What is CVAT?
CVAT is the industry-leading, enterprise-grade data engine built by and for machine learning professionals. Designed to manage and streamline the creation of high-quality visual datasets, CVAT solves the critical challenge of manual labeling bottlenecks by offering advanced tools, robust automation, and secure team collaboration. Whether you are scaling a startup model or managing complex data pipelines for a large enterprise, CVAT ensures your vision tasks are completed accurately and efficiently.
Key Features
CVAT provides a comprehensive and intuitive platform that handles the full spectrum of computer vision labeling requirements, from simple classification to complex 3D perception tasks.
- 🚀 Integrated Auto-Annotation: Accelerate your labeling workflow by leveraging integrated, state-of-the-art AI models (such as SAM/SAM2) or seamlessly incorporating your own custom models via CVAT AI Agents (supporting frameworks like YOLO and Mask RCNN). This automation capability allows teams to annotate data up to 10x faster, shifting valuable resources toward validation and quality control.
- 🌐 Comprehensive Data & Task Support: Unlike tools limited to basic image boxes, CVAT supports the widest variety of computer vision annotation tasks, including Object Detection, Semantic and Instance Segmentation, Pose Estimation (Skeletons), and advanced spatial data labeling using Point Clouds, LIDAR, and 3D Cuboids. It handles images, videos, and multi-sensor 3D data with equal precision.
- ⚙️ Advanced Video and Tracking Tools: Maintain object identity across complex sequences using the dedicated Track mode. This feature creates a connected sequence of shapes across multiple frames, simplifying the annotation of moving objects in video data, which is essential for robotics and autonomous systems.
- 📐 Precision and Granularity Tools: Achieve pixel-level accuracy necessary for medical imaging or detailed segmentation tasks using tools like the Brush Tool and specialized geometric shapes (Polygons, Polylines, Ellipses). Furthermore, dedicated modes like Attribute Annotation and Review Mode streamline QA and validation workflows.
- 🔒 Secure and Flexible Deployment: CVAT offers three editions—Community (free, self-hosted), Online (managed cloud SaaS), and Enterprise (on-premises/private cloud)—ensuring you maintain control over data sovereignty and security, regardless of your organizational size or compliance needs.
Use Cases
CVAT is trusted by ambitious AI teams across medical, retail, logistics, and autonomous vehicle sectors because it provides the tools necessary to tackle real-world data challenges.
Autonomous Vehicle Perception
For teams developing self-driving systems, CVAT is essential for fusing and labeling multi-sensor data. Use 3D Cuboids and LIDAR point cloud annotation to accurately define the volume, position, and identity of vehicles, pedestrians, and infrastructure in real-world 3D space. This high-fidelity labeling is critical for training robust perception and path-planning models.
Medical Image Analysis
When training neural networks to identify subtle signs of disease, precision is paramount. Medical researchers utilize CVAT’s Brush Tool and detailed segmentation masks (Polygons) to outline specific anatomical structures or pathological areas within high-resolution images. The built-in QA and Review modes ensure that the resulting dataset meets stringent clinical accuracy standards.
Inventory and Logistics Optimization
Companies optimizing warehouse operations rely on computer vision for inventory tracking and mis-shipment reduction. CVAT allows teams to use Object Detection and Video Annotation (Track mode) to label packages and assets in motion, enabling models to accurately monitor stock levels, improve bin utilization, and verify shipping accuracy in dynamic environments.
CVAT distinguishes itself not just through its feature set, but through its deep alignment with the needs of professional computer vision engineering teams.
- Built by Experts, Backed by Community: CVAT was designed by and for machine learning professionals, ensuring the user interface and workflow are optimized for maximum efficiency. This expert focus has fostered an active open-source community, driving continuous feature innovation and robust performance.
- Unmatched Task Versatility: While many annotation tools specialize in 2D imagery, CVAT’s native support for complex data types—including Point Clouds, 3D Cuboids, and Skeletons—means you do not need to integrate multiple third-party tools to handle heterogeneous input data.
- Enterprise Readiness and Control: For organizations with strict compliance or security requirements, CVAT Enterprise offers critical features not found in standard tools, including SSO/SAML integration, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and detailed audit logs, ensuring data access is managed securely and transparently within your private infrastructure.
Conclusion
CVAT is the indispensable platform for any organization serious about building high-performance computer vision models. By combining blazing-fast automation with comprehensive toolsets and enterprise-grade security, CVAT minimizes manual effort, accelerates dataset creation, and delivers the quality needed to deploy successful AI applications.





