Hypothesis review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Social annotation for web pages and PDFs, built for courses
Black Friday: is there a Hypothesis sale?
Hypothesis report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for annotating web pages and readings in a class
Hypothesis lets you highlight and comment on almost any web page, and the free plan covers core annotation and private groups. The paid plans are built for schools and priced per student per year with no figure published, and LMS integration and analytics sit behind them. Individuals will find the free plan enough; institutions have to talk to sales.
Who Hypothesis is for
- Fits if you read and mark up web pages alone or in a small private group
- Works for teachers who want students annotating readings inside the LMS
Who Hypothesis is not for
- Skip it if you want paid prices on the page, as none are published for Bronze, Silver or Gold
- Tight if your school has more than 3,000 students, because the paid tiers cap seats at 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 and larger needs a sales call
- Pricey if you need LMS integration or analytics, which are not on the free plan
- Not for you if you want a phone app, as only a browser extension and a bookmarklet are listed
Why Hypothesis gets a 3.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyThe free plan covers core annotation and private groups. Bronze, Silver and Gold are priced per student per year and no figure is shown, so a school can't compare the cost without asking.
- AFree plan and trialFree plan with annotation and private groups, and the listing shows no cap an individual would reach.
- CFeaturesPage annotation, groups, tagging and a Chrome extension. But LMS integration, partner workshops, analytics and auto-grading are not on the free plan.
- BEase of useNo rating on record. Add the extension or bookmarklet, sign up and start highlighting, with nothing else to set up.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, a Chrome extension and a bookmarklet, with LMS links to Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L Brightspace and Sakai. No phone or desktop apps are listed.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Hypothesis's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Hypothesis? Put this grade on your site
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/hypothesis#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/hypothesis.svg" alt="Hypothesis: 3.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Hypothesis stands among read-later and bookmark apps
Hypothesis's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 35 of the 52 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 12.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 38 of 52) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 53 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Hypothesis’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 28 of 52, level with 5
- AFree plan and trialAbove 38 of 52, level with 14
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 52, level with 19
- BEase of useAbove 25 of 52, level with 25
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 17 of 52, level with 30
Keep Hypothesis, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Hypothesis you would be making a library of papers and sources to search. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 35 of the 52 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade.
What you could make
- Highlights: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A library of papers and sources to search.
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- It plugs into other products, Canvas, Blackboard and Moodle among them.
What this rests on. Hypothesis’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Hypothesis?
Hypothesis lets people highlight and comment directly on web pages, PDFs and other online content, and reply to each other's annotations. It is sold mainly to colleges and universities through LMS integrations, and a free web annotator remains available.
Worth knowing
- No prices are published for Bronze, Silver or Gold; the pricing page says per student per year and points to sales.
- The paid tiers cap user seats at 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000, with a sales contact for anything larger.
- LMS integration, partner workshops and analytics are not on the Free plan.
Key features
- Annotate any page
- Highlight and comment on online articles, websites, videos and PDFs, and turn annotations into threaded discussions.
- LMS integration
- Connects to Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L Brightspace and Sakai through LTI so readings can be set inside a course.
- Private groups
- Annotation can be shared inside private groups, which the pricing page lists on the free plan.
- Tagging other users
- Mention classmates or colleagues in an annotation to notify them and draw them back into the reading.
- Analytics and auto-grading
- Silver and Gold add an LMS reporting dashboard and automatic grading of student annotations.
- Chrome extension and bookmarklet
- The web annotator works through a Chrome extension or bookmarklet in any modern browser released within the last 12 months.
Hypothesis pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hypothesis has a free plan.
- Starts at
- Not published
- Free plan
- Free: core annotation and private groups, with self-service support.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Core annotation and private groups, with self-service support. |
| Bronze | Custom | Priced per student per year with no figure shown. LMS integration, up to 1,000 seats, partner workshops, email support. |
| Silver | Custom | Priced per student per year with no figure shown. Up to 2,000 seats, advanced analytics, auto-grading, Hypothesis Academy. |
| Gold | Custom | Priced per student per year with no figure shown. Up to 3,000 seats, unlimited training, dedicated CSM, premium support. |
Read from web.hypothes.is on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Hypothesis before you buy.
Works with
- Canvas
- Blackboard
- Moodle
- D2L Brightspace
- Sakai
- JSTOR
- VitalSource
Hypothesis alternatives
- Hypothesis vs Glasp
Free plan · from $12.50/mo
- Hypothesis vs Diigo
Free plan · from $40/yr
- Hypothesis vs Readwise
Free trial · from $5.59/mo
- Hypothesis vs Raindrop.io
Free plan · from $28/yr
- Hypothesis vs Pinboard
From $22/yr
Common questions
Does Hypothesis have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Hypothesis is listed for Web.
Does Hypothesis have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Hypothesis is listed for Web.
Is Hypothesis open source?
Hypothesis is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.