Recogito
Recogito: A free research annotation workspace, not a real-time collaborative editor. Ranked #34 of 34 in Collaborative Document Software by our editors (5.5/10); pricing: Free plan; best for researchers annotating shared source materials.
At a glance
- Editor score5.5 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forResearchers annotating shared source materials
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Real-time editingNo
- Facts checked25 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Annotate text, images and tables with notes, tags and comments
- Link place references to supported gazetteers and map them
- Share access levels and export annotations or document backups
Where it doesn't
- Collaborators’ edits do not appear in real time; refresh to see updates
- Designed for annotation, not collaborative document creation
- Self-hosting requires running the open-source software
Our verdict on Recogito
Recogito is a collaborative annotation platform for digital humanities researchers and related projects working with shared source materials. It supports text, images and tabular data, letting users organize documents, mark selected text, add comments and tags, and identify places, people and events. Image annotations can use point, rectangle and tilted-box selections. Place references can be matched to supported gazetteers and mapped. Its focus is organizing and annotating research material rather than drafting documents together.
Recogito’s collaboration model supports concurrent work, but it is not real-time editing: changes made by other collaborators do not appear until the page is refreshed. Documents can be shared with read, write and admin access levels, and annotation provenance is tracked. The home page mentions version history, while the hosted service also lets users export annotation data and download document backups. Those features suit projects that need to review and reuse annotations, though teams expecting live co-editing should choose a different tool.
The hosted service is free, and the software is open source for self-hosting. The web platform is the native app; deployment options include cloud and self-hosted use. Documentation and community are the listed support channels. This makes Recogito a fit for small and mid-market research projects that value control over where the platform runs and need structured annotation across different source types. Choose it for shared research annotation and exportable results; look elsewhere if the central requirement is a live collaborative writing workflow.
Your product? Our editors can test Recogito in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Recogito pricing
Recogito fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Real-time editing | No |
| Version history | Not stated |
| Guest access | Yes |
| Offline access | Not verified |
| Comments | Yes |
| Native app coverage | Web |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Docs, Community |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | recogito.pelagios.org |
| Facts checked | 25 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to Recogito
- Google DocsA capable collaborative editor with strong permissions, offline access, and Google integrations.9.4
- Zoho WriterA broad collaborative word processor with strong desktop coverage and a free core edition.9.2
- ONLYOFFICE DocsAn open-source, self-hosted office suite with broad editing and collaboration tools.9.1
See all Recogito alternatives →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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