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Hypothesis
What Hypothesis is
Hypothesis adds shared annotations to digital reading, letting students highlight passages, ask questions, and reply to classmates alongside the text. It supports web pages, PDFs, EPUB files, YouTube videos, and content from VitalSource and JSTOR. For education, tools include private groups, advanced analytics, auto-grading, and an LMS reporting dashboard for annotation counts and engagement. Hypothesis connects with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L Brightspace, and Sakai through LTI, and annotations can sync with LMS gradebooks, including Canvas SpeedGrader. Personal accounts and collaboration are free; the Free package includes core annotation, private groups, and self-service support. Institutional plans add options such as LMS integration, seat limits, training, analytics, and support tiers. The service is available through web, API, and browser extension. Its Chrome extension also works in Chromium-based browsers such as Brave, Vivaldi, and Microsoft Edge; Firefox and Safari users can use a bookmarklet. Annotating locally saved PDFs requires a desktop or laptop, not a mobile device.
Who it suits
Hypothesis suits students and educators who want discussion and annotation connected to course readings. Its institutional audience also includes colleges, universities, publishers, and partners.
What it does well
- Personal accounts and collaboration are free.
- Supports web pages, PDFs, EPUB, video, VitalSource, and JSTOR.
- Integrates with five named learning management systems.
- Annotations can sync with LMS gradebooks.
- Includes private groups and education analytics.
What to know first
- Locally saved PDFs cannot be annotated on mobile.
- Free package includes self-service support only.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Per student/yearly · Core annotation · Private groups · Self-service support | Free |
| Custom solution | Contact sales · Custom solution | On request |
| Bronze | Per student/yearly · Core annotation · LMS integration · Up to 1,000 user seats · 1 annual training session · Standard email support | On request |
| Silver | Per student/yearly · Core annotation · LMS integration · Up to 2,000 user seats · Advanced analytics · Auto-grading · Hypothesis Academy | On request |
| Gold | Per student/yearly · All Silver features · Up to 3,000 seats · Unlimited training · Dedicated CSM · Premium support · Quarterly check-ins | On request |
As hypothesis.readthedocs.io lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Hypothesis combines contextual annotation with education features and LMS connections. Personal use is free, while institutional plans add capabilities and support options; local PDF annotation is limited to desktop and laptop devices.
Facts from Hypothesis's own pages
- Browser availability
- The Chrome extension also works in Chromium-based browsers including Brave, Vivaldi, and Microsoft Edge, while Firefox and Safari users can use a bookmarklet. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
- Education capabilities
- Education features include private groups, advanced analytics, auto-grading, and an LMS reporting dashboard for annotation counts and engagement. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
- Gradebooks
- Annotations sync with LMS gradebooks, including Canvas SpeedGrader. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
- Institutional use
- Hypothesis describes its institutional audience as colleges and universities, faculty and instructors, students, and publishers or partners. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Hypothesis integrates with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L Brightspace, and Sakai through LTI. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
- Personal use
- Hypothesis says personal accounts and collaboration are always free. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
- Platform limitation
- Annotating locally saved PDFs requires a desktop or laptop and is not available on mobile devices. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- Hypothesis says it does not monetize student data. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Hypothesis adds collaborative annotations to digital readings so students can highlight passages, ask questions, and respond to peers in context. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
- Reading formats
- The product supports annotation of web pages, PDFs, EPUB files, YouTube videos, and content from VitalSource and JSTOR. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- Hypothesis says it has completed a Cloud Security Alliance CAIQ assessment, documents SOC compliance, and regularly tests its software and network for vulnerabilities. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- The Free package includes self-service support; Bronze includes standard email support, and Gold includes premium support and a dedicated customer success manager. · web.hypothes.is, 4 Oct 2026
Where Hypothesis stands on Freedom251
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