NowComment
NowComment is a free web app for groups to discuss and annotate documents, with comments displayed alongside the relevant content.
What NowComment is
NowComment is a free web app for groups to discuss and annotate documents, with comments displayed alongside the relevant content. It supports in-context discussion of text, images, and video, with audio and animations available as multimedia. Threaded conversations, summaries, sorting, private replies, notifications, and moderation tools help manage discussion. Groups can share documents, and owners can set assignments, comment targets, due dates, and periods when comments are visible. NowComment works natively with HTML web content and Microsoft Word files; PDF uploads are supported but described as less reliable. Schools can connect through LTI integrations with Blackboard, Moodle, Sakai, Canvas, and other learning management systems. Individuals can sign in with Google or Facebook, while schools and organizations can use LTI, Google, or Shibboleth single sign-on. Documents are private by default and visible to invited people or groups. Public documents can be read online and indexed by search engines. There is no absolute document size limit, but NowComment recommends keeping documents below 50 pages.
Good
- Comments appear alongside document content
- Includes threaded discussion and moderation tools
- Supports assignments, targets, and due dates
- Free to use with invited users or the public
Watch out
- PDF uploads are described as less reliable
- Public documents are indexed by search engines
- Recommended document length is below 50 pages
Who it suits
NowComment suits educators, businesses, government groups, and others who need shared, in-context discussion of documents. Its assignment controls and LMS integrations may be useful for classroom work and review.
Verdict
NowComment offers a focused way to organize group feedback around documents, with controls for assignments and comment visibility. Keep documents private if you do not want them publicly readable and searchable.
Plans and prices
From NowComment's own pricing page, checked 10 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free Account | Free | Upload and discuss documents with invited users or the public at no cost |
The facts
Each one read from NowComment's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Comment tools
- Features include threaded conversations, comment summaries and sorting, private replies, notifications, and moderation tools.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Document formats
- NowComment works natively with HTML web content and Microsoft Word files; PDF uploads are supported but described as less reliable.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Document size guidance
- There is no absolute document size limit, but NowComment recommends keeping documents below 50 pages.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Group and assignment tools
- Groups can share documents, and document owners can set assignments, comment targets, due dates, and comment visibility windows.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Group size
- The FAQ says there are no group size limits per se and that the software is designed for hundreds or thousands of readers commenting on one document.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The FAQ says NowComment can integrate with Blackboard, Moodle, Sakai, Canvas, and other school LMSs through LTI authentication.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The site describes uses in education, business, government, public policy, and law, including classroom discussion, draft review, and public comment.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Other sign-in options
- The features page says individuals can sign in with Google or Facebook, while schools and organizations can use LTI, Google, or Shibboleth for single sign-on.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Privacy controls
- Documents are private by default and visible to invited people or groups; public documents can be read by anyone online and are indexed by search engines.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Privacy practices
- The privacy policy says email addresses are not displayed on comment pages, cookies are not used to track users outside the site or for marketing, and IP addresses are stored in system logs for abuse handling and periodically deleted.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- NowComment is a group collaboration app for discussing and annotating online documents, with threaded comments shown in context alongside the document.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Support
- The support page directs users to an online troubleshooting guide and provides a tech support email for problems it does not resolve.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Supported content
- It supports in-context discussion of text, images, and video, and can include audio and animations as multimedia content.checked 10 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker and history
- NowComment was developed by Fairness.com LLC beginning in 2008, and Paul Allison assumed stewardship in August 2018; the site identifies Paul Allison as its owner.checked 10 Oct 2026
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