Flat rate · Unlimited people · Open Source
The Free, Anonymous Way to Annotate Any Webpage.
MonkLayer is a free web app and Chrome extension for annotating any live webpage. Paste any URL on monklayer.app to draw and comment in your browser. No install required. Or use the free Chrome extension for in-place annotation on sites behind a login or with strict embed policies. Share a single link. Viewers need no extension or account. Reviewers need no account. Flat-rate pricing, never per seat.
Or add the free Chrome extension for sites the web app cannot embed.
Free + Anonymous, by design
Most annotation tools force you to create an account, hand over an email, and onboard before you can mark up a single page. MonkLayer skips all of that.
- Flat rate. Invite your whole team and every client you work with; the price does not move. See the full pricing page.
- Frictionless for reviewers. No sign-up, no email verification, no profile, no login. A random local display name is generated in your browser.
- Private by default. Annotations stay on your device until you explicitly share them. Privacy policy.
- Open source. Audit the code, contribute, or self-host on GitHub.
Features
- Drawing tools. Freehand drawing, shapes, arrows, and lines. Mark up any page with precision.
- Real-time collaboration. Live cursors so everyone sees changes as they happen. Unlimited collaborators per session.
- Shareable links. Share a link so anyone can see your annotations instantly. No extension and no account needed to view.
- Threaded comments. Pin comments to any spot on the page. Have conversations in context, not in Slack.
- Works on any website. Production, staging, internal tools, third-party sites. Anything you can open in Chrome.
- Browser extension. One click to start annotating. No background processes, no permissions creep.
Built for
- Design review. Visual feedback on live mockups and staging sites without screenshots.
- QA & bug reporting. Circle bugs in context, paste the link into Jira or Linear.
- Client feedback. Let clients review and reply without signing up for anything.
- Remote teams. Real-time visual collaboration on any webpage, async or live.
MonkLayer vs other free webpage annotation tools
Compared to the most-cited free tools for drawing on a live website and sharing a link:
| Feature | MonkLayer | AnnotateWeb | DrawOnWebsite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviewers need no account | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Annotate on the live page (not a screenshot) | Yes | Yes | No (screenshot only) |
| Free web app — paste a URL in your browser | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free Chrome extension for sites the web app cannot embed | Yes | No | No |
| Real-time multi-user collaboration | Yes | Yes | No |
| Live cursors | Yes | No | No |
| Voice and video chat with peers (WebRTC) | Yes | No | No |
| Element inspector with CSS selectors and AI-ready prompts | Yes | No | No |
| MCP server for AI coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor) | Yes | No | No |
| Open source and self-hostable | Yes | No | No |
| Price | Flat rate, never per seat | Free | Free |
Verdict: If you want to draw on a live website and share a link your reviewers open without an account, MonkLayer matches AnnotateWeb on the basics and adds live cursors, voice/video chat, an element inspector for AI handoff, an optional Chrome extension for embed-hostile sites, and an open-source codebase. If you only need to mark up a screenshot, DrawOnWebsite is simpler.
Detailed comparisons
- MonkLayer vs AnnotateWeb. Web app parity, plus extension, live cursors, voice, and MCP.
- MonkLayer vs Markup.io. Free + anonymous vs project-based.
- MonkLayer vs Pastel. Free + open source vs paid agency tool.
- MonkLayer vs BugHerd. Lightweight feedback vs full bug tracking.
- MonkLayer vs Marker.io. Free + anonymous vs paid bug-tracking integrations.
- MonkLayer vs Jam.dev. Free + anonymous vs freemium with account required.
- MonkLayer vs Ruttl. Free + open source vs paid agency feedback.
- MonkLayer vs Hypothesis. Visual annotation vs scholarly text annotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is MonkLayer really free?
- There is a free tier, and paid plans are flat-rate. Never per seat, no usage cap.
- Do I need to install anything to use MonkLayer?
- No. The web app at monklayer.app lets you paste any URL and start annotating in your browser. No install, no account. The Chrome extension is optional, for sites the web app cannot embed (sites behind a login or with strict embed policies).
- Is MonkLayer anonymous?
- Reviewers need no sign-up, email, profile or login. MonkLayer generates a random local display name stored only in your browser.
- Do I need to create an account?
- No. Open the web app or install the extension and start annotating. There is no registration step.
- Does the other person need the extension installed?
- No. Anyone can view your annotations via the share link. No install and no account required.
- Does it work on any website?
- Yes. Production, staging, internal tools, third-party sites. The web app works on any URL it can embed; the extension covers sites behind a login or with strict embed policies.
- Can multiple people annotate at the same time?
- Yes. Real-time live cursors and voice chat let unlimited collaborators work together on any page.
- Is MonkLayer open source?
- Yes. The full source is on GitHub. You can audit, contribute, or self-host on Cloudflare.
Start annotating any page on the web.
Paste a URL on monklayer.app · Add to Chrome · Flat rate · Never per seat · Open source
Last updated: · MonkLayer is open source on GitHub.