RECAP

Overview

RECAP pairs a browser extension with a searchable archive containing tens of millions of PACER documents. When the extension is used to buy a PACER document, it contributes that record to the archive, where others can access it for free. Search reaches scanned PDF pages as well as text, which helps when a filing is image-based or difficult to locate by title. The trade-off is that a record not already contributed may still require a PACER purchase.

The service focuses on U.S. federal courts rather than broad legal research across jurisdictions. Case-law and docket search, citation tools, and alerts make it useful for tracking court activity, but it is not a general-purpose source for statutes, regulations, or legal commentary.

Key features

Shared documents and search

RECAP turns individual PACER purchases into a shared resource: one user's contribution may let another reader retrieve the same filing without buying it again. Its archive's scale and scanned-page search are meaningful advantages for document-focused research, though coverage depends on records being contributed.

Case and search alerts

Email docket alerts follow new filings in cases a user tracks, while saved-search alerts flag new matches in PACER holdings. Installing the extension adds further alert options. These tools are well suited to ongoing federal litigation monitoring, but their jurisdiction remains limited to U.S. federal courts.

Contributions and integrations

Attorneys can add a personal CourtListener notification address as a secondary PACER recipient, allowing RECAP to process notices and contribute related cases and filings. Webhooks can connect RECAP site events to actions elsewhere; Free Law Project also describes a PACER-to-Google-Drive connector demo. Journalists, researchers, startups, and developers can access archive data through an API or bulk downloads.

Privacy and safeguards

The extension's privacy policy says it does not access PACER credentials or send information to third parties. It does upload federal records to CourtListener and query CourtListener for requested records, so users should understand that data flow before installing it. The extension accesses PACER websites rather than general browsing. RECAP says it identifies some restricted-document warnings and avoids uploading those records, with additional ECF safeguards and a process for mistaken uploads.

Pricing

The RECAP extension is free: the RECAP plan costs 0.00 USD per free. There is no free trial because the core extension is already free. PACER can still charge for documents a user buys, so the archive lowers costs only when the needed record has already been contributed.

Paid plans start at 10 /user/mo. That is a per-user starting price, but no specific paid-plan features or terms are established here, so readers should not assume it changes PACER fees or adds a particular capability. The free extension is the clearest fit for individual users who chiefly want archive access and basic contributions; teams considering a paid tier should confirm what it includes before budgeting.

Platforms

RECAP is available as an extension, on iOS, and on the web. The extension is central to PACER document contributions and additional alerts, while the web archive supports searching and browsing. iOS availability gives users another access point, though the core document-sharing workflow is tied to browser use.

Who it's for

RECAP is a strong fit for attorneys, journalists, researchers, and others who repeatedly need federal filings or monitor cases and PACER searches. Its shared archive can make recurring document research less expensive when prior users have contributed the records. It is a weaker choice for readers seeking state-law coverage, statutes and regulations, legal commentary, or a comprehensive cross-jurisdiction research platform.

Pros and cons

• Pros: A large, searchable archive can provide contributed PACER documents without a second purchase, including scans that ordinary text-only searches can miss.
• Pros: Case alerts, saved-search alerts, and attorney notice forwarding support ongoing federal docket monitoring.
• Pros: API and bulk-data access extend the archive's usefulness to research and software projects.
• Cons: The archive's federal focus excludes broader state-law and statutory research needs.
• Cons: Documents absent from the archive may still cost money through PACER.
• Cons: Contributing records entails uploading federal documents to CourtListener, a data flow users should weigh even with the stated credential and restricted-record safeguards.

Alternatives

Browse Legal Research Software for more options. Choose CourtListener when a web-based, open-source service with a free tier and stated alert quotas is a better fit. CanLII is the better match for free access to Canadian legal information, with Search+ requiring a free account and subject to daily limits.

Fastcase suits readers who want a broader mobile and desktop service: its Appellate plan costs 65.00 USD per month and covers 50-state and federal law, appellate cases, and nationwide statutes and regulations, with no contract. LegitQuest is an alternative for readers considering a freemium legal research service with a free trial. Midpage offers a trial and paid plans for readers seeking AI research tools. For paid web-based case tracking, consider Thomson Reuters Case Tracking; Bloomberg Law is another paid web option with sales-contact pricing. Manupatra AI Search is a paid option available on web, Windows, iOS, and Android.

Verdict

Choose RECAP if your work depends on U.S. federal filings and you value a shared archive that can make already-purchased PACER documents freely available to others. Its free extension, broad archive, and targeted alerts are compelling for document-led federal research. Look elsewhere if you need wide jurisdictional coverage or reliable access to documents that have not yet entered the archive, and remember that PACER purchases can still add cost.