RECAP Browser Extension: Save Money on PACER
Install a free browser extension, automatically get free copies of federal court documents, and help build the largest open archive of federal filings.
Every time you download a document from PACER, you pay. Ten cents per page, capped at $3.00 per document. Over the life of a federal case, that can mean dozens or hundreds of dollars — a real burden for pro se litigants, especially those proceeding in forma pauperis.
The RECAP browser extension is a free tool that works alongside PACER to save you money and contribute to public access. When you're on PACER and a document is already in the RECAP Archive, the extension alerts you — and lets you download it for free. When you download a document that isn't in RECAP yet, the extension automatically uploads it to the archive for the next person.
RECAP stands for "RECAP Archive of Court filings" — it's PACER spelled backwards, which captures the project's philosophy: taking public court records that are locked behind a paywall and making them truly public.
How to Install RECAP
The RECAP extension is available for Chrome and Firefox — the two browsers that work best with PACER's CM/ECF system.
Chrome
- Open the Chrome Web Store
- Search for "RECAP" or "RECAP the law"
- Click "Add to Chrome" and confirm the installation
- The RECAP icon will appear in your browser toolbar
Firefox
- Open the Firefox Add-ons page
- Search for "RECAP"
- Click "Add to Firefox" and confirm the installation
- The RECAP icon will appear in your browser toolbar
That's it. Once installed, RECAP works automatically whenever you're browsing PACER. No configuration needed.
How RECAP Works
The extension does two things simultaneously:
1. Checks for Free Copies
When you browse a case docket on PACER, RECAP checks its archive for each document listed. If a document is already in RECAP, you'll see a small RECAP icon or link next to the entry. Click it to download the document for free — without PACER charges.
2. Shares What You Download
When you download a document from PACER that isn't in RECAP yet, the extension automatically uploads a copy to the RECAP Archive. You don't pay anything extra — you're already paying PACER for the document. But now the next person who needs that document can get it free.
This creates a virtuous cycle: the more people use RECAP, the more comprehensive the archive becomes, and the more money everyone saves.
What RECAP Does NOT Do
To be clear about the extension's limitations:
- It does not bypass PACER. You still need a PACER account to use PACER. RECAP works alongside PACER, not instead of it.
- It does not make every document free. Only documents that someone has previously downloaded with the extension installed are available in RECAP. Documents no one has retrieved yet will still cost money from PACER.
- It does not share sealed or restricted documents. RECAP only handles publicly available documents. Sealed filings and documents subject to protective orders are excluded.
- It does not affect your PACER account. The extension doesn't change your login, your billing, or your account settings on PACER.
Privacy and Security
RECAP is developed as an open-source project by Free Law Project, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The source code is publicly available on GitHub, so anyone can verify exactly what the extension does.
The extension only interacts with PACER pages — it does not track your general browsing activity, and it does not collect personal information. It sends publicly available court documents to the RECAP Archive servers; it does not send your PACER login credentials, billing information, or any private data.
How Much Can You Save?
That depends on how much you use PACER and how much of what you need is already in RECAP. For pro se litigants who do a lot of research — reading similar cases, studying motions from other litigants, checking dockets — the savings can be substantial. Even saving $3 per document across 30 documents means $90 kept in your pocket.
The real value is cumulative and collective. Tens of thousands of RECAP users have contributed hundreds of millions of docket entries to the archive. Every user who installs the extension makes the system more valuable for everyone.
RECAP + CourtListener = Free Legal Research
RECAP and CourtListener work together as a unified platform. CourtListener provides the search interface for the RECAP Archive — you can search, browse, and set up alerts for federal dockets without going to PACER at all. The RECAP extension feeds new documents into CourtListener's archive every day.
For the most cost-effective research workflow:
- Start on CourtListener — search the RECAP Archive for free documents
- Install the RECAP extension before going to PACER for anything not in the archive
- Download what you need from PACER — RECAP will share it automatically
- Set up docket alerts on CourtListener to track cases without repeated PACER visits