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Prodigy

prodigy.ai

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Spec score 8.4 #6 of 24 in AI Image Annotation Tools

What it is

Prodigy is a downloadable developer tool and Python library for creating training and evaluation data for machine-learning models. Its built-in recipes cover named entity recognition, text classification, computer vision, audio and video annotation, transcription, and model training and evaluation. A customizable web application offers 23 interfaces for work with text, images, audio, video, relations, multiple choice, HTML and conflict resolution. Users can define workflows with Python recipes and create interfaces using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Prodigy supports spaCy, plugins for Hugging Face models and integrations with major LLM API providers. Data can be stored in SQLite, MySQL or PostgreSQL and exported to JSON. It runs on the user's own machines without connecting to the maker's or third-party servers, including on air-gapped machines. The standard Python web server and app can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise. Personal licensing costs $390, paid once, excluding tax; Company licensing costs $490, paid once per seat in packs of five, excluding tax.

Spec sheet

What it does
Prodigy is a developer-oriented annotation tool for creating training and evaluation data for machine-learning systems.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Product
Prodigy is a downloadable developer tool and Python library for creating training and evaluation data for machine learning models.Read 29 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
Intended users
Prodigy is designed as a developer tool and assumes basic familiarity with Python and the command line, while its annotation web app can be used without programming experience after setup.Read 29 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
Deployment
The standard Python web server and application can be deployed on any cloud provider or entirely on-premise.Read 29 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
Trial
The maker offers hosted virtual-machine trials to companies and organizations, and can arrange a trial license and installer for privacy-sensitive use cases; hosted trials are not offered to individuals.Read 29 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
Integrations
Prodigy has first-class support for spaCy, plugins for Hugging Face models, and out-of-the-box integrations with major LLM API providers.Read 29 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
Privacy
The software itself is self-hosted and does not connect to Explosion or third-party servers unless optional external-model integrations are used.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Support
The product includes documentation and access to a support forum; company licenses also include priority forum and email support.Read 29 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
Headquarters
Berlin, GermanyRead 28 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
Founded
2016Read 28 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
Maker
Prodigy is made by ExplosionAI GmbH, whose legal imprint lists its address in Berlin, Germany.Read 29 Sep 2026 · explosion.ai
Active learning
Active-learning workflows are provided for named-entity recognition, text classification, part-of-speech tagging and dependency parsing.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Annotation interfaces
The product includes 23 customizable interfaces for text, images, audio, video, relations, multiple choice, HTML and conflict resolution.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Annotation tasks
Built-in recipes cover tasks including named entity recognition, text classification, computer vision, audio and video annotation, transcription, and model training and evaluation.Read 29 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
Annotation workflows
Built-in workflows cover named-entity recognition, span categorization, text classification, part-of-speech tagging, dependency parsing, coreference, computer vision, audio, video, transcription and speaker diarization.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Company headquarters and founding
LinkedIn lists Explosion as headquartered in Berlin, founded in 2016 and employing 2–10 people.Read 21 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Company legal name
The maker is ExplosionAI GmbH, registered in Berlin, Germany.Read 21 Oct 2026 · explosion.ai
Custom front end
The interface can be extended with custom HTML, CSS and JavaScript and by combining built-in interface components.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodi.gy
Customization
Users can define workflows with Python recipes and build custom interfaces using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.Read 29 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
Data formats
Built-in loaders accept JSONL, JSON, CSV, plain text and image directories.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Documentation and support
The maker provides extensive online documentation, examples and a community support forum; company plans add priority forum and email support.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Extensibility
Custom Python recipes can define data streams, preprocessing, model callbacks, annotation interfaces and training logic.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Funding and ownership
Explosion says SignalFire invested $6 million for 5% in 2021, invested another $3 million in 2022 and retained 7.7% after the company returned to self-sufficient operation in 2024.Read 21 Oct 2026 · explosion.ai
Hugging Face integration
The Prodigy-HF plugin can train transformer models, use Hugging Face checkpoints for correction workflows and upload datasets to the Hub.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Installation
Licensed users install through pip using a private download index and license key, or install a downloaded wheel.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Licence
Prodigy is proprietary commercial software; the licence is revocable, non-exclusive and non-transferable, with some bundled components potentially under open-source licences.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Licence restrictions
The terms prohibit redistribution, sublicensing, charging third parties for access and hosting on public-facing servers.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Limit: API exposure
The same comparison characterized Prodigy’s rich API as local rather than remotely accessible out of the box.Read 21 Oct 2026 · aclanthology.org
Limit: G2 collaboration and price
G2 reviewers report that collaboration is limited for larger teams, pricing is high, project management requires another tool and high-level segmentation is missing.Read 21 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Limit: project management
The documentation says Prodigy does not provide much annotation-adjacent functionality such as user accounts or project management.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Limit: team management
An academic comparison described Prodigy as effectively single-user at the time studied because broader workload management depended on an unreleased Teams offering.Read 21 Oct 2026 · aclanthology.org
Notable news
Explosion’s changelog records Prodigy version 1.18.8 on September 8, 2026, adding a toggle to hide image annotation shapes.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
OpenAI and LLMs
Recipes integrate directly with OpenAI and through spacy-llm, while the documentation warns that some direct OpenAI APIs are being deprecated.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Other plugins
Official plugins include PDF, Whisper transcription, Meta Segment Anything, approximate-nearest-neighbor search, Lunr matching, sense2vec and evaluation tools.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Praise: G2 usability
G2 reviewers repeatedly mention easy installation, an understandable interface, useful documentation and efficient annotation during experiments.Read 21 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Python API
Recipes can import the prodigy module and use top-level functions such as prodigy.serve, controllers and custom components.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Rating on Chrome Web Store
5.0 out of 5 from 1 rating.Read 21 Oct 2026 · chromewebstore.google.com
Rating on G2
4.1 out of 5 from 17 reviews.Read 21 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Rating on GetApp
4.5 out of 5 from 2 reviews.Read 21 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
Research offer
Researchers at degree-granting academic institutions can apply for an interim license to use Prodigy for free.Read 29 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
REST API
The web application communicates through a REST API powered by FastAPI, with interactive documentation available at the local /docs endpoint.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Security controls
Company licenses include HTTP authentication and OpenID Connect SSO, while personal licenses include basic HTTP authentication.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Self-hosting
Prodigy runs locally or on infrastructure chosen by the customer, including on-premise and air-gapped environments.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodi.gy
spaCy integration
Prodigy has first-class support for spaCy pipelines and includes recipes for training and model-assisted annotation.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodi.gy
Storage
SQLite is the default database, with PostgreSQL, MySQL and custom database implementations also supported.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Storage and exports
It supports storage options including SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL, and exports data to JSON.Read 29 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai
System requirements
Supported operating systems are macOS, Linux and Windows with Python 3.8 or newer.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Updates
Each purchase includes 12 months of updates; continued use of versions obtained during that period remains available after upgrades expire.Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Use restrictions
Explosion says it refuses to provide its software to entities primarily engaged in military, law enforcement, intelligence, and national security work, with regulatory agencies and tax authorities exempted.Read 29 Sep 2026 · prodigy.ai

Plans and prices

Personal $390, paid once per lifetime license, excluding tax 12 months free upgrades · unlimited personal and professional use · one individual license Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai
Company $490, paid once per seat in packs of 5 seats, excluding tax lifetime license · 12 months free upgrades · transferable company seats · HTTP authentication and OpenID Connect SSO Read 21 Oct 2026 · prodigy.ai

Every Prodigy plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • 23 interfaces cover text, images, audio and video.
  • Workflows can be defined with Python recipes.
  • Supports SQLite, MySQL and PostgreSQL storage.
  • Can run air-gapped without connecting to external servers.
  • Exports data to JSON and JSONL.

Limits

  • Paid licenses start at $390, paid once.
  • Hosted virtual-machine trials are not offered to individuals.
  • Workflow setup assumes basic Python and command-line familiarity.

Who it suits

Prodigy suits developers creating or reviewing machine-learning data, especially those familiar with Python and the command line. After setup, its annotation web app can also be used without programming experience.

Verdict

Prodigy offers configurable annotation workflows and local deployment for machine-learning data work. Its licensing is paid, and the intended developer workflow assumes basic Python and command-line knowledge.

Where Specifiction places it

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