Voyant Tools
voyant-tools.org
What it is
Voyant Tools is a text-analysis environment for reading digital texts and building corpora from pasted text, URLs, existing collections, or uploaded files. It can extract text from HTML, Word, Excel, ODT, Pages, PDF, plain text, RTF, and XML. The default workspace brings together Cirrus, Reader, Trends, Summary, and Contexts, with more tools for examining terms, collocates, phrases, and related patterns. You can bookmark and share corpus URLs, and a corpus generally stays accessible when someone accesses it at least once a month. Voyant can also be embedded in another site with an iframe. The hosted service stores submitted texts for persistent access and logs tool activity, parameters, and IP addresses; it also uses Google Analytics. For offline work, VoyantServer runs locally, requires Java 11, and does not cache work on Voyant’s server. Voyant handles Unicode text in almost any language, though it has little language-specific functionality for semantic analysis. It is open source under GPL3, with the web application and documentation under a Creative Commons Attribution license. The plan is free.
Spec sheet
- Purpose
- Voyant Tools is a web-based environment for reading and analyzing digital texts, designed for digital humanities students and scholars as well as the general public.Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
- Privacy
- The hosted service logs invoked tools and parameters, logs IP addresses to identify requests in a session, uses Google Analytics, and stores submitted texts to provide persistent access.Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
- Support
- The project directs users to its GitHub issue tracker to report bugs and request features.Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
- License
- Voyant Tools is open source under GPL3, and the web application content and documentation use a Creative Commons Attribution license.Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
- Analysis tools
- The default workspace includes Cirrus, Reader, Trends, Summary, and Contexts, with additional tools for terms, collocates, phrases, and other analyses.Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
- Corpus input
- Users can create a corpus by pasting text, entering URLs, opening an existing corpus, or uploading files.Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
- Embedding
- Voyant can be embedded in remote sites using an iframe, including a corpus and selected tool or the contents of a page.Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
- File formats
- Voyant can extract text from formats including HTML, Word, Excel, ODT, Pages, PDF, plain text, RTF, and XML.Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
- Language limitation
- Voyant can work with Unicode text in almost any language, but has little language-specific functionality for tasks such as semantic analysis.Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
- Local requirements
- VoyantServer requires Java 11 and provides setup instructions for Mac, Windows, and Linux.Read 5 Oct 2026 · beta.voyant-tools.org
- Local use
- VoyantServer runs locally without an internet connection, does not cache work on Voyant’s server, and supports offline analysis.Read 5 Oct 2026 · beta.voyant-tools.org
- Scale limitation
- Voyant is designed for corpora of dozens of megabytes and beyond, but the documentation says its practical size limit is undefined and balances indexing against retrieval speed.Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
- Sharing
- Users can bookmark and share corpus URLs, and a corpus generally remains accessible if it is accessed at least once a month.Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
Plans and prices
Voyant Tools Free Open-source text analysis environment · hosted web app and downloadable local server Read 5 Oct 2026 · voyant-tools.org
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Accepts pasted text, URLs, existing corpora, and file uploads.
- Extracts text from common office, web, and document formats.
- Includes several text-analysis tools in the default workspace.
- VoyantServer supports local offline analysis.
- Free plan costs nothing.
Limits
- VoyantServer requires Java 11.
- Hosted service logs activity and stores submitted texts.
- Limited language-specific semantic analysis.
- Corpus practical size limit is undefined.
Who it suits
It suits digital humanities students and scholars, as well as general readers who want to explore text collections. Its local server is an option for people who need offline analysis, while those handling sensitive text should weigh the hosted service’s logging and storage practices.
Verdict
Voyant Tools combines a free hosted environment with a local server for text analysis. Check its language-analysis limits and hosted-service data practices against your needs before choosing where to work.
Where Specifiction places it
- Text Analysis Software#12 of 277.5
- Text Analytics Software#21 of 377.5
