Side by side
NowComment vs Perusall
Both stand on web annotation tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Web
NowComment gives groups a free place to annotate and discuss documents with controls for assignments and visibility. Consider its PDF caveat and public-document indexing when choosing formats and sharing settings.
Visit NowComment
Free plan Web
Choose Perusall if you want course materials to support collaborative discussion, engagement assessment, and LMS-connected workflows. Instructors should consider the possible student access fee for eligible new courses and the announced end of support for existing LTI 1.1 integrations.
Visit PerusallThe facts
| NowComment | Perusall | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Web | Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Student platform access fee: $5, paid once |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | nowcomment.com | perusall.com |
| On web annotation tools | #14 of 31 | #18 of 31 |
NowComment: what it does well
- Comments appear in context beside documents.
- Owners can set assignments, targets, due dates, and visibility windows.
- Integrates with school LMSs through LTI.
- Free account supports invited or public discussions.
What to know first
- PDF uploads are described as less reliable.
- Public documents can be indexed by search engines.
- Recommended document length is below 50 pages.
Perusall: what it does well
- Accepts books, documents, slides, videos, podcasts, images, and web pages.
- Students can comment, ask questions, reply, and tag classmates.
- AI can suggest discussion prompts and quiz questions from course content.
- Automatically grades engagement on up to seven criteria.
- Integrates with Canvas, Blackboard, Desire2Learn, Moodle, and Sakai.
What to know first
- Access is through the web; no other platform is listed.
- Eligible new courses may have a student access fee.
- Existing LTI 1.1 integrations are due to lose support January 1, 2027.
- Institutional license pricing requires contacting Perusall.
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