Hypothesis
7.3#5 in web annotation toolsFree planFree planWebAPIExtension
VisitHypothesis vs Pastel
What both publish
| Fact | Hypothesis | Pastel |
|---|---|---|
| Company | The site footer identifies the company as Annotation Unlimited, PBC, and the About page says the project was founded as an open-source project in 2011. | The company identifies itself as Pastel Labs Inc. and says it was created by freelance designers and developers to make website feedback easier. |
| Founded | 2011 | 2017 |
| Purpose | Hypothesis adds collaborative annotations to digital course materials so learners can highlight passages, ask questions, and respond to peers in context. | Pastel collects visual feedback and approvals on websites and other creative work, including PDFs, images, and videos. |
| Rating on Chrome Web Store | 3.9 out of 5 from 225 ratings. | 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings |
| Rating on G2 | 4.4 out of 5 from 5 reviews. | 4.5 out of 5 from 14 reviews |
| Security | Hypothesis says its security program includes static code analysis, dependency vulnerability monitoring, security assessments, and third-party penetration testing. | Pastel's privacy policy describes protections including user IDs, passwords, encryption, firewalls, restricted employee access, and security requirements for service providers. |
| Support | The pricing page lists self-service support for Free and Bronze, standard email support for Bronze, and premium support with a dedicated customer success manager for Gold. | GetApp lists chat and email/help-desk support options for Pastel. |
Hypothesis plans
- FreeFree
- Bronze—
- Custom solutionPriced on request
- Gold—
- Silver—
Pastel plans
- FreeFree
- Free ForeverFree
- Pro$25 a month
- Team$84 a month
- Enterprise$383 a month
Pick Hypothesis if…
Hypothesis suits students and instructors who want to discuss course materials in context, as well as institutions seeking LMS integrations. Personal users and collaborators can start with the free account.
Pick Pastel if…
Pastel suits teams and clients who need to comment on websites or creative files together. Its guest access can accommodate reviewers who do not have accounts.