself "The AI lecture note taker that keeps every slide." lensnote.app, checked November 12, 2026.
- LensNote says it "detects slide changes" and other meaningful visual changes, then saves each frame with its transcript, timestamp and key message. lensnote.app, checked November 12, 2026.
- "Click Play on any slide and the recording starts where it was shown." lensnote.app, checked November 12, 2026.
- LensNote has a Mac app for macOS 14+ that records a meeting from any app, or a video's playback window, "with no bot in the call". It names Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex. lensnote.app, checked November 12, 2026.
- LensNote takes video uploads (MP4, MOV, M4V, MKV, AVI, WebM, MPEG) up to 5 GB and audio uploads (MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC, OGG, OPUS) up to 2 GB. For long videos and courses it says: "Upload the video file, or record its playback window with the macOS app." lensnote.app, checked November 12, 2026.
- LensNote exports PPTX ("One slide per key frame as an image", with the key message, bullets and explanation in the speaker notes), a PDF report with the slides as figures, the same report as Word (DOCX), and the timestamped transcript as TXT. lensnote.app, checked November 12, 2026.
- LensNote's free trial lasts 14 days with 180 processing minutes, recordings up to 90 minutes and 3 exports, with no credit card; after it, you can process up to 30 minutes of video a month. lensnote.app, checked November 12, 2026.
When LensNote is the better fit
- Your lectures are slide-heavy and you want every slide kept, one note per slide.
- You want your notes as a PowerPoint file, with the notes in the speaker notes, or as an editable Word report.
- You want a Mac app that records a lecture window or a meeting app, with no bot in the call.
When Video Highlight is the better fit
- The video is what you learn from: you want the player beside your notes, and each point opens the video at its time.
- You want pictures of what is on screen, not only of slides. Video Highlight watches the whole video for you and keeps pictures of the screen where the screen matters, with or without slides.
- Your lectures are on YouTube. Paste the link and get a Summary, the Transcript, Highlights and Ask, and Deep Watch notes on paid plans.
- Your lesson plays in a Chrome tab. Record it with its sound and Video Highlight makes your notes when you stop.
- You want to save highlights as you read along and ask questions about the video. Press H to save a highlight, and Ask answers carry times that move the player.
Explore related features
Read a lecture's key points first, then open the video only where you need it.
Video Highlight watches the video for you and keeps the key points with pictures of the screen.
Turn a long video into notes with pictures and times, then open the video only where you need it.
Record a video playing in a Chrome tab, with its sound, and get your notes when you stop.
Video Highlight vs LensNote: FAQs
Which one fits a lecture full of slides?
If you want every slide kept and handed on as a PowerPoint or Word file, LensNote is built for that: it keeps one visual note per slide. If you want to read the notes beside the video and open it at the right point, Video Highlight is built for that. Many people only need to answer one question: is the slide deck the thing you keep, or is the video?
Can I export my notes to PowerPoint?
Not from Video Highlight. You can download Deep Watch notes as a PDF with pictures, save the Summary as Markdown, PDF, Word or CSV, or send it to Notion, and save the transcript as subtitles. If you need a PowerPoint file with one slide per page, LensNote exports that.
Does Video Highlight only keep a picture when the slide changes?
No. Deep Watch watches the whole video for you. It looks at what is on screen and reads what is said, and keeps the key points with pictures of the screen. That covers what is on screen with or without slides, like code or diagrams. Deep Watch keeps pictures of the screen where the screen matters. A video that shows only the speaker gets notes without pictures. Every point has its time.
Can I get notes from a lecture on YouTube?
Yes. Paste the YouTube link. On the Free plan you get the Summary, the Transcript, Highlights and Ask. Deep Watch, the notes with pictures, is included in Plus, Pro and Business. For long videos and courses, LensNote's page says to upload the video file or record its playback window with its Mac app.
Can I record a lecture that plays on my computer?
Yes, if it plays in a Chrome tab. Record a video playing in a Chrome tab, with its sound. When you stop, the recording goes to your library as a private video and Video Highlight makes your notes. The extension never uses your microphone or camera. Recording needs a paid plan. LensNote records on a Mac, from any app or a playback window.
Can I share my lecture notes?
Yes, both share. LensNote has read-only share links on every plan. In Video Highlight, notes from a YouTube video can be shared by link as a read-only page with pictures, and the reader can save them to their own account. Notes from your own files and recordings stay private.
Hours of video. Minutes of reading.
Researchers, professionals, and creators use it on YouTube videos and on their own recordings