Best free web highlighter Chrome extensions in 2026

"Best" depends on whether you want privacy, PDFs, social marks, or AI. This list is a map, not a fake ranking that puts GetReadVault first at every job.

If you want private, local webpage capture

GetReadVault. Highlight text on pages, add notes and tags, review them in the extension. No account required for local use. Pro exists only for cloud sync. It does not highlight PDFs and does not claim to be an AI reader.

If you want social highlighting

Glasp. Strong when you want to see what other people marked and share your own trail. A poor fit if your default is private notes.

If your sources are PDFs as well as web pages

Weava. Built for students who mix HTML and PDF. GetReadVault is the wrong tool for that mix today.

If you want AI on top of highlights

Liner. Closer to an AI reading layer than a quiet excerpt box.

If you need classroom-wide annotation

Hypothesis. The established option for public or group layers on assigned readings. GetReadVault co-reading is a private room on one page, not an LMS annotation layer.

A fast decision

• Keep a private sentence on this machine: GetReadVault.
• See the internet's highlights: Glasp.
• Mark a PDF: Weava or a PDF-native app.
• Summarize as you go: Liner.
• Teach a class on the web: Hypothesis.

Install the one that matches the job. Switching later is cheaper than forcing a social, PDF, or AI product to behave like a local notebook—or the reverse.