Uwazi review
A structured document database for teams that need linked records and controlled public access.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Uwazi is an open-source database and document-management application from HURIDOCS for organisations that collect, structure, analyse and publish documents or other information. Its documented audiences include human-rights organisations, journalists, researchers, nonprofits, librarians and archivists. Teams can define templates, properties and record types, link related records, and choose whether collections remain private or selected entity pages are public. That makes it a fit for teams organizing material as connected, searchable records rather than treating document storage as the whole workflow.
Its feature depth is centered on structuring and finding information. Full-text and PDF search can be filtered, records can appear in card, table or map layouts, and CSV import and export support moving collection data. OCR and text extraction include PDF segmentation; optional machine-learning tools can extract metadata and translate content. Permissions can be assigned by role, group and record. These capabilities make Uwazi relevant where relationships, controlled access and selected public publication matter together. The published integration list includes Tella, so teams with broader integration requirements should check whether their workflow can operate with that footprint.
Pricing offers a free managed-hosting plan, while Starter is $175 per year, Professional is $920 per year and Advanced is $1,400 per year; each is billed annually. The paid plan highlights include managed hosting, a public instance and optional ML features. A separate self-hosted option is free forever, provides full feature access and uses an MIT licence. Teams can choose hosted access or self-hosting, but should weigh the hosting model and their integration needs before adopting it. Uwazi suits organisations building structured, searchable collections with selective publication; teams seeking a document workflow built around a broad integration ecosystem may prefer another option.
Uwazi pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Custom record types, templates and metadata structure collections around team needs
- Linked records, filtered full-text and PDF search, and card, table or map views
- Granular permissions, public pages, and a free self-hosted MIT-licensed option
- Where it doesn't
- The listed integration is Tella, which may limit fit with broader tool ecosystems
- Managed hosting starts at $175 per year on Starter; higher tiers cost more
- Document workflows are centered on structured records and collections
Uwazi fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update