The Reader icon

The Reader

by Rob Hayes · Tools
Manifest V3 Free
View in Chrome Web Store Data as of 17 Oct 2026

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

Users
3
+1 in 30 days
Rating
0.0 / 5
unchanged in 30 days
Ratings
0
0 in 30 days
Store rank
#298K
#244K among extensions
Version
2.3.1
updated 23 Apr 2026

Users

monthly, 8 months
023Feb 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026
Latest, 17 Oct 2026: 3 usersMove the mouse over the chart for any month

Ratings count

monthly, 8 months
001Feb 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026
Latest, 17 Oct 2026: 0 ratingsMove the mouse over the chart for any month

The Chrome Web Store rounds user counts down to the leading digit, so the user line moves in steps. The ratings count is exact and is the better signal of real adoption.

About The Reader

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.

Growth

WindowUsersChangeRatingsRating
7 days−1−25.0%00.00
30 days+1+50.0%00.00
6 months+3–00.00

Chrome Web Store search rankings

Where The Reader appears when people search the store, with the 30 day change
Search phrasePosition30 days
screenshot reader#45+34

Version history

3 versions recorded
2.3.123 Apr 2026
2.316 Apr 2026
2.228 Feb 2026

Details

Category
Tools
First seen
28 Feb 2026
Size
52 KB
Languages
en-GB
Pricing
Free
Privacy policy
proximal-antler-59e.notion.site
Extension ID
cobdnjckhincmjnemfihnbnklpiokjbj

Permissions and risk

Moderate riskimpact 2, likelihood 2
Permissions
storagescriptingactiveTab
Site access
<all_urls>https://api.gumroad.com/*
Can read and change data on every website you visit.

Alternatives to The Reader

Extensions that rank for the same store searches or share the Tools category, ordered by users