“Can You Just Mark It on the Page?” ~ The 10 Best Website Annotation Tools in 2025

Let’s set the scene:

It’s 2 AM. You’ve been staring at the same web page for what feels like a lifetime. You spot a weird layout glitch on the homepage, your team swore was “ready to go.” 

Source

You open Slack, paste a screenshot, scribble “this thing’s broken,” and hit send.

Now you wait.

Then the dreaded message returns:
“Where exactly? What browser? What device? Can you explain what’s broken?”

Deja vu?

If you’ve ever been trapped in the feedback loop from hell, it’s time to call in reinforcements. Say hello to the unsung heroes of modern web collaboration: website annotation tools.

Whether you’re a dev squashing bugs, a designer giving pixel-level feedback, or a client trying to explain why “the button just feels…off,” these tools help you annotate live websites, drop comments in context, and make collaboration feel less like pulling teeth.

In this guide, we’ll explore the top 10 website annotation tools of 2025, tried, tested, and loved by agencies, freelancers, product teams, and maybe even your future self. 

We’ll talk pros, cons, reviews, use cases, and yes, how to pick the right one without losing your mind.

But first, what is a website annotation tool?

Simply put, a website annotation tool is software that allows you to click on a live web page, highlight or point to a specific element, and add comments, suggestions, or bug reports. Think of it as sticky notes on a live site, but smarter, trackable, and shareable.

You’ll hear them called:

~  Annotate website tools
~ Online annotation tools for websites
~ Free website annotation tools
~ Web feedback tools
~ Visual bug reporters

All different terms, indicating the same goal ~ clarity.

Why should you care?

Because miscommunication costs time. Time costs money. And vague feedback like “the top part is weird on mobile” makes everyone want to scream.

Using the right tool to annotate a website helps you:

~ Give pixel-precise, visual feedback

~ Squash bugs faster with dev-ready reports

~ Loop in stakeholders (without requiring 5 Zoom calls)

~ Track revisions and approval stages

~ Cut project timelines (and your stress levels) in half

The top 10 website annotation tools (Handpicked & human-tested)

These are the heavy hitters, the best tools for annotating websites, ranked based on usability, integrations, pricing, real user reviews, and good ol’ reliability.

Albeit, before we begin,

1. Marker.io~ Like a bug report with built-in telepathy

Imagine if your feedback tool could not only let you pin comments on a live site, but also whisper sweet technical nothings like console errors, browser versions, and screen sizes into your devs’ ears. Yeah, that’s Marker.io for you. It’s basically feedback with context, clarity, and a cherry on top.

Best for: Devs, QA teams, agencies

G2 Rating: ★ 4.8

Pricing: Starts at $39/month (All plans come with a 15-day free trial)

Here’s why you’ll love it:

~ Pins feedback directly on live sites or staging URLs

~ Sends issues straight into Jira, Trello, GitHub, Asana, ClickUp

~ Non-technical clients can leave feedback without logging in

Whether you’re testing a brand-new feature or just trying to fix that one annoying broken button on mobile, Marker.io makes sure your devs know exactly what went wrong and where.

On the flip side….

The interface leans a little “developer chic,” which can feel overwhelming for designers or marketing folks the first time around. But give it a minute, once you see that first fully tagged bug report hit your project board, you’ll be hooked.

“Marker.io made feedback a joy. My devs get what they need, and my clients feel heard. No more endless ‘where exactly?’ convos.” – G2 reviewer

2. MarkUp.io ~ Feedback so easy, it feels like cheating

Some tools make you feel like you’re wrestling with settings just to leave a comment. Not MarkUp.io. This beauty is so intuitive, it feels like it was designed by someone who actually sat through a hundred rounds of chaotic client feedback. (Bless them.)

You highlight something, drop a comment, and boom, feedback done! No emails, no screenshots, no “what page are you on again?” drama.

Best for: Designers, content teams, agencies

G2 Rating: ★ 4.7

Pricing: Starts at $79/month (30-day free trial)

Here’s what’s so cool about it:

~ Dead-simple Chrome extension

~ Real-time team collaboration

~ No login needed for clients

It’s like giving everyone a virtual red pen, minus the chaos.

It’s got a few quirks as well:

~ No console logs or browser metadata for developers

~ Doesn’t have task assignment or in-depth issue tracking

If your goal is to keep feedback flowing without turning your project into a never-ending group chat, MarkUp.io might just be your new best friend. It won’t replace your PM tool, but it will save you from drowning in vague revision requests.

“Perfect for client feedback. My creative reviews went from chaos to calm.” – Marketing manager, G2

3. BugHerd ~ Website feedback with swagger and sticky notes

You know how people used to slap sticky notes on printed comps during design reviews? BugHerd is that, but digitized, turbocharged, and armed with dev-grade x-ray vision.

Click anywhere on your live site, drop a little pin, and voilà, a feedback comment is born, complete with browser details, screen size, operating system, and console logs. It’s like handing your developer a bug report with a bow on it.

Best for: Web devs, QA teams

G2 Rating: ★ 4.8

Free plan: 7-day trial

Pricing: Starts at $41/month

Pros

~ Tracks bugs visually, with full metadata

~ Integrates with Jira, GitHub, Slack, and Zapier

~ Great for managing internal QA cycles

Whether you’re deep into a complex sprint or just tightening up a marketing site before launch, BugHerd keeps things moving with zero ambiguity.

Cons

~ UI feels a bit dated

~ Might feel overwhelming for smaller creative teams

“We used to pass bug reports back and forth in Slack threads and screenshots. Now? One click and our devs have everything they need. BugHerd’s a no-brainer.” ~ QA Lead via G2

If you want your developers to love you and your feedback process to finally stop resembling a game of “feedback telephone,” BugHerd might just be your secret weapon. Not flashy. Just freakishly useful.

4. Pastel ~ Website annotation that feels like casual coffee chat

Imagine your client opens a link, clicks around your live site, and starts leaving comments like they’re texting you. That’s Pastel in a nutshell, it turns website feedback into something almost… enjoyable? Yeah, we said it.

This tool is made for the non-dev crowd. You don’t need to install anything, create an account, or understand what console logs are. Just annotate and go.

Best for: Agencies, marketers, non-tech clients

Capterra Rating: ★ 4.5

Free plan: Yes

Pricing: You can either opt for a free plan that lasts forever or choose a starting pack at $35 per month.

Here’s what’s lovely:

~ Zero friction for client feedback

~ Live page comments that look like sticky notes

~ Trello and Slack integrations

If you’re tired of decoding client feedback emails like “the thing near the top left of that green section,” Pastel is your escape route.

While here’s what’s amiss;

~ No dev data (console logs, etc.)

~ No full project management layer

Bottom line? If your team juggles feedback from clients who “just want it fixed” without diving into the tech weeds, Pastel makes web annotation so simple it’s basically magic.

5. PageProofer ~ The quiet powerhouse of website feedback

PageProofer is kind of like that low-key developer on your team who doesn’t say much but quietly fixes everything before you even realize it’s broken. It doesn’t flash neon lights or toss out buzzwords it just gets the job done, with zero drama.

Click anywhere on your website, drop a note, and boom, it captures all the tech specs behind the scenes (browser, OS, screen size, you name it). Your devs get everything they need, without back-and-forth detective work.

Best for: In-house teams, dev & QA

Capterra Rating: ★ 4.8

Free plan: No

Pricing: Starts at $39/month

Why it works:

~ Great for internal use

~Tech metadata auto-logged

~ Lightweight and easy to set up

Minor gripes:

~ Fewer bells and whistles

~ Not super modern-looking

“It just works. I don’t have to explain it, train anyone, or fight with it. That’s rare.” – In-house dev team lead, via Capterra

If your team thrives on simple, reliable tools that stay out of the way and let you focus on fixing stuff fast, PageProofer deserves a spot in your toolkit. Quietly brilliant and honestly, kinda underrated.

6. Diigo — The undercover genius every researcher should know about

If most website annotation tools are built for dev teams and designers, Diigo feels like it was crafted for the deep thinkers, the ones who live in a dozen browser tabs, highlight their way through life, and organize web content like it’s a sacred ritual.

Diigo isn’t flashy. It doesn’t ping your Jira board or integrate with your project management stack. However, what it does exceptionally well is letting you capture, annotate, and organize the internet, essentially serving as your own private research assistant.

Whether you’re a content strategist highlighting stats for your next blog, a PhD student gathering sources, or an educator curating reading material, Diigo helps you highlight, sticky-note, tag, and stash away anything useful you come across online.

Best for: Writers, researchers, academics, educators

Chrome Web Store Rating: ★ 4.6

Free plan: Yep, it’s yours!

Pricing: standard plan starts at $5/month

You might want to peruse some real-life use cases next:

~ Writers & bloggers: Highlight relevant data, quotes, and passages from articles, then come back later and organize them into content ideas.

~ Academics & students: Save annotated reading material into collections, making citations and summaries a breeze.

~ Teachers & educators: Share pre-highlighted reading lists with students or collaborate with peers in Diigo groups.

You can sort everything into lists, tag it with keywords, and even create private or shared libraries. It works on PDFs, too.

However, you might want to look out for a quick reality check as well!

If you’re hoping to mark up a staging site or collect UI/UX feedback with screenshots and browser metadata… well, Diigo’s not that kind of party. It’s not built for teams managing web builds or dev sprints. And if Jira, Trello, or ClickUp are part of your daily workflow, you’ll find Diigo lacks those team-based integrations.

7. FuseBase (formerly Nimbus) — The all-in-one workhorse you didn’t know you needed

Ever wish you could take screenshots, annotate them, send a video walkthrough to a client, manage your to-dos, and build a branded client portal, all without hopping between five different apps?

Enter FuseBase (previously Nimbus). This tool is the Swiss Army knife of website annotation and client collaboration. It’s not just about scribbling on screenshots; it’s a full-fledged ecosystem for people who live and breathe client work.

At first glance, it might feel like just another screenshot tool. But spend a few minutes poking around and you’ll realize: this thing can run an entire client relationship.

Best for: Small agencies, freelancers, and client-facing teams

Capterra rating: ★ 4.6

Free plan: You bet!

Pricing: Starts at $32/month

Here’s where FuseBase shines;

~ Multi-media annotation: Snap a screenshot, record your screen, or capture a webpage — then layer it with notes, arrows, voice memos, or text. Works beautifully for static pages and video feedback.

~ Client portals and knowledge hubs: Build branded, shareable spaces where your clients can access project updates, timelines, files, and notes. Looks polished without dev time.

~ Built-in task and project management: Create to-do lists, assign tasks, track progress — all baked into your workspace. Perfect for solopreneurs and small teams who want fewer tools in their stack.

It’s like Loom, Trello, Notion, and MarkUp.io had a baby… and that baby went to design school and grew up to work in client services.

With that comes a few heads up!

All that power comes with a little baggage. If you’re just here to annotate a website or slap a quick comment on a landing page mockup, FuseBase might feel like you brought a spaceship to a bike race. It can be a little overwhelming for simple feedback tasks.

Also, the learning curve is real, especially if you’re not planning to use its client portal or project management features. But once you climb it, it’s hard to go back to the “one-tool-per-task” life.

8. Filestage — The creative team’s approval powerhouse

If most website annotation tools feel like sticky notes for the web, Filestage is more like a fully staffed approval department in your browser, built for teams with deadlines, feedback loops, and clients who always “just have one more tweak.”

It’s not just for web pages. Filestage plays nicely with videos, PDFs, audio files, images, and HTML previews, keeping everything timestamped, streamlined, and stress-free. Think of it as your ultimate feedback and approval conveyor belt for creative assets.

Best for: Video production houses, content-heavy teams, enterprises drowning in review rounds

G2 rating: ★ 4.6

Free plan: Yes

Pricing: Starts at $109/month

Here’s what makes Filestage a rockstar;

~ Multi-format feedback? Nailed it. Whether it’s a motion graphic explainer, a podcast episode, or a five-page brochure PDF, Filestage lets you drop comments right where they matter, with frame-accurate video annotations, no less.

~ Advanced approval workflows: You can set up multiple review stages (e.g., internal, legal, client) so assets move smoothly through the chain of command. No more lost feedback in Slack threads.

~ Collaborate inside and out: Need input from your agency’s creative director and the client’s legal team? Filestage lets you invite reviewers without needing them to sign up, install anything, or read a tutorial. It’s frictionless.

In short? If your workflow involves a mix of stakeholders, formats, and recurring requests, such as “can you just shift that logo 2 pixels left?” Filestage brings structure to the chaos.

But, one’s gotta be real too!

All that polish and process power doesn’t come cheap. Filestage pricing leans towards the enterprise level, which might be overkill for solo freelancers or small creative shops that just need basic feedback.

And if you’re only looking for simple website annotation (such as dropping a pin on a staging site or providing basic development notes), this might feel like too much firepower for the job.

9. Hypothes.is — Where the web becomes a shared margins space

If most annotation tools are built for shipping products, fixing bugs, or giving design feedback, Hypothes.is is a different breed altogether. It’s the digital equivalent of scribbling thoughts in the margins of a textbook, except everyone can see and respond to your notes.

Think of it as a social annotation layer for the web, built not for wireframes, but for conversations around ideas, whether you’re dissecting a dense academic article, facilitating an online classroom, or running a reading group, Hypothes.is lets your team highlight, comment, question, and discuss content right on top of the original source.

Best for: Educators, students, researchers, book clubbers with big thoughts

G2 Rating: ★ 4.4

Free plan: 100% yes

It’s great for the following reasons;

~ In classrooms and workshops: Teachers and students can collaboratively annotate assigned readings. Goodbye one-way lectures, hello shared learning!

~ For academic discussions: Researchers use it to debate theories, add citations, or connect ideas directly on the content they’re studying.

~ Open-source soul: It’s built on the idea that knowledge should be discussed openly no vendor lock-ins or paywalls to slow you down.

It’s like adding a comments section to everything on the internet but with actual intellectual value (and thankfully, no trolls).

Now, if you’re a designer trying to get feedback on a homepage redesign or a dev collecting bug notes from QA, Hypothes.is will probably feel like bringing a discussion board to a sprint review. It’s not built for pixel-pushing or staging site feedback. No fancy dashboards, no Jira or Trello integrations.

And for teams new to the concept of web-based group annotation, there’s a bit of a learning curve. The interface is functional, but not polished like the mainstream annotation tools we’ve looked at.

10. Markup Hero — The screenshot sidekick you didn’t know you needed

Ever find yourself needing to capture something, add notes, draw a few arrows, and shoot it off to a teammate like five minutes ago? That’s where Markup Hero steps in. It’s the kind of tool that doesn’t ask you to commit; it just shows up, does the job, and gets out of the way.

With lightning-fast screenshot capture, markup options galore, and a dead-simple shareable link, Markup Hero feels like the annotation tool equivalent of a mic drop.

Best for: Freelancers, solopreneurs, consultants, and teams that move fast

G2 rating: ★ 4.5

Free plan: Yes, up and running in seconds

Pricing: The Premium plan is priced at $3/month

Here’s what makes Markup Hero a… well, hero:

~ Blazing fast workflow: You could use a keyboard shortcut to snap a screenshot, add your annotations (arrows, highlights, text, the usual suspects), and generate a shareable link instantly.

~ Flexible formats: It’s not just for websites. You can annotate PDFs, images, and even upload files to mark up. Perfect for everything from client contracts to content drafts.

~ Zero learning curve: Seriously, your grandma could use this. It’s intuitive, clean, and doesn’t make you dig through menus just to drop a circle on something.

It’s built for the kind of person who works fast, needs to communicate visually, and doesn’t want to learn a new system just to say, “Hey, this button is broken.”

Here are some things to know before you commit.

Markup Hero is a stellar solo tool, but if you’re looking for team features, like threaded comments, collaborative markups, or project dashboards, you won’t find them here. This isn’t Jira, and it doesn’t want to be.

Also, it doesn’t support live website annotation, so if your goal is to leave feedback on a working webpage or stage environment, you might be better off with tools like Marker.io or Pastel.

How to choose the right website annotation tool

Feeling a little overwhelmed by all these fabulous options? Totally fair. Choosing a website annotation tool isn’t one-size-fits-all, it’s more like picking your favorite ice cream flavor… with a side of bug tracking.

So let’s break it down in plain English, no tech jargon, no 20-tab comparisons. Here’s your quick-hit cheat sheet based on what you actually need to do:

FAQs about annotating websites (Cz, you’re not the only one wondering…)

How do I annotate a website easily?

Ah, the million-pixel question. The easiest route? Just install a Chrome extension like MarkUp.io or Marker.io. Open your web page, click the toolbar icon, drop a comment, maybe draw a snazzy arrow, and voilà! You’re officially an annotation ninja. No downloads. No drama.

What’s the best free website annotation tool?

Well, the answer to that depends on your vibe.

• Want team collaboration and client reviews? MarkUp.io’s free plan is pretty generous.
  
• Need speed and solo scribbling? Go for Markup Hero.
  
• Prefer research-style highlighting? Diigo has been quietly crushing it for years.
  They’re all great, it’s like asking “what’s the best pizza?” (Answer: depends on the toppings.)
  

Can I use these tools on mobile?

Some, yes, but with a few caveats.

• Pastel and FuseBase offer mobile-friendly interfaces and are decent on the go, especially for quick client feedback.
  
• That said, most advanced annotation features (like detailed comments or full-page markups) still shine best on desktop.
  So yes, annotate from your couch, but maybe save the heavy lifting for your laptop.
  

Want more tips, tool pairings, or a mobile-friendly-only tools list? Just drop a comment (or, you know, annotate this blog 😉).

The road ahead

On that note, if you are a WordPress enthusiast or have built a website on it, you might be interested in exploring what conspired at WCEU 2025!