dotts vs Hypothesis

dotts is a web-based client feedback tool for freelance web designers and small teams. It collects pinned comments on live websites, PDFs, and images, with clients able to leave feedback through a shared review link without an account, login, or installation. A sidebar gathers comments so users can navigate to them, resolve them, edit them, or delete them. Uploads can be JPEG, PNG, SVG, WebP, PDF, or HEIC, and users can also review live website URLs. Comments support attachments, emoji reactions, and mentions, and can show device, browser, and screen-size context. dotts says it works with publicly accessible Squarespace, Webflow, Wix, and Framer sites without a plugin or integration. Its doby AI MCP server connects with Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex to read open comments and resolve them while changes are made. The free Testing plan allows up to three projects and unlimited reviewers. Pro costs $15 a month or $150 per year.

Hypothesis adds shared annotations to digital course materials, letting learners mark passages, ask questions, and reply to peers alongside the content. Users can create private highlights and page notes, add tags, and hold threaded discussions. Supported material includes web pages, PDFs, EPUB files, YouTube videos, and content from VitalSource and JSTOR. For institutional use, Hypothesis lists LTI 1.3 integrations with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L Brightspace, and Sakai; annotations can also sync with LMS gradebooks, including Canvas SpeedGrader. A free account is available for personal use and collaboration. The web app works with a Chrome extension on Chrome and other Chromium browsers, or a bookmarklet in Firefox and Safari. Hypothesis also offers API access, exports in JSON, plain text, CSV, and HTML, and JSON import. The Free plan costs nothing, billed per student/yearly, and includes core annotation, private groups, and self-service support. The project was founded as an open-source project in 2011.