Finding the right annotation software can mean the difference between creative projects that flow smoothly and those that blow deadlines due to endless review cycles. Whether you're marking up PDFs for legal review, annotating videos for AI training, or collaborating on marketing campaigns, the annotation tools you choose directly impact your team's productivity and output quality.
The demand for sophisticated annotation capabilities has exploded across industries. Yet many teams still struggle with fragmented workflows, scattered feedback across email threads, and the constant app-switching that kills productivity. The right annotation software eliminates these bottlenecks, centralizing feedback and accelerating your entire creative operations.
We've analyzed 25 leading annotation tools across five categories — from comprehensive creative collaboration platforms to specialized AI training solutions. This guide breaks down exactly what each tool offers, who it serves best, and how much it costs, helping you identify the perfect fit for your specific annotation needs.
Best for: Marketing teams and creative agencies managing high-volume creative workflows with complex approval processes
Ziflow stands out as the system of record for creative feedback, serving thousands of customers worldwide. The platform transforms how teams review, markup, and approve creative content by eliminating the patchwork of tools that typically plague creative operations. With support for over 1,200 file types, Ziflow ensures your team never hits a compatibility roadblock.
Pricing: Free plan includes 2GB storage and 2 users with unlimited reviewers. Standard plan at $199/month (billed annually) provides 15 users and 1TB storage. Pro plan at $329/month adds advanced features and 2TB storage. Enterprise plans offer custom pricing with unlimited workflows and white labeling.
G2 Customer Review: "I'm not exaggerating when I say it's a game-changer for me. I work for an advertising agency and Ziflow has made managing reviews and approvals from our clients so much easier," shares Harriet G., Senior Account Manager. Another user states: "Ziflow makes it easy for our team to provide clear feedback on all types of creative content. It improved project member collaboration, which helped us get projects completed faster."
Best for: Marketing departments handling of visual assets with client collaboration requirements
Headquartered in Stuttgart, the platform focuses on streamlining collaboration between internal teams and external stakeholders without requiring clients to create accounts. The company has built its reputation on eliminating the friction that typically accompanies client feedback collection.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Basic plan starts at $199 month. Professional plan starts at $299/month and includes advanced features. Enterprise plans offer custom pricing with unlimited projects.
G2 Customer Review: "Filestage is very easy and intuitive. The review and approval process with my customers is very time-saving now, compared to sending emails back and forth. My customers are very happy with this tool and so am I," reports one verified reviewer.
Best for: Freelancers, and small to medium creative teams needing straightforward design and video collaboration
Featured in Forbes, Mashable, and Inc., GoVisually serves over 50,000 creative professionals. The platform excels at making complex review processes simple, particularly for PDF annotation and visual content collaboration. Their focus on intuitive design means teams can start collaborating immediately without extensive onboarding.
Pricing: Lite plan at $16/user/month. Pro plan at $33/user/month. Enterprise plans offer custom pricing with unlimited features and SSO.
G2 Customer Review: "GoVisually has been a great tool for our designers to work more productively with the rest of our organization. It saves us so much time in the review process and is really easy for new employees coming in to learn quickly," shares a verified G2 reviewer.
Best for: AI and ML teams building computer vision models requiring high-precision annotation
Encord powers the world's most ambitious AI projects, with over 200 leading AI companies relying on its data development platform. The company accelerates AI model development through comprehensive data curation, labeling, and evaluation tools that handle the complexity of modern computer vision projects. Their focus on multimodal AI makes them particularly valuable for teams working across different data types.
Pricing: Individual plan free for early-stage startups and academic researchers. Teams and Enterprise plans feature custom pricing based on data volume and required features.
G2 Customer Review: "The Encord platform is really easy to use for annotating videos. With Encord's interpolation feature we can label videos much more efficiently than with the tools we were using previously," reports a verified user.
Best for: Enterprises and legal teams requiring comprehensive PDF editing with industry-standard compliance
Adobe Acrobat is a leader for PDF manipulation, leveraging Adobe's position as creator of the PDF format itself. The platform delivers enterprise-grade features that extend far beyond simple annotation, providing comprehensive document workflows trusted by Fortune 500 companies and government organizations worldwide.
Pricing: Acrobat Standard at $12.99/month (annual plan). Acrobat Pro at $19.99/month includes full feature set.
G2 Customer Review: "Adobe Acrobat Reader makes it really easy to open, view, and interact with PDFs without any disturbances. I especially like the ability to highlight text, add comments, and fill out forms directly within the document," shares a verified user.
Best for: Businesses seeking Adobe alternative with advanced features at 40-60% lower cost
Foxit Software delivers fast, secure, and cost-effective PDF solutions that challenge Adobe's dominance. The company's innovation-first approach introduced the world's first PDF AI Assistant, featuring over 80 smart commands for document processing. Their strong enterprise focus and competitive pricing make them particularly attractive for cost-conscious organizations.
Pricing: Volume discounts available for 30+ licenses with special rates for education and non-profits.
G2 Customer Review: "Foxit PDF Editor is taking care of all my PDF editing needs. It's extremely useful when putting together proposals or quotes for customers," reports a verified G2 user.
Best for: Teams needing cross-platform PDF collaboration with mobile-first workflows
Developed by Apryse (formerly PDFTron), Xodo serves millions globally with comprehensive PDF solutions across all major platforms. The platform's commitment to security and cross-platform compatibility makes it ideal for teams working across different devices and operating systems, from Windows and Mac to Linux and mobile devices.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Web plan at $9.99/month per license (annual billing). PDF Studio at $9.99/month for desktop. Document Suite at $14.99/month includes all platforms.
Best for: Smaller creative teams and agencies needing unified feedback across multiple media types
BugSmash eliminates scattered communication by providing visual feedback and collaboration across diverse content types. The platform's unique strength lies in handling everything from PDFs to websites to audio files in a single interface, making it perfect for teams managing varied creative assets without requiring complex setup or training.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Free plan includes 2 projects, 2 members, 25 guests, and 5GB storage. Starter at $7/month (billed annually) for unlimited projects with 2 members. Team at $49/month supports unlimited members and projects. Lifetime access available for $249 (Founder's special).
Customer testimonial: Fire Safe Council reports, "We needed a way to collect public comments on a complex, markup-heavy PDF. BugSmash was the only tool that truly worked."
Best for: AI teams and computer vision projects requiring high-quality training data with managed annotation services
SuperAnnotate ranks as the #1 Data Labeling platform on G2, serving leading organizations with end-to-end annotation capabilities for computer vision and multimodal AI. The platform's access to over 400 vetted annotation service teams sets it apart for enterprises needing scalable, high-quality data labeling with human expertise.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Startup plan free for early-stage startups and academic researchers. Pro and Enterprise plans require custom pricing consultation based on project scope.
G2 Customer Review: "We reviewed several companies and selected SuperAnnotate due to the high quality of their data. They stand out for their data quality, attention to detail, and fantastic communication," reports a verified user.
Best for: Enterprise AI teams building production-ready applications with comprehensive data management needs
Dataloop provides an AI-ready data stack for organizations requiring end-to-end data management. With GDPR, ISO 27001, and SOC 2 Type II compliance, the platform serves enterprise customers who need robust security alongside powerful annotation capabilities. Their focus on automation and human-in-the-loop workflows accelerates AI development cycles.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Free trial available for evaluation. Enterprise pricing customized based on data volume and specific requirements.
Notable clients: Automotive companies and enterprises requiring ADAS and autonomous driving features.
Best for: Enterprises needing AI-powered content moderation and automated content analysis at massive scale
Founded in 2013, Hive pioneers AI content understanding with over 2 million registered contributors globally. The platform handles billions of API calls for the world's largest companies, specializing in content moderation, brand safety, and automated content analysis. Their pre-trained models enable immediate deployment without extensive setup.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: API-based pricing starting from $0.003 per image/video frame. Enterprise solutions feature custom pricing for high-volume usage. Managed annotation services available for specialized projects.
Platform ratings: Major social media platforms and Fortune 500 companies rely on Hive for content moderation at scale.
Best for: AI/ML teams in healthcare, manufacturing, and automotive requiring high-precision video annotation for safety-critical applications
V7 Labs serves Fortune 500 companies including Bayer, Boston Scientific, and Continental with training data platforms designed for safety-critical AI applications. The platform's ability to handle videos up to 100K+ frames with pixel-perfect accuracy makes it essential for regulated industries where precision directly impacts safety outcomes.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Professional and Enterprise plans feature custom pricing based on usage requirements.
Customer testimonial: Teams report annotation speed improvements of 30%, with overall process efficiency more than doubled.
Best for: Large-scale computer vision projects requiring diverse annotation types with enterprise-grade features
Originally developed by Intel and now maintained under the OpenCV umbrella, CVAT serves over 250,000 users globally. The open-source platform provides the most comprehensive annotation capabilities available, supporting everything from simple bounding boxes to complex 3D scene understanding. BMW Group and thousands of enterprises rely on CVAT for production AI systems.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Professional plans start at $33/month. Enterprise plans include SSO, SAML, and dedicated support.
Customer testimonial: Point.AI testimonial: "CVAT supports the widest variety of computer vision annotation tasks... Gone are the days where we need to design our own labeling tool."
Best for: Individual Mac users and small teams needing offline annotation for object detection projects
RectLabel brings Mac-native performance to annotation tasks, developed by Ryo Kawamura for users who prefer desktop applications over web-based tools. The integration with Apple's ecosystem, including Core ML models, makes it particularly valuable for iOS developers and Mac-based research teams.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Free trial available for evaluation. RectLabel offers monthly/yearly subscriptions. RectLabel Pro available as one-time purchase with pricing varying by region.
User feedback: Popular among Mac users for its native performance and integration with Apple's ecosystem.
Best for: Large enterprises needing high-volume, complex data annotation with human-AI collaboration
Scale AI, valued at $29 billion, powers AI development for OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and government agencies. The platform combines massive human workforce with advanced AI to deliver annotation at unprecedented scale and quality. Their managed service approach removes the complexity of annotation project management for enterprises.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Enterprise-focused custom pricing.
Notable clients: OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and government agencies rely on Scale for their most critical AI training data needs.
Best for: Small projects needing quick, browser-based annotation without installation requirements
Make Sense, an open-source project by SkalskiP, prioritizes privacy and simplicity. The tool operates entirely in the browser with data never leaving the user's device, making it ideal for sensitive projects or situations where data security policies prevent cloud-based tools. Students and researchers particularly value its zero-setup approach.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Completely free under GPLv3 license.
User feedback: Perfect for beginners and small-scale annotation needs requiring privacy.
Best for: Simple object detection tasks requiring only bounding box annotations
LabelImg, created by Tzutalin and now part of the Label Studio community, remains widely used despite no longer being actively developed. Its simplicity and focus on bounding box annotation make it a go-to tool for educational purposes and basic object detection projects where advanced features would add unnecessary complexity.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Free and open-source.
User base: Widely used in academic settings and for learning computer vision basics.
Best for: Developer-focused teams needing integrated pipeline from annotation through model deployment
Roboflow serves over 250,000 developers with an end-to-end computer vision platform. The company's focus on developer experience shows in their comprehensive documentation, active community, and Universe model hub. BNSF Railway and Pella Corporation trust Roboflow for production computer vision applications.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Free Public plan available with limitations. Basic plan at $49/month. Growth and Enterprise plans feature custom pricing.
Customer testimonial: BNSF Railway reports: "Roboflow is helping us immediately realize value from state-of-the-art computer vision technology."
Best for: Academic research and simple annotation tasks requiring offline capability
Developed by the Visual Geometry Group at Oxford University, VIA delivers lightweight annotation capabilities in a single HTML file under 500KB. The academic backing and minimal requirements make it perfect for research projects, particularly in educational settings where simplicity and offline functionality are priorities.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Free under BSD-2 clause license.
User base: Popular in academic and research settings.
Best for: Teams needing fast, automated annotation across multiple data types with high accuracy
Labellerr accelerates annotation workflows through AI-powered automation, claiming 60% time savings while maintaining 99.8% accuracy. The platform's strength lies in balancing automation with human oversight, ensuring quality while maximizing efficiency across diverse data types from images to PDFs.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Researcher Plan free for students and researchers with 2,500 credits. Pro Plan at $499/month includes 50,000 credits and 10 seats. Enterprise plans offer custom pricing.
G2 Rating: 4.8/5 rating with users praising speed improvements and accuracy.
Best for: Enterprise AI teams needing comprehensive data-centric AI platform with advanced collaboration
Founded in 2017 and backed by SoftBank and Andreessen Horowitz, Labelbox serves Fortune 500 clients including Walmart, P&G, and Adobe. The platform takes a data-centric approach to AI development, recognizing that model performance depends more on data quality than algorithm selection.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Enterprise plans feature custom pricing with advanced capabilities.
G2 Rating: 4.5/5 rating with users praising collaboration features and API management.
Best for: Computer vision teams needing end-to-end platform from annotation through deployment
Founded in 2017, Supervisely manages over 220 million images and 1 billion labels across its community. BMW Group uses the platform for manufacturing quality inspection, demonstrating its enterprise readiness. The comprehensive approach eliminates tool fragmentation by providing everything from annotation to model deployment.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Free for non-commercial use without credit card requirement. Pro and Enterprise plans available for businesses. On-premise Enterprise Edition offered for maximum control.
Customer base: BMW Group and 12,000+ businesses rely on the platform.
Best for: AWS ecosystem users needing integrated data labeling with machine learning workflows
Amazon SageMaker Ground Truth reduces data labeling costs up to 70% through active learning and automation. The managed service integrates seamlessly with the broader AWS ecosystem, making it the natural choice for teams already using AWS for their infrastructure and machine learning pipelines.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Pay-as-you-go starting at $0.08/month. Free tier includes 250 hours of various instance types and 25 hours of Data Wrangler. Charges apply for compute instances, storage, and human annotation tasks.
User feedback: Best suited for teams already invested in AWS infrastructure.
Best for: Teams needing simple, fast setup for basic annotation with good collaboration
Founded in 2018 by ex-Flipkart executives and acquired by Walmart Labs in 2019, DataTurks focuses on simplicity and speed. The platform claims 5x faster tagging speed compared to traditional methods, achieved through thoughtful interface design and keyboard shortcuts. An open-source version ensures longevity and flexibility.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Open-source self-hosted option provides free alternative.
User feedback: Teams working with sensitive data appreciate the secure platform and self-hosted option.
Best for: Large enterprises needing multilingual data annotation with global managed services
With 27+ years of experience and over 1 million contractors across 170+ countries, Appen delivers data annotation at global scale. The company's support for 235+ languages and dialects makes them indispensable for international AI projects requiring diverse linguistic and cultural perspectives.
Key annotation features:
Pricing: Custom project-based pricing with no public rates.
Customer base: Leading technology companies rely on Appen for large-scale annotation projects.
The annotation software landscape offers solutions for every need and budget, from free open-source tools to enterprise platforms managing billions of annotations. Your choice depends on several critical factors: the types of content you work with, your team size and technical expertise, integration requirements with existing workflows, and of course, budget constraints.
For creative teams and marketing departments managing diverse content types with complex approval workflows, Ziflow provides the most value. The ability to handle 1,200+ file types while maintaining enterprise-grade security and compliance makes these solutions ideal for organizations where creative operations directly impact business outcomes. The investment in proper annotation software pays dividends through faster project completion, fewer revision cycles, and elimination of costly errors that slip through fragmented review processes.
Ready to transform your creative operations? Experience how Ziflow can streamline your entire review and approval process with a personalized demo tailored to your specific workflow needs. Or start immediately with our free plan and discover why thousands of creative teams trust Ziflow to free the flow of great content.