The Reader

Read beautifully. Strip away ads, popups, and clutter with customizable themes, typography, and an immersive overlay mode.

As of June 2026, The Reader has users in the Productivity category.

Usersno change0%
Ratingno change0%
— reviews
Reviewsno change0%
Version
2.3.1
Manifest V3
90-day change · In the last 90 days this extension 2 version updates, changed permissions.

History

4 snapshots

Tracking since Apr 19, 2026.

Not enough history yet for this metric — the chart fills in as we collect more snapshots.
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DateUsersRatingReviewsVersion
Apr 19, 20262.2
Apr 26, 20262.3
Jun 3, 20262.3.1
Jun 9, 202612.3.1
Now2.3.1

Changelog

  • Apr 19, 2026
    host_permissions
    <all_urls>
    <all_urls>, https://api.gumroad.com/*

Permissions & access

Permissions
storagescriptingactiveTab
Host access
<all_urls>, https://api.gumroad.com/*

Screenshots

The Reader screenshot 1The Reader screenshot 2The Reader screenshot 3The Reader screenshot 4The Reader screenshot 5

About

The Reader — Distraction-Free Reading

Strip away ads, popups, and clutter from any article. Clean, customizable reading with themes, fonts, and a full-screen Reader View.


You open an article. Before you've read a single word, there's a cookie banner, a newsletter popup, an autoplaying video, and three columns of "recommended content" fighting for your attention.

The article is 800 words. The page is 8,000.

The Reader fixes this.

One click opens Reader View — a clean, full-screen overlay that pulls just the text from any article or story. No ads, no popups, no cookie banners, no sidebars, no visual noise. Just words on a page, the way reading should be.

WHAT YOU GET

→ Reader View: Full-screen, distraction-free reading on any website. Strips away everything except the content you came for.
→ Three themes: Light for daytime, Dark for night reading, Sepia for long sessions. Easy on the eyes, every time.
→ Four typefaces: Site Default, Classic Serif, Modern Sans, and OpenDyslexic for readers who need it.
→ Adjustable font size and line spacing: Dial in exactly what's comfortable for you. Changes apply instantly.
→ Works everywhere: News sites, blogs, articles, online fiction — Archive of Our Own, Wattpad, Royal Road, FanFiction.net, Scribble Hub, and thousands more.

HOW IT WORKS

Click the icon. Adjust your preferences. Hit "Open Reader View." That's it. Your settings sync across devices and persist between sessions.

WHY THE READER?

Reading on the web is getting worse every year. More ads, more popups, more tracking consent banners, more algorithms begging for your attention. The Reader gives you a quiet space to actually read. No account required for basic use. No data collection. Just a better reading experience.

FREE TRIAL

Try Reader View free for 30 days. If you love it, a one-time $9 payment gives you lifetime access. Basic page styling (themes, fonts, sizes) stays free forever.

PRIVACY

The Reader doesn't collect, store, or transmit your browsing data. Your preferences are saved locally via Chrome's sync storage. Payments are handled securely through Stripe.

Technical

Version
2.3.1
Manifest
V3
Size
52.46KiB
Min Chrome
88
Languages
1
Featured
No

Metadata

ID
cobdnjckhincmjnemfihnbnklpiokjbj
Developer ID
u80237ce83849cbc2860083a80364e182
Developer Email
[email protected]
Created
Feb 27, 2026
Last Updated (Store)
Apr 23, 2026
Last Scraped
Jun 9, 2026
Website
Support URL

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Data sourced from the Chrome Web Store · last verified Jun 9, 2026.