HeinOnline vs RECAP

HeinOnline is a web-based multidisciplinary research platform with more than 251 million pages of periodicals, government documents, international resources, case law, and other content. Its material is supplied as searchable, image-based PDFs described as authoritative and true-to-print. Researchers can browse or search 1,500 subjects, including criminal justice, history, political science, religion, and business. Tools include article summaries, PathFinder, ScholarCheck, author profiles, More Like This, and Keyword Search Builder; case law, statute and regulation search, legal commentary, citation tools, and research alerts are also listed. A free MyHein account helps users organize work and personalize their experience. The free Social Justice Suite offers five databases after registration to interested organizations and institutions. Annual subscriptions are tailored to the type, size, and scope of an institution or organization, with pricing on request. HeinOnline lists integrations including Dropbox, EndNote, Google Scholar, and Zotero, plus single sign-on for several account types. Security measures described include geographically separated data centers, encryption, and a 3-2-1 backup strategy. Support includes a knowledge base, training videos, live demos, phone support, and live chat.

RECAP is a collection of tools for working with PACER, the system for accessing records from U.S. federal courts. Its browser extension adds purchased PACER documents to the searchable RECAP Archive, where documents contributed by others are available without charge. The archive contains tens of millions of documents, including scanned PDF pages. Users can follow cases for email alerts about new filings and save searches to hear when new matches appear in PACER holdings. Attorneys can route PACER notices to a personal CourtListener notification address so RECAP can process the notices and contribute cases and filings. The archive is also offered through an API and as bulk data for journalists, researchers, startups, and developers. Webhooks can connect website events with actions in other systems, and the maker describes a PACER-to-Google-Drive connector demo. The extension says it does not access PACER credentials or transmit information to third parties, while noting it uploads federal records to CourtListener and sends CourtListener queries about requested records. RECAP is free to use; PACER may still charge for purchased documents. Paid access is listed from $10/user/mo.