Research highlighter
Markwise vs Diigo
Ask the library vs. annotate the web for research class.
Diigo has been bookmarking, highlighting, and adding sticky notes for a long time, with outliner and education-oriented features.
Markwise highlights too, but the product is retrieval: auto-file, meaning search, Copilot. It is not a classroom annotation suite.
Personal research you will search or ask later, including YouTube moments and Spaces.
Researchers and teachers who want sticky notes, groups, and an outliner on the live page.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Markwise | Diigo |
|---|---|---|
| Web highlights | ||
| Sticky notes / outliner | ||
| Semantic search + Copilot | ||
| YouTube timestamps | ||
| Focus Sessions | ||
| Education / groups | ||
| Public collections |
Comparison reflects publicly available information as of June 2026 and may change.
Pricing
Free tier available; Pro is $4.90/month or $3.25/month billed annually, with a 3-day free trial.
Free tier with caps; paid plans for premium annotation and education features (verify on diigo.com — plans change).
Annotation vs retrieval
Diigo's value is on the page: marks, notes, sharing in a research group. Markwise's value is later: find the save, ask across saves.
If your workflow is a seminar with shared highlights, Diigo (or a dedicated annotator) still fits. If it is a private pile you cannot search, Markwise fits.
Why people choose Markwise
- Meaning search and Copilot
- YouTube timestamps and Focus Sessions
- Simpler personal product, lower Pro price
Where Diigo wins
- Sticky notes and outliner
- Classroom / group research features
- Years of annotation-specific UI
Frequently asked questions
Can I import Diigo into Markwise?+
Export from Diigo to a standard bookmarks or CSV format when the product allows it, then use Markwise bulk import (Pro) or the bookmark analyzer to inspect the file first.
The bottom line
Pick Diigo if annotation-on-the-page and groups are the product.
Pick Markwise if the product you need is finding and asking what you already saved.
Try Markwise free
Save anything, let AI organize it, and find it again by meaning. Start on the free tier — no card required.
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