What Hypothesis is

Highlight and annotate any web page or PDF, keep notes private, share them with a group, or join public conversation. For close reading, literature review, and collaborative coursework it fills a niche none of the AI summarizers touch.

Feature coverage

  • Highlights and annotations on pages and PDFs
  • Private, group, and public annotation layers
  • Page notes and threaded replies
  • Annotations persist across visits
  • Education integrations

What stands out

  • Purpose-built for scholarly annotation
  • Group collaboration for courses and labs
  • Annotations remain durable and shareable

Tradeoffs to know

  • Small public rating sample (223 ratings)
  • Requires an account
  • Store lists PII, authentication information, and website content

Permissions and privacy

Page access

Annotation requires reading page content to anchor highlights; an account stores your annotation library.

Data notes

The Chrome Web Store lists personally identifiable information, authentication information, and website content among handled data categories. Public annotations are, by design, public.

Pricing

Free for individual use; paid education tiers exist. Pricing and plan limits change more often than store metadata, so use the linked developer page as the final check before subscribing.

Alternatives

AlternativeGlaspAlternativeZotero ConnectorAlternativeKami

Sources

We used the official Chrome Web Store listing and first-party developer material. Public metrics can change after the fact-check date.

  1. Chrome Web Store listing

    Store facts and data categories.

  2. Hypothesis website

    Official documentation and education programs.

  3. Extension Reviewer methodology

    How we verify public claims and weigh tradeoffs.

View in Chrome Web Store Developer site

More in Research & citations

See the research & citations guide