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Prodigy
What Prodigy is
Prodigy is a developer tool and Python library for building training and evaluation data for machine learning models. Its built-in recipes support work such as named entity recognition, text classification, computer vision, audio and video annotation, transcription, and model evaluation. A customizable web app offers 23 interfaces for text, images, audio, video, relations, multiple choice, HTML, and conflict resolution. Developers can shape workflows with Python recipes and create interfaces with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It supports spaCy, plugins for Hugging Face models, and integrations with major LLM API providers. Data can be stored in SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL and exported as JSON or JSONL. Prodigy runs on users' own machines without connecting to maker or third-party servers, including on air-gapped machines; its web server can also be deployed in the cloud or on-premise. It is paid, with Personal at $390, paid once and Company at $490, paid once, in packs of five seats; both exclude tax. A free trial is available to organizations, not individuals.
Who it suits
Prodigy suits developers and teams creating or evaluating machine-learning datasets, especially those who need configurable workflows or local and on-premise deployment. Setup assumes basic Python and command-line familiarity, though annotators can use the web app without programming once it is configured.
What it does well
- 23 interfaces cover varied annotation tasks.
- Custom workflows use Python recipes.
- Integrates with spaCy and major LLM APIs.
- Can run locally, air-gapped, or on-premise.
- Exports data as JSON and JSONL.
What to know first
- No free plan; Personal starts at $390, paid once.
- Company licensing requires packs of five seats.
- Hosted trials are not offered to individuals.
- Setup assumes Python and command-line familiarity.
Limits
There is no free plan. The Personal license includes 12 months of free upgrades and basic HTTP authentication; the Company license is sold per seat in packs of five and includes 12 months of free upgrades, HTTP authentication, and OpenID Connect SSO.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | per lifetime license, excluding tax · 12 months free upgrades · unlimited personal and professional use · one individual license | $390, paid once |
| Company | per seat in packs of 5 seats, excluding tax · lifetime license · 12 months free upgrades · transferable company seats · HTTP authentication and OpenID Connect SSO | $490, paid once |
As prodigy.ai lists them, read 21 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the Prodigy website
- Choose a Personal or Company license
- Install the downloadable tool and Python library on a supported platform
- Set up storage, recipes, and annotation interfaces
- Run the web application locally, in the cloud, or on-premise
- Invite annotators to the configured web app
Verdict
Prodigy combines broad annotation coverage with developer control over workflows, interfaces, storage, and deployment. Its paid licensing and technical setup make it a closer fit for teams with Python skills than for casual annotators.
Questions
How much does Prodigy cost?
The Personal plan costs 390.00 USD once, excluding tax. The Company plan costs $490 per seat once, in packs of five seats, excluding tax.
Is there a free trial?
Hosted virtual-machine trials are offered to companies and organizations. The maker can arrange a trial license and installer for privacy-sensitive use cases; hosted trials are not offered to individuals.
Which platforms does Prodigy support?
Listed platforms are API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows.
Can Prodigy run without external servers?
Yes. It runs on the user's own machines, can operate on an air-gapped machine, and can be deployed on-premise or with a cloud provider.
Does Prodigy support academic research?
Researchers at degree-granting academic institutions can apply for an interim license to use Prodigy for free.
What support comes with the licenses?
Documentation and a support forum are included. Company licenses also include priority forum and email support.
Facts from Prodigy's own pages
- Active learning
- Active-learning workflows are provided for named-entity recognition, text classification, part-of-speech tagging and dependency parsing. · prodigy.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Annotation interfaces
- The product includes 23 customizable interfaces for text, images, audio, video, relations, multiple choice, HTML and conflict resolution. · prodigy.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Annotation tasks
- Built-in recipes cover tasks including named entity recognition, text classification, computer vision, audio and video annotation, transcription, and model training and evaluation. · prodigy.ai, 29 Sept 2026
- Annotation workflows
- Built-in workflows cover named-entity recognition, span categorization, text classification, part-of-speech tagging, dependency parsing, coreference, computer vision, audio, video, transcription and speaker diarization. · prodigy.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Company headquarters and founding
- LinkedIn lists Explosion as headquartered in Berlin, founded in 2016 and employing 2–10 people. · linkedin.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Company legal name
- The maker is ExplosionAI GmbH, registered in Berlin, Germany. · explosion.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Custom front end
- The interface can be extended with custom HTML, CSS and JavaScript and by combining built-in interface components. · prodi.gy, 21 Oct 2026
- Customization
- Users can define workflows with Python recipes and build custom interfaces using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. · prodigy.ai, 29 Sept 2026
- Data formats
- Built-in loaders accept JSONL, JSON, CSV, plain text and image directories. · prodigy.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- The standard Python web server and application can be deployed on any cloud provider or entirely on-premise. · prodigy.ai, 29 Sept 2026
- Documentation and support
- The maker provides extensive online documentation, examples and a community support forum; company plans add priority forum and email support. · prodigy.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Extensibility
- Custom Python recipes can define data streams, preprocessing, model callbacks, annotation interfaces and training logic. · prodigy.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2016 · prodigy.ai, 28 Sept 2026
- Funding and ownership
- Explosion says SignalFire invested $6 million for 5% in 2021, invested another $3 million in 2022 and retained 7.7% after the company returned to self-sufficient operation in 2024. · explosion.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Headquarters
- Berlin, Germany · prodigy.ai, 28 Sept 2026
- Hugging Face integration
- The Prodigy-HF plugin can train transformer models, use Hugging Face checkpoints for correction workflows and upload datasets to the Hub. · prodigy.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Installation
- Licensed users install through pip using a private download index and license key, or install a downloaded wheel. · prodigy.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Prodigy has first-class support for spaCy, plugins for Hugging Face models, and out-of-the-box integrations with major LLM API providers. · prodigy.ai, 29 Sept 2026
- Intended users
- Prodigy is designed as a developer tool and assumes basic familiarity with Python and the command line, while its annotation web app can be used without programming experience after setup. · prodigy.ai, 29 Sept 2026
- Licence
- Prodigy is proprietary commercial software; the licence is revocable, non-exclusive and non-transferable, with some bundled components potentially under open-source licences. · prodigy.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Licence restrictions
- The terms prohibit redistribution, sublicensing, charging third parties for access and hosting on public-facing servers. · prodigy.ai, 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: API exposure
- The same comparison characterized Prodigy’s rich API as local rather than remotely accessible out of the box. · aclanthology.org, 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: G2 collaboration and price
- G2 reviewers report that collaboration is limited for larger teams, pricing is high, project management requires another tool and high-level segmentation is missing. · g2.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: project management
- The documentation says Prodigy does not provide much annotation-adjacent functionality such as user accounts or project management. · prodigy.ai, 21 Oct 2026
Where Prodigy stands on Freedom251
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