Sidenote
An AI reading assistant that answers questions about documents with source citations.
FreemiumResearch & Data
Visit website Free to browse · updated 2026-06-24
What is Sidenote?
The tool integrates into everyday browsing to handle queries on internal documentation and external resources alike. It processes material from common platforms and ensures responses remain grounded in the provided text without unsupported additions. Data management includes user-selected retention options along with secure storage practices that isolate information per account. This setup allows repeated access without additional costs after initial processing. Designed primarily for team environments with extensive documentation, it streamlines information retrieval by highlighting relevant sections in context rather than requiring separate workspaces.
Key features
AI chat assistant for PDFs, docs, and wikis in browser
Cites every answer with source passages that highlight on click
Works on Confluence, Notion, Google Docs, SharePoint, PDFs, articles
Two retention modes: Store (account lifetime) or Discard (24h purge)
Embeddings stored in UK Supabase pgvector with per-account isolation
Server-side validation prevents fabrication of unsupported claims
Free re-use of cached documents without quota cost
AI models Sidenote uses
Claude
Anthropic provides Claude for chat, summaries, and explanations
What you can use Sidenote for
Internal Wiki Q&A
Sidenote answers questions about Confluence pages, runbooks, and PRDs directly in the browser while citing source passages.
Document Chat with Citations
Users can chat with PDFs, Google Docs, and articles opened in the browser, receiving answers that highlight exact source text.
Cached Document Access
Store mode keeps documents indexed for repeated questions without re-indexing costs, while Discard mode removes data within 24 hours.
How to use Sidenote
- 1Add Sidenote to Chrome from the official site
- 2Open a supported page such as a Confluence document or PDF
- 3Click the Sidenote icon and enter a question
- 4Review the cited answer and click any citation chip
- 5Switch between Store and Discard retention modes as needed
Sidenote pricing
Pricing model: Freemium. Plan details are indicative — check the site for current prices.
Free
Free
- Free tier forever
- No card to start
Pro
PopularCustom
- 7-day Pro trial
- No card required
Editor's verdict
Pros
- +Lives directly in browser on the page being read
- +Precise citations that scroll and highlight source text
- +Free tier available with no card required
Cons
- –Not a full research workspace or notebook tool
- –No audio overviews
- –Primarily browser-based rather than standalone app
Our take: Sidenote is a solid research & data choice. It's valued for lives directly in browser on the page being read and precise citations that scroll and highlight source text. The main trade-off is not a full research workspace or notebook tool. A good pick if you want capable AI without a high upfront cost.
Frequently asked questions
Store mode retains the document for the lifetime of the account; Discard mode purges everything within 24 hours via background sweep.
Summary
Sidenote is a solid research & data choice. It's valued for lives directly in browser on the page being read and precise citations that scroll and highlight source text. The main trade-off is not a full research workspace or notebook tool. A good pick if you want capable AI without a high upfront cost.
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