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Indian Kanoon

indiankanoon.org

From ₹41.67/mo Free plan WebAndroidAPI
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Spec score 8.9 #3 of 31 in Legal Research Software

What it is

Indian Kanoon provides searchable access to Indian laws and court judgments, connecting statutes with cases to help readers locate relevant clauses and interpretations. Its database contains over 3 crore documents, including judgments, orders, laws, Lok Sabha debates, and Law Commission reports. Search filters include document type, date, title, citation, author, and bench, alongside phrase and Boolean-style operators. For documents longer than five paragraphs, structural analysis separates material such as facts, issues, arguments, reasoning, and conclusions. It also labels cited-case discussion by whether a party relied on it, a court accepted it, a court viewed it negatively, or the treatment is unclear. Prism AI offers legal questions grounded in the database, document chat, drafting and review, counterarguments, outcome predictions, moot simulation, and study assistance. NoteIK supports research topics, searchable notes, annotations, and collaboration. Daily alerts can identify matching additions or new orders citing a selected judgment. API access includes search and document endpoints, Python and Java clients, and JSON or XML responses. The service is available on web and Android, as well as through its API. Its free plan includes a limited number of Prism credits, 25 court copies per month, and two query alerts.

Spec sheet

What it does
Indian Kanoon provides free online access to Indian legal documents and a search engine for laws and court judgments.Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Purpose
Indian Kanoon provides searchable access to Indian laws and court judgments, linking statutes with cases to help identify relevant clauses and interpretations.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Intended users
The site presents its free searchable legal texts as intended to make legal information accessible to the public, while its premium research tools are described for legal practitioners and professionals.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Privacy
Prism session data is shared with contracted LLM providers to generate responses, and those providers are obligated to protect it and use it only for that purpose.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Support
API users with issues are directed to contact the service by email.Read 4 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
Accuracy disclaimer
Premium terms provide data and services as-is and disclaim warranties for accuracy, reliability, errors and omissions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
AI tools
Prism plans list Know Your Kanoon, Talk with IK-doc, DocGen Hub, Comparison and Review, Upload and Chat, Case Predict AI, Counter Argument Generator, Moot Court Simulation and Study Buddy.Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Alerts
Query Alert Service sends daily alerts when matching legal documents are added and can track new orders citing a specified judgment.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Android availability
AppBrain says the app was removed from Google Play on September 29, 2016 and is no longer downloadable there.Read 15 Oct 2026 · appbrain.com
Android requirements
The archived app required Android 3.0 or newer, was free, and had a 2.99MB APK.Read 15 Oct 2026 · appbrain.com
API attribution
API users must visibly attribute results, documents and classifiers with the powered-by-IKanoon logo, including RAG and model-training uses.Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
API authentication
Developers can authenticate with a shared token or public-private-key signatures; failed verification returns HTTP 403.Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
API availability limit
The API terms say service may go down and disclaim liability for losses caused by unavailable service.Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
API clients
Official documentation points developers to Python and Java clients in the IKAPI repository and says they can be used as command-line tools or subclassed.Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
API extensibility
The API terms allow users to request new search filters or ranking features, but Indian Kanoon may decline requests.Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
API integration
The API provides search, document, court copy, document fragment, and document metadata endpoints, with Python and Java clients and JSON or XML responses.Read 4 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
API security
API requests can be authenticated with a shared token or public-private key signatures, and duplicate signed messages are rejected to prevent replay use.Read 4 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
Collaboration
The legal research service supports research topics with subtopics and collaboration between premium members.Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Company facts
LinkedIn lists Indian Kanoon as a privately held legal-services company founded in 2008 with 2–10 employees and headquarters in Bangalore, Karnataka.Read 15 Oct 2026 · in.linkedin.com
Court-copy downloads
Signed-up free users receive 25 court-copy downloads monthly, Premium users 250 and Pro users 1000.Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Data protection
The privacy policy says Indian Kanoon cannot guarantee absolute security, and it may transfer data outside the user's jurisdiction.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Data resilience
Premium terms state that member data is replicated across multiple servers, routinely backed up and known security vulnerabilities are updated fortnightly.Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Database
The site says its database contains over 3 crore documents, including court judgments and orders, laws, Lok Sabha debates, and Law Commission reports.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Database size
The API site describes access to more than three crore legal orders.Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
Document access
The API provides processed documents, original court copies, document fragments and document metadata.Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
Document limit
Talk with Doc on IK currently has limited support for documents above 50,000 words.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Judgment analysis
For documents longer than five paragraphs, structural analysis segments judgments into categories such as facts, issues, arguments, precedent analysis, reasoning, and conclusion.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Legal maker name
The premium terms identify the operating entity as IKanoon Software Development Pvt Ltd.Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Licence
The opened official pages describe API terms and attribution requirements but do not state an open-source licence for the Indian Kanoon service.Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
Limit: access outage
A TRAI-hosted report records users reporting Indian Kanoon blocked on Reliance Jio and inconsistently inaccessible through other ISPs in early 2019.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cms.trai.gov.in
Limit: citation readiness
Indian-law practitioners on Reddit describe Indian Kanoon as useful for discovery but say its material is not citation-ready for court filings without downloading official copies elsewhere.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
Limit: privacy disputes
Bar and Bench lists repeated litigation involving requests to remove or mask personal details in judgments hosted or indexed through Indian Kanoon.Read 15 Oct 2026 · barandbench.com
Limit: search relevance
A LinkedIn commenter said Indian Kanoon search results were not always relevant and required difficult sifting.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Notable news
Bar and Bench reported on September 17, 2026 that the Delhi High Court discussed affordability of paid legal databases in an Indian Kanoon right-to-be-forgotten case.Read 15 Oct 2026 · barandbench.com
NoteIK
Premium services let users highlight legal text, annotate it and organize annotations into research topics.Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
NoteIK and collaboration
NoteIK supports research topics, annotations, searchable notes, and collaboration with other members.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Praise: accessibility
A 2023 legal-access study describes Indian Kanoon as a widely used free first-stop resource for lawyers and lay citizens, with no formal registration required.Read 15 Oct 2026 · shareenjoshi.com
Praise: search usefulness
The same study reports that users spent about six minutes per page, suggesting many readers engage directly with the legal text.Read 15 Oct 2026 · shareenjoshi.com
Precedent analysis
The site categorizes cited-case discussion as relied on by a party, accepted by court, negatively viewed by court, or having no clear sentiment.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Prism AI
Prism includes tools for database-grounded legal questions, document chat, drafting and review, counterarguments, case outcome predictions, moot simulation, and study assistance.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Privacy policy
Indian Kanoon says court judgments are public records and generally will not remove or modify them without a competent court order, with limited victim-identity redaction.Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Query alerts
Premium users can receive alerts when newly added documents match saved queries.Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Rating on Android app listing
The archived Indian Kanoon Android app is rated 4.34 out of 5 from 240 ratings on AppBrain.Read 15 Oct 2026 · appbrain.com
Research impact
An academic study describes Indian Kanoon’s rollout as a substantial reduction in the cost of searching for Indian legal information.Read 15 Oct 2026 · users.nber.org
Result formats
API responses can be requested as JSON or XML, while clients must create their own presentation layer.Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
Search
The API exposes Indian Kanoon search with filters and operators that can be customized by callers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
Search filters
Document-type, date, title, citation, author and bench parameters are documented for searches.Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org
Search tools
Search supports advanced filters for document type, date, title, citation, author, and bench, as well as phrase and Boolean-style operators.Read 4 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Security statement
Prism pricing claims enterprise-grade encryption, secure storage, no third-party sharing and compliance with Indian data-protection regulations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org

Plans and prices

Free Free ₹ 0 /year Few Prism credits · 25 court copies per month · 2 query alerts Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Premium ₹500 a year ₹ 500 monthly, ₹ 1500 quarterly, ₹ 2700 half-yearly, ₹ 5000 yearly + 18% GST 20x Free Prism credits · 500MB storage · NoteIK · 250 court copies per month · 25 query alerts Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
Pro ₹1,500 a year ₹ 1500 monthly, ₹ 4500 quarterly, ₹ 8000 half-yearly, ₹ 15000 yearly + 18% GST 100x Free Prism credits · 2GB storage · NoteIK · 1000 court copies · 100 query alerts Read 15 Oct 2026 · indiankanoon.org
API usage Priced on request Prepaid usage: Search ₹0.50/request · Original Document ₹0.50 · Document ₹0.20 · Document Fragment ₹0.05 · Document Metainfo ₹0.02 ₹500 development credit · Verified non-commercial users can receive ₹10,000 monthly credit Read 15 Oct 2026 · api.indiankanoon.org

Every Indian Kanoon plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Search spans judgments, laws, debates, and reports
  • Advanced filters include citation, author, and bench
  • Daily alerts track matching documents and cited-judgment orders
  • API offers Python and Java clients
  • NoteIK supports collaboration and searchable notes

Limits

  • Talk with Doc has limited support above 50,000 words
  • Prism session data is shared with contracted LLM providers
  • Privacy policy says absolute security cannot be guaranteed
  • Data may be transferred outside the user's jurisdiction

Who it suits

Indian Kanoon presents its searchable legal texts for public access, while its premium research tools are aimed at legal practitioners and professionals. The API and research features may suit people who need structured access to Indian legal materials.

Indian Kanoon in depth

Read the full write-up

Indian Kanoon is a legal research service for finding Indian laws, judgments and related materials, with additional tools for professional research. It suits people working with Indian law who need broad search and ongoing alerts; the free tier is a useful entry point, while paid users should weigh the research quotas and Prism’s document limit against their workflow.

Overview

The database spans more than 3 crore documents, including court judgments and orders, laws, Lok Sabha debates and Law Commission reports. Coverage includes the Supreme Court, High Courts, tribunals, Delhi and Bengaluru district courts, and state and Union territory laws. By connecting statutes with cases, Indian Kanoon helps researchers move from a legal provision to relevant clauses and interpretations. Its scope makes it a strong choice for Indian-law research, but not for work centered on another jurisdiction.

Key features

Search offers filters for document type, date, title, citation, author and bench, alongside phrase and Boolean-style operators. Those controls help narrow a large collection by source and query, rather than leaving researchers to sift through broad keyword results. Case law, statutes and regulations, legal commentary and citation tools make the service useful across several stages of legal research.

For documents longer than five paragraphs, structural analysis separates judgments into categories such as facts, issues, arguments, precedent analysis, reasoning and conclusion. A separate precedent tool classifies discussion of cited cases as relied on by a party, accepted by the court, viewed negatively or lacking clear sentiment. These features can help organize a judgment and its treatment of earlier cases, though they are analytical aids rather than a substitute for reading the underlying material.

Prism adds database-grounded legal questions, document chat, drafting and review, counterarguments, case outcome predictions, moot simulation and study assistance. Talk with Doc currently has limited support for documents above 50,000 words, a meaningful constraint for users handling lengthy material. Prism session data is shared with contracted LLM providers to generate responses; those providers are obligated to protect it and use it only for that purpose. Users handling sensitive material should consider that data flow. Indian Kanoon also says it cannot guarantee absolute security and may transfer data outside the user's jurisdiction.

NoteIK supports research topics, annotations, searchable notes and collaboration with other members. Query Alert Service sends daily notices when matching legal documents are added and can track new orders citing a specified judgment. The free tier's two-alert cap makes it better for selective monitoring than for managing many matters.

The API offers search, document, court copy, document fragment and document metadata endpoints, with Python and Java clients and JSON or XML responses. Authentication supports a shared token or public-private key signatures, and duplicate signed messages are rejected to prevent replay. API users with issues are directed to contact the service by email.

Pricing

Indian Kanoon uses a freemium model, with paid offerings from ₹500/mo. Its Free plan costs ₹ 0 0 0 0 /year and includes few Prism credits, 25 court copies per month and two query alerts. It suits public users or occasional researchers, but the small alert allowance and limited Prism credits constrain regular professional use.

Premium has custom pricing, billed at ₹ 500 monthly, ₹ 1500 quarterly, ₹ 2700 half-yearly or ₹ 5000 yearly, plus 18% GST. It provides 20x Free Prism credits, 500MB of storage, 250 court copies per month and 25 query alerts. This is the lower-quota paid option for users who need more than the free caps but do not need the larger allowances of Pro.

Pro also has custom pricing, billed at ₹ 1500 monthly, ₹ 4500 quarterly, ₹ 8000 half-yearly or ₹ 15000 yearly, plus 18% GST. It raises the allowance to 100x Free Prism credits, 2GB of storage, 1000 court copies and 100 query alerts. That higher capacity is better suited to heavier research and monitoring; the figures do not say whether its court-copy allowance resets monthly.

API usage is prepaid and billed on a flat usage-based basis: Search ₹0.50/request, Original Document ₹0.50/request, Document ₹0.20/request, Document Fragment ₹0.05/request and Document Metainfo ₹0.02/request. A free ₹500 development/test credit gives teams room to evaluate integration before paying for requests. Non-commercial use cases can receive ₹10,000 monthly af

Platforms

Indian Kanoon supports web, Android and API access. Web and Android suit direct research; API access is the route for integrating legal search and document retrieval into software.

Who it's for

The free searchable legal texts are intended to make legal information accessible to the public, while the premium research tools are aimed at legal practitioners and professionals. Occasional users can start with the free tier; practitioners who depend on alerts, court copies, Prism or shared notes should compare the paid quotas with their expected use. Developers can use the API when they need programmatic access, with request charges to account for in ongoing use.

Pros and cons

Pros: A collection of more than 3 crore documents and broad Indian court and legislative coverage support research across a wide range of materials.

Pros: Detailed search filters, judgment structure and precedent categorization can help researchers locate and organize relevant material.

Pros: Alerts, collaborative notes and API endpoints extend the service beyond one-off searches into monitoring and integration.

Cons: The free plan's two alerts and 25 monthly court copies are limited for sustained professional work.

Cons: Talk with Doc has limited support above 50,000 words, which may interrupt workflows involving long documents.

Cons: Prism shares session data with contracted LLM providers, and the privacy policy does not guarantee absolute security or restrict transfers to the user's jurisdiction.

Alternatives

Legal Research Software is a useful place to compare the wider category. For a different balance of jurisdictions, pricing or court-record focus, consider these alternatives:

Fastcase offers a free tier and trial, with an Appellate plan at $65 a month covering 50-state and federal law, appellate case law, nationwide statutes and regulations, and no contract. Choose it when that US coverage is more relevant than Indian legal materials.

CourtListener is a free, open-source service with a free tier that includes five docket alerts, unlimited daily opinion search alerts and five daily RECAP search alerts. Consider it for a free, open-source option when those alert allowances and its focus are a better fit.

Docket Alarm has a free plan allowing five actions per week across searches, docket views and document views, excluding government-purchased documents such as PACER filings. It may suit users whose work centers on docket activity and who can work within that cap.

LegitQuest is another freemium legal research option; compare it when evaluating alternatives for Indian-law work.

RECAP is a freemium option from Free Law Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that says it began in 2010 to make the legal ecosystem more equitable through technology, data and advocacy. Consider it when that organization and approach are a better match.

Lexis+ is a paid service with a free trial and subscription pricing that varies by organization, features, content, tools, practice areas, jurisdictions and users. It may suit buyers seeking a subscription tailored to their organization.

Manupatra AI Search offers a High Court Judgments AI Summary plan for ₹5,000 a year, excluding GST, with unlimited summaries of High Court judgments. Consider it when that specific summary offering is the closer fit.

CanLII provides free access to Canadian legal information; Search+ requires a free myCanLII account and is subject to a daily usage limit. Choose it for Canadian-law research.

Verdict

Indian Kanoon is a strong choice for legal professionals and public users who need broad Indian legal search, with alerts and analysis available for deeper research. Its large collection and connected statutes and cases are the main reasons to choose it. Look elsewhere for other jurisdictions, or weigh the plan quotas and Prism privacy and document constraints carefully before making it central to a professional workflow.

Verdict

Indian Kanoon combines a large searchable legal collection with analysis, alerts, collaboration, and API access. Readers using Prism should consider its stated data handling and privacy limitations.

Where Specifiction places it

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