Diigo vs start.me

Diigo

• Students and researchers who annotate web pages and PDFs
• Teachers running class groups with managed student accounts
• Teams building a shared, annotated library of sources

start.me

• People who want one visual homepage of links in every browser
• Teachers, researchers and OSINT analysts sharing curated link pages
• Teams that want a simple shared page of tools and resources

Diigo

• The Free plan shows ads and stops at 500 bookmarks and 100 highlights over the lifetime of the account.
• Cached pages and image storage start at Standard; unlimited PDF storage and outliners need Professional at $59 a year.
• Team library storage, collaborative annotation and the admin console are limited to Business at $10 per user a month.
• The tools page links to an Android app, but its Google Play listing returned a not-found page when checked.

start.me

• The Free plan shows advertising and stops at 3 start pages with basic widgets only.
• Bookmark groups, broken and duplicate link detection, document uploads and AI features all require PRO.
• Team is billed annually and starts with 10 user licenses; SAML single sign-on is not part of the personal plans.
• The Android app on Google Play was last updated in November 2024.

Diigo

Bookmarks, tags and a personal library

Saved pages go into a cloud library and are tagged for later retrieval. Each item can be set as private or public.

Highlights and sticky notes

Highlight text and add sticky notes directly on web pages and PDFs while browsing; the annotations are still on the page when you come back to it.

Outliner

Arrange links, references and your own notes into a structured outline for a piece of research. Unlimited outliners are part of the Professional plan.

Groups

A group builds a shared library for a class, team or company that members can add to, search and discuss through annotations on the page.

Archived web pages

Paid plans store cached copies of bookmarked pages with their annotations intact, so they stay readable if the original source goes offline.

Import, export and API

The tools page lists bookmark and Kindle highlight import, library and PDF export, saving by email, automatic publishing to a blog and the Diigo API.

start.me

Start pages built from widgets

A page combines widgets such as bookmarks, news feeds, notes, tasks, calendar, weather and embeds, arranged by dragging, and can be set as a browser homepage or new tab.

Bookmark management

Links are saved in one click from the browser extension or mobile app and organized into pages, widgets and groups. PRO adds broken and duplicate link detection.

News (RSS) widgets

An RSS widget follows a news source, blog or industry feed, and new articles show up on the page automatically.

Sharing and collaboration

Pages are private by default and can be shared through an open, password-protected or public link, or by inviting people as viewers or editors. Page collaboration needs PRO.

AI bookmark tools

On paid plans, AI features tidy bookmark titles, sort links into place and suggest useful sites to add.

Team workspace

The Team plan adds a shared workspace with member management, an admin console, a custom subdomain and branding, and SAML single sign-on.

Diigo

• Free$0

  Ad-supported, with lifetime caps of 500 cloud bookmarks and 100 webpage and PDF highlights.

• Standard$40

  per year

  No ads, with unlimited bookmarks, highlights, image storage and cached pages, plus Kindle highlight import.

• Professional$59

  per year

  Everything in Standard, plus unlimited PDF storage and unlimited outliners.

• Business$10

  per user / month (billing basis not stated)

  Everything in Professional, plus an unlimited team library, collaborative web and PDF annotation in a team, and an admin console.

start.me

• Free$0

  For personal use: a maximum of 3 start pages, basic widgets only, and advertising on your pages.

• PRO$25

  per year, for one user license

  Unlimited start pages, no advertisements, 27 PRO features and widgets, and AI features.

• Team$25

  per month, billed annually; includes 10 users

  One team workspace with 10 PRO licenses, a custom subdomain and branding, SAML single sign-on and priority support. More users can be added.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Everything in Team, plus unlimited users, multiple team workspaces, a dedicated support manager and custom invoicing.

Diigo

• Education

  Free teacher and student accounts

  Teachers can apply for a free account with more capabilities than the normal free plan, including a Teacher Console for creating and managing student accounts. Schools can apply for an education domain.

start.me

• Education

  Discounted plans for schools and non-profits

  The pricing page's FAQ says discounted plans are offered to schools and non-profit organizations, arranged by contacting the sales team with details of the organization.