eMargin
eMargin is a free web tool for annotating webpages with other readers.
What eMargin is
eMargin is a free web tool for annotating webpages with other readers. Users can highlight and colour-code text, add notes, and tag words or passages, then share annotations with groups to discuss and combine interpretations. When people work on the same text at once, they can see one another’s changes in real time. Search can filter annotations by highlighted text, comment, colour, tag, creator, group, or date. Group settings determine which highlights members can see. The tool also links text to external resources such as the Oxford English Dictionary, Wikipedia, and WebCorp, and provides printable text versions and annotation history. Birmingham City University describes Virtual Learning Environment integration; a project poster names Moodle, Blackboard Learn, and WebCT for IMS LTI sign-in and class-list importing. The service is intended for teachers and students in several education settings. Its accessibility statement reports partial WCAG 2.1 AA compliance and identifies keyboard navigation and low-contrast annotation colours as known issues. It also says changes to the interactive system will be limited in scope.
Good
- Free to use on the web
- Supports shared annotations and live updates
- Search filters include creator, group, and date
- Printable annotated-text versions are available
Watch out
- Partially compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA
- Keyboard navigation is a known issue
- Some annotation colours have low contrast
- Changes to the system will be limited
Who it suits
eMargin suits teachers and students who want to annotate and discuss webpages in groups. Its stated audiences include higher education, further education, secondary schools, and language schools.
Verdict
eMargin combines group annotation, searchable comments, and printable text versions in a free web tool. Readers who rely on accessibility features should note the listed keyboard and colour issues.
Plans and prices
From eMargin's own pricing page, checked 9 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | The site says it is free to use; no further limits are stated. |
The facts
Each one read from eMargin's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Accessibility
- The accessibility statement says the site is partially compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA and lists keyboard navigation and low-contrast annotation colours among known issues.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Accessibility limitation
- The accessibility statement says the interactive annotation system dates to a 2010–2012 funded research project and that changes to it will be limited in scope.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Accessibility support
- The accessibility statement asks users who need alternative formats to contact [email protected] and says requests will be acknowledged within three working days.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Annotation search
- Annotations can be searched by highlighted text, comment text, colour, tags, creator, group and date.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Collaboration
- Users can share annotations with groups to generate discussions and combine interpretations.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Groups
- Users can create groups, and the active group setting controls which highlights are visible based on group membership.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- BCU describes eMargin’s use by teachers and students in higher education, further education, secondary schools and language schools worldwide.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Live updates
- The guide says users can work on a text synchronously and see one another’s updates in real time.checked 9 Oct 2026
- LTI integration
- A project poster describes IMS LTI integration with single sign-in and importing class lists from VLEs, and names Moodle, Blackboard Learn and WebCT as compatible platforms.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- eMargin is an online collaborative annotation tool for highlighting, colour-coding, writing notes and tagging words or passages of text.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Text tools
- The guide describes text lookup links to external sites including the Oxford English Dictionary, Wikipedia and WebCorp, plus printable text versions and annotation history.checked 9 Oct 2026
- VLE integration
- BCU says eMargin provides solutions for streamlined Virtual Learning Environment integration.checked 9 Oct 2026
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