Glasp

Glasp platform architecture and social web highlighting ecosystem

Glasp (developed by Glasp Inc., accessible via glasp.co) is an AI-powered social web highlighter, PDF annotation tool, and personal AI memory platform. Trusted by over two million researchers, students, and knowledge workers worldwide, Glasp enables users to capture valuable insights across the open web, synthesize digital media, and build an interconnected personal knowledge base.

Unlike traditional read-it-later services that trap reading notes inside private silos, Glasp introduces a collaborative learning layer. Users can highlight text directly on web articles, academic PDFs, YouTube video transcripts, and Kindle books. These highlights are organized in a unified library, mapped into an interactive visual knowledge graph, and converted into an AI clone capable of recalling and synthesizing ideas upon demand.

Browser extensions, PDF annotation, YouTube transcripts, and MCP connector

Glasp streamlines knowledge capture through deep browser and ecosystem integrations:

• Multi-Browser Highlighting: Operates natively on Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Brave, and Opera, allowing instant inline highlighting and margin notes on any web page without switching tabs.
• Native PDF & Document Annotator: Highlights online and local PDF files with color-coded tagging, searchable annotations, and automated document summaries.
• YouTube Video Transcripts & Summaries: Displays full video transcripts with interactive timestamps directly alongside YouTube videos. Generates one-click AI summaries powered by Claude Opus 5, Claude Sonnet 5, OpenAI GPT-5.3-Codex, or Gemini 3.7 Flash.
• Personal AI Memory & Chat: Allows users to chat directly with their accumulated library of highlights. Ask questions about past reading material and receive cited answers grounded exclusively in saved notes.
• Model Context Protocol (MCP) Connector: Integrates seamlessly with frontier AI coding agents and desktop clients. By connecting the Glasp MCP server, tools like Claude Desktop can retrieve your personal reading notes as context for research and writing.
• Ecosystem Import & Export: Imports reading data from Kindle, Medium, Instapaper, Snipd, Pocket, and Hypothesis. Automatically syncs highlights to Notion, Obsidian, Roam Research, Readwise, or exports to Markdown, CSV, and JSON.

Comparative benchmark: Glasp vs. Readwise Reader and Liner AI

Glasp combines frictionless inline web highlighting with open knowledge sharing and frontier AI protocol interoperability.

Research workflows, knowledge graph exploration, and operational guardrails

• Academic literature synthesis: Annotate preprints and journal PDFs online, tag concepts by methodology, and query your AI memory to surface cross-paper evidence.
• Accelerated video research: Extract core insights and actionable timestamps from hour-long technical keynotes and podcasts in seconds.
• Content curation and swipe files: Build a structured public repository of quotes, code snippets, and design patterns that export automatically to your Obsidian vault.
• Curated public learning: Follow domain experts and industry peers to discover high-value articles and insights through shared highlight feeds.

Operational guardrails: While public highlights foster community learning, Glasp Pro provides private highlighting controls for sensitive research, corporate internal documents, and confidential reading lists.

Licensing tiers, commercial usage, and Glasp pricing

Glasp offers a generous permanent free tier alongside professional and unlimited subscription plans:

*Pricing and plan details verified as of August 2026. Students and educators receive a 40% discount on annual Pro plans.

Step-by-step browser extension setup and note sync guide

1. Install the extension: Add Glasp to Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox from glasp.co.
2. Highlight text on the web: Select any passage on an article or PDF to highlight and attach quick thoughts.
3. Summarize YouTube content: Open any YouTube video to view the real-time transcript and trigger an AI summary.
4. Query your personal AI memory: Open your Glasp profile or connect via MCP in Claude to ask questions across your reading library.

Editorial verdict

• Best for: Researchers, writers, university students, and voracious digital readers who want to capture web passages, summarize YouTube lectures, and build an interconnected second brain.
• Not recommended for: Users who require absolute privacy by default on a free plan without upgrading to Pro.
• Learning curve: Minimal. Works seamlessly as an unobtrusive browser overlay during everyday web browsing.
• Value threshold: High. The free plan provides unlimited public highlighting, while Pro offers affordable private vaults and automated Notion synchronization.
• Bottom line: Glasp is a premier social highlighter and AI memory tool that transforms passive online reading into an active, searchable, and AI-grounded knowledge base.