Why it's a strong pick

Reader Mode is one of the few reader extensions that bundles accessibility tools: dyslexia fonts and a reading ruler sit next to highlighting, text-to-speech and translation. The Chrome Web Store listing calls it an all-in-one reader. The trade-off: the free plan has limits, and several features need Premium.

What it does

Reader Mode (readermode.io) removes ads and clutter from articles and shows them in a clean, distraction-free view. The Chrome Web Store listing describes it as an all-in-one reader with dyslexia support, accessibility features, bookmarking and highlighting.

The vendor's pages add a web and PDF highlighter, text-to-speech, translation, text alignment, a custom theme and custom CSS. You can save bookmarks and sync them, which needs an account.

Key features

Distraction-free reading. Ad-free, clean layout for articles.
Dyslexia support. Dyslexia fonts and a reading ruler.
Highlighting. A web and PDF highlighter. Highlighting is limited on the free plan.
Text-to-speech. Listen to a page without a second extension.
Translation. Translate text inside the reader.
Custom theme and CSS. Change how the reading view looks.
Bookmarks. Save pages. Sync and storage depend on your plan.

Who it's for

Reader Mode suits people who want more than a clean layout: readers who use dyslexia-friendly fonts, people who highlight as they read, and anyone who wants text-to-speech in the same tool. If you only want a plain article view, Reader View or Just Read are lighter. If you mainly want read-aloud, see Read Aloud.

Is Reader Mode free?

Partly. The vendor offers a free plan it describes as free to use indefinitely, plus paid Premium and Lifetime plans. The free plan has limits on storage, bookmarks and highlights. Premium adds things like notes, folders and sharing, according to the vendor's pricing page. We leave prices off because they change.

Does Reader Mode have a dark theme?

It has a custom theme option, so you can change how the reading view looks. The vendor lists a dark panel mode among Premium features in one place, but its pages disagree on details. Reader Mode restyles the reading view only. For dark pages across the whole web, use a tool like Dark Reader.

Does Reader Mode need an account?

For basic reading, we could not find a statement either way. Sync, cloud features and Premium need an account, according to the vendor's pricing page. If you only want to read, install it and see what it asks for. If you want bookmarks to follow you between devices, plan on signing up.

What permissions and privacy terms does Reader Mode have?

We could not read the permission list, so check the install prompt. A tool that reformats pages needs to read them. We also could not read the developer's privacy policy when we checked; read it before installing. Permissions can change between releases, so check again after updates.

FAQ

Does it work on PDFs? The vendor lists a web and PDF highlighter. Some PDF features are Premium.

Can I use it without paying? Yes, on the free plan, within its limits.

Is it open source? We found no source repository, so we do not say it is.

Good to know

Reader tools reformat article pages. They can look odd on apps, dashboards and shops. The free plan has limits on storage, bookmarks and highlights. If you hit them, you pay or move on. Check the plan details on the vendor's pricing page before you build a habit around saving things.

Other dark mode & reader tools to compare

Reader Mode is one of 10 picks in our Dark Mode & Reader Tools guide, which compares them side by side and explains how to choose. The other picks:

Dark Reader: An open-source dark mode for websites. Free extension, with brightness, contrast and sepia controls.
Night Eye: A dark mode extension that adjusts each page's elements instead of flipping every color. Free Lite plan with limits, paid plans above it.
Midnight Lizard: An open-source colour-scheme tool for websites. Dark, light and grayscale modes plus a blue-light filter.
Reader View: A reader extension built on Mozilla Readability. Opens an article in a clean page, with fullscreen reading and text-to-speech.
Chrome Reader Mode: A reader mode that can also save articles offline, highlight and take notes. The listing is now titled Quiet Reader.
Turn Off the Lights: Dims the page around a video player and adds a Night Mode for dark pages. Open source (GPLv2), free, supported by donations.
Just Read: A reader mode for article pages, made by one developer. Free core, paid subscription for extras.
Clearly Reader: A reader mode with an AI assistant. A free plan, plus paid Pro and Subscription plans.
Stylus: Restyle websites with CSS themes, such as dark themes, that you install or write yourself. Not a one-click dark mode. Open source.