Library of Congress Web Archive
Library of Congress Web Archive: A free, searchable archive for research—not a tool for submitting your own captures. Ranked #7 of 22 in Web Archiving Software by our editors (7.9/10); pricing: Free plan; best for readers accessing Library of Congress collections.
At a glance
- Editor score7.9 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forReaders accessing Library of Congress collections
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Snapshot captureYes
- Facts checked3 Oct 2026
Where it wins
- Browse thematic and event-based collections selected by Library subject experts
- Search descriptive records, including by URL
- Access WARC and older ARC archives through loc.gov and its APIs
Where it doesn't
- Does not offer user-submitted website capture
- Some archived material is restricted to on-site use
- Crawlers may capture content or functionality incompletely
Our verdict on Library of Congress Web Archive
For researchers exploring preserved websites, the Library of Congress Web Archive offers curated collections organized around subjects and events, including government, elections, news, organizations, and culture. Visitors can browse collections and search descriptive records, including by URL. It is a public research resource, rather than a self-service product for capturing websites of your choice.
The archive is free and available on the web, with access to Library of Congress loc.gov APIs. Preserved sites are selected and crawled by Library subject experts; collections can include HTML, images, PDF documents, audio, and video. Archives are stored in WARC format and, for some older collections, ARC format. Descriptive records and thumbnails help identify archived items. These features make the archive useful for finding and consulting material selected for preservation, rather than managing a personal or organizational capture workflow.
Access depends on permissions: some material is available only on-site, and permissions affect off-site display. Crawlers may also miss content or functionality, so a preserved capture may not fully represent a site's original experience. Choose this archive when curated Library collections and research access are the goal. Organizations that need to submit their own captures or control a web preservation workflow should look for a different kind of tool.
Your product? Our editors can test Library of Congress Web Archive in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Library of Congress Web Archive pricing
Library of Congress Web Archive fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Snapshot capture | Yes |
| Archive search | Yes |
| Capture methods | Selected and crawled by Library of Congress subject experts; not user-submitted capture |
| Preservation controls | Access may be restricted to on-site use; permissions affect off-site display |
| Supported content | HTML, images, PDF documents, audio, and video files; capture of some content may be incomplete |
| Browser or API access | loc.gov APIs; web archive browsing through loc.gov |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | |
| Built for | Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 1 integrations: Library of Congress loc.gov APIs |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | loc.gov |
| Facts checked | 3 Oct 2026 |
Library of Congress Web Archive integrations
Library of Congress Web Archive lists 1 integrations on its own site.
- Library of Congress loc.gov APIs
Alternatives to Library of Congress Web Archive
- Archive-ItA preservation service for organizations that need scheduled capture and managed access to web collections.9.2
- PagefreezerA compliance-focused archive for websites, social, text, and collaboration records.8.8
- MirrorWeb Website ArchivingA cloud archiving service for preserving and reviewing dynamic, interactive websites.8.7
See all Library of Congress Web Archive alternatives →
Library of Congress Web Archive vs the competition
- Library of Congress Web Archive vs Archive-It
- Library of Congress Web Archive vs Pagefreezer
- Library of Congress Web Archive vs MirrorWeb Website Archiving
- Library of Congress Web Archive vs InnoARCHIVE
- Library of Congress Web Archive vs NDL Web Archiving Project (WARP)
- Library of Congress Web Archive vs Internet Archive Save Page Now
Compare Library of Congress Web Archive with any tool side by side →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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