Patently
Patently is a web-based patent platform founded in 2018 for attorneys, inventors, and in-house teams.
What Patently is
Patently is a web-based patent platform founded in 2018 for attorneys, inventors, and in-house teams. It combines search, drafting, prosecution, opposition, licensing, and litigation tools with AI assistance. Patently Search ranks patents by relevance and adds semantic search, passing results into other patent workflows without requiring exports. Patently Create uses the Onardo assistant to turn invention disclosures into claims, figures, and full descriptions. Patently Mine compares patent claims with standards and other technical documents and can produce downloadable reports. Patently Rate enables shared ratings and configurable freedom-to-operate, landscape, novelty, invalidity, and competitor projects. Patently License supplies standard-essential patent data and analytics covering ownership, geography, and technology for 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, and later technologies. Projects can use custom workflows, Word and Excel exports, and permissions with ethical walls and confidentiality barriers. The Free plan is free for one user and individual use, including filtered asset search, Onardo chat, patent-family browsing, and asset-link sharing. Security information includes AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit, with Onardo output processed on secure UK on-premises servers.
Good
- Semantic search feeds results into patent workflows
- AI drafts claims, figures, and descriptions
- Claim charts can produce downloadable reports
- Custom projects support shared ratings and analytics
- AES-256 and TLS 1.2+ protections are specified
- Free plan supports one individual user
Watch out
- Free plan is limited to individual use
- Paid plans use custom or requirements-based pricing
- Available on the web only
Who it suits
Patently suits patent attorneys, inventors, and in-house teams needing search, drafting, analysis, or portfolio workflows in a browser. It is also relevant to organizations requiring collaboration, permissions, exports, or standard-essential patent analytics.
Verdict
Pick Patently if your patent work needs integrated search, AI drafting, claim analysis, projects, and licensing analytics in one web platform. The Free plan covers individual search and Onardo chat, while larger teams need a paid plan. Look elsewhere if you require a stated fixed price or a non-web platform.
Plans and prices
From Patently's own pricing page, checked 14 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 1 user · search filters · Chat with Onardo · patent-family browsing · C-Tree subfamilies · share links · Free |
| Business+ | Priced on request | Unlimited users · AI drafting · prosecution/challenges/litigation · Vector AI semantic search · analytics · collaboration · custom fields · Custom pricing |
| Enterprise | Priced on request | Bespoke solution · requirements-based scope · Custom pricing |
| Law Firm+ | Priced on request | Business+ features · matter-centric management · client access · IPMS integration · Custom pricing |
The facts
Each one read from Patently's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- AI data handling
- Patently says personal data is not shared with LLM providers and Onardo output is processed on secure on-premises servers in the UK.checked 30 Sep 2026
- AI drafting
- Patently Create drafts claims, figures, and full descriptions from invention disclosures with its Onardo AI assistant.checked 30 Sep 2026
- AI providers
- Onardo communicates through encrypted API calls with OpenAI and Anthropic models.checked 14 Oct 2026
- API
- Patently’s team page says programmer Andrew Crothers has worked on 32,000 lines of code for the Patently API.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Claim-change formatting
- Shape tracks claim revisions and automatically formats amendments for the target patent office.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Claim charting
- Patently Mine maps patent claims against standards and other technical documents and can generate downloadable reports.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Claims and figures
- Onardo groups claim features into parts, supports a built-in figure editor or imported images, and automatically labels references.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Collaborative search
- Search projects let users mark families, tag importance and add comments collaboratively.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Create drafting
- Create uses Onardo to draft patent text, claims, figure descriptions and editable diagrams.checked 14 Oct 2026
- C-Tree
- The C-Tree gives a visual view of priority claims and patent-family relationships.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- Patently links to a Zendesk help centre with Search, Assess, FAQs and knowledge articles.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Examiner simulation
- Shape includes Examiner Einstein, an AI review intended to pressure-test applications for likely objections.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Extension
- The Patently Shortcut Chrome extension opens a selected patent identifier in Patently and requires JavaScript to be enabled.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Genetic families
- Patently says its proprietary Genetic family structures are built from leading patent-office data and refined through algorithms.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Integration
- The Law Firm+ plan lists IPMS Integration as a feature.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Intended users
- Patently says the platform is used by attorneys, inventors, and in-house teams and was built for patent professionals.checked 30 Sep 2026
- IPMS integration
- Shape can integrate with an IP management system to reuse matter names and references and keep one project per case.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Limit: pricing transparency
- G2 says pricing details are unavailable on its profile, while Patently publishes custom pricing for its paid tiers.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Limit: review evidence
- G2 and GetApp show no user reviews, so those sites provide no buyer-review insight for Patently.checked 14 Oct 2026
The company
- Company founders
- Crunchbase names Andrew Samm, Heather McCann and Jerome Spaargaren as founders.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Company legal name
- Crunchbase lists the legal name as Patently Limited and operating status as active.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Company location and size
- G2 lists Patently’s headquarters in London, Great Britain, and LinkedIn lists 11–50 employees.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Founded
- G2 lists Patently as serving customers since 2018 and gives 2018 as the founding year.checked 14 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- FAB browser
- The Forward and Backward browser traverses citation generations while deduplicating citations at family level.checked 14 Oct 2026
The full review of Patently
Patently is a browser-based workspace for patent professionals who need research, drafting, prosecution, and portfolio projects connected rather than handled in separate applications. It is best suited to attorneys, inventors, and in-house teams running structured patent work; occasional searchers may find its broader workflow unnecessary. The strongest case is the continuity from semantic search to analysis, reporting, and licensing work, while team buyers should expect a custom commercial discussion beyond the single-user free tier.
Overview
Founded in 2018, Patently covers the patent lifecycle from discovery through prosecution, oppositions, licensing, and litigation support. Search results can flow into downstream work without an export step, which is valuable when a prior-art search becomes a claim review, freedom-to-operate project, or competitive landscape. The trade-off is scope: this is a professional platform rather than a narrowly focused lookup service.
Patently states that content is generally encrypted both while transmitted and when stored, using TLS 1.2 or newer in transit and AES-256 at rest. It says personal data is not provided to large-language-model providers, while Onardo responses are handled on secure on-premises servers in the UK. Onardo connects to OpenAI and Anthropic through protected API calls, with Anthropic retention set to zero days. The service targets at least 99.9% annual uptime through commercially reasonable efforts, subject to its exclusions.
Key features
Search, drafting, and claims
Patently Search ranks documents by relevance and adds semantic search, so users can pursue concepts as well as exact terminology. Results remain connected to later workflows instead of being stranded in a downloaded file. Patently Create uses the Onardo assistant to turn invention disclosures into draft claims, figures, and complete descriptions. That can accelerate a first draft, but it is an aid for patent professionals, not a substitute for prosecution judgment.
Patently Mine maps claims against standards and other technical documents and produces downloadable reports. This is a practical fit for validity, essentiality, or standards-related reviews where an auditable report matters. Patently Rate adds shared ratings and configurable projects for FTO, landscape, novelty, invalidity, and competitor analysis. Teams can shape projects around their own review method rather than using only a fixed template.
Licensing, collaboration, and controls
Patently License focuses on standards-essential-patent data and analytics, including ownership, geography, and technology across 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, and later standards. That specialist coverage gives licensing and SEP teams a reason to choose Patently over a general search interface. Custom workflows, Word and Excel exports, project permissions, ethical walls, and confidentiality barriers support matters involving multiple clients or restricted teams. IPMS integration is identified specifically for the Law Firm+ plan.
Semantic search, claim analysis, patent clustering, patent-family analysis, and monitoring alerts are all included capabilities. Standard support combines documentation and videos with email help during UK weekday business hours and a stated response within 24 hours.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | free | One user for individual use, filtered asset search, Onardo chat, patent-family browsing, and shared asset links |
| Law Firm+ | Custom pricing | Any number of users, law-firm use, matter-centric management, client access, and IPMS integration |
| Business+ | Custom pricing | Any number of users, AI drafting, prosecution and analysis, semantic search, analytics, and collaboration |
| Enterprise | As per your requirements | Any number of users and bespoke solutions |
The Free plan is a sensible way for one person to search, chat with Onardo, and share individual assets, but it does not provide the multi-user management or advanced organizational features described for paid tiers. Law Firm+ is the relevant step for client matters and IPMS-connected practice management. Business+ suits corporate teams wanting drafting, analytics, and collaboration together. Enterprise is for organizations requiring a tailored deployment; its price is determined to requirements, so buyers cannot budget from a published rate.
Platforms
Patently runs on the web. A browser-based service is convenient for mixed-device teams, but it is not a native desktop or mobile application.
Who it's for
Choose Patently when attorneys, inventors, or in-house specialists need one governed environment for searching, drafting, claim mapping, project reviews, and SEP licensing analysis. It is less suitable for a solo user who only wants occasional patent lookups, or for a buyer that requires a transparent fixed price before contacting the vendor.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Connected workflow: semantic search can feed analysis and projects without manual export.
- Broad professional coverage: drafting, claim charting, ratings, FTO and landscape projects, and SEP analytics sit in one service.
- Team safeguards: project permissions, ethical walls, confidentiality barriers, and stated encryption controls address sensitive matters.
- Usable entry point: the free tier gives one user filtered search, family browsing, asset sharing, and Onardo chat at no cost.
Cons
- Limited free scope: the no-cost plan is individual-use and does not include the paid tiers' matter, client, collaboration, or integration features.
- Price uncertainty for teams: Law Firm+, Business+, and Enterprise require custom terms rather than published amounts.
- Web-only access: users wanting a native app are not served by the listed platform.
Alternatives
For a wider shortlist, see AI Patent Search Software.
FindIP is a better fit if you want Android, iOS, API, and web access plus a free allowance of 30 search credits across five jurisdictions. GoVeda suits users seeking a free-forever OpenPatent plan with 220M-plus patents and unlimited AI semantic searches. PatLab.AI is an option for straightforward web patent searching, with a free search tier and a one-time 49.00 USD Pro Patent Search plan. PatSnap is worth considering for an API or self-hosted deployment and a free trial, although its listed model is paid. PQAI is the alternative for an open-source approach delivered through API and web access. The Lens offers anonymous browsing and academic workspace options. Patent77 targets lighter use with three free AI searches per month and a 49.00 USD monthly Pro plan. Stiltn is the alternative when self-hosting and a dedicated evaluation with onboarding are priorities.
Verdict
Pick Patently if your patent work benefits from a single web platform linking semantic search, AI-assisted drafting, claim analysis, collaborative projects, and SEP analytics. The free plan is useful for individual exploration, while professional teams should choose it only if custom pricing and a browser-based workflow fit their procurement and deployment requirements.
Getting started
- Open https://patently.com/
- Create a Free account for individual use
- Use filtered asset search and browse patent families
- Chat with Onardo for assistance
- Move to Law Firm+, Business+, or Enterprise for broader capabilities
Limits worth knowing
The Free plan allows one user and individual use, with filtered asset search, Onardo chat, patent-family browsing, and asset-link sharing. Broader capabilities such as AI drafting, semantic search, analytics, collaboration, matter management, and IPMS integration are listed on paid plans.
Questions
Is Patently free?
Yes. The Free plan is free for one user and individual use.
Which platforms does Patently support?
Patently is available on the web.
What does the Free plan include?
It includes asset search with filters, Onardo chat, patent-family browsing, and asset-link sharing.
Does Patently offer semantic search?
Yes. Patently Search provides semantic search and passes results into other patent workflows without exports.
Are paid plan prices listed?
Law Firm+ and Business+ use custom pricing, while Enterprise is priced according to requirements.
How is AI data handled?
Patently says personal data is not shared with LLM providers, and Onardo output is processed on secure on-premises servers in the UK.
