Weava Highlighter was once a popular choice, but now it’s filled with ads and has a poor user experience. Better options like Web Highlights do the job better without the hassle. | ||
Key Features A summary of the most important features offered by each extension. |
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Our Rating Tooltivity's expert review score for each extension, based on hands-on testing and research. | 9.0 Winner in this category | 7.0 |
Total users Total active users across all major browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. | 9,543 | 200,000 Winner in this category |
Total ratings Total number of user ratings received across all supported browsers. | 86 | 2,728 Winner in this category |
Average rating Average user rating across all browsers, calculated from available store ratings. | 4.2 ⭐ Winner in this category | 4.1 ⭐ |
Entry Level Price The minimum price required to start using the extension. "Free" means a free tier is available. | Free | Free |
Chrome User rating and stats for the extension on Chrome browser. | ![]() 4.5 4.45 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 8.0K+Users Winner in this category | ![]() 4.1 3.01 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 200.0K+Users |
Edge User rating and stats for the extension on Edge browser. | - | - |
Firefox User rating and stats for the extension on Firefox browser. | ![]() 3.9 3.83 Average Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store rating from the last 100 reviews 1.5K+Users Winner in this category | - |
Safari User rating and stats for the extension on Safari browser. | - | - |
Features Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Features' aspect of each extension. | 9.2 The functional scope of GPT Reader is designed for a wide range of users and demonstrated many useful functions in the test. The voice quality is surprisingly good and offers a natural-sounding output. We particularly liked the comprehensive format support, which seamlessly processes everything from PDFs to web content. The control of the playback is also well implemented, making it easy to adjust the speed directly and individually. However, the function for downloading audio files stood out the most in the test. In theory, entire books can be converted and then downloaded as audio books. However, this was the only area where we had to make deductions, as the free ChatGPT version had limitations when processing longer texts or documents. Winner in this category | 8.5 Weava offers basic but functional features like web and PDF highlighting, annotations, and folder organization. The basic functionalities work great but the lack of innovative or advanced functionalities, especially compared to competitors, limits its appeal. Top 3 Features of Weava Highlighter1. Highlight Websites and PDFs ![]() Similar to our favorite highlighter Web Highlights, you can highlight text on any website or PDF. Choose different colors to customize your highlights and make important information stand out. 2. Organize Research into Folders ![]() Weava lets you save your highlights and organize them into folders, making it simple to keep your research organized and find what you need fast. 3. Collaborate with Your Team ![]() Weava allows you to share folders with your team, making collaboration on research projects easy. Everyone can add and view highlights and notes all in one place. |
Performance Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Performance' aspect of each extension. | 8.3 The performance tests showed a mixed picture. For shorter texts and paragraphs, GPT Reader processes content quickly and delivers a smooth rendering. The application is fast and reliable for typical use cases such as articles or short documents. Here we tested self-written summaries for learning purposes. However, we encountered significant limitations with larger files, as it is not possible to complete processing due to the limited number of requests. The option of pausing and then resuming would help here. In addition, the process takes a very long time for larger files; the extension needed around 40 minutes for around 75 pages of a PDF. The limitations of the ChatGPT API particularly affect the processing of longer documents such as entire books. This is currently only possible with a premium version of ChatGPT. Winner in this category | 7.0 Weava performs adequately when it comes to basic highlighting and syncing. However, the overall performance is marred by the intrusive ads and occasional bugs that make the experience less smooth than it should be. |
Design Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Design' aspect of each extension. | 9.0 The design of GPT Reader is clean and professional, with an intuitive layout that makes navigation effortless. The fact that there is even a dark as well as a light mode shows that the different user preferences have been taken into account. The controls are logically arranged and easily accessible. Even though the extension is designed for functionality, the design is not forgotten. Winner in this category | 6.0 The design is where Weava really struggles. The interface is cluttered with ads, making it not only visually unappealing but also frustrating to use. Here's a screenshot showing one of their ads taking up nearly half the height of their sidebar: ![]() The overall design feels outdated and lacks the intuitive flow found in other tools. This poor design significantly hampers the user experience. |
Value for Money Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Value for Money' aspect of each extension. | 8.9 Currently, GPT Reader offers a very good price-performance ratio, as all functions are available completely free of charge. We found no hidden costs or unexpected limitations in the free version. ![]() At the moment, however, it is a very good offer in the text-to-speech sector. Winner in this category | 6.8 The free version of Weava offers basic features, and their premium plan at $3.99/month is priced similarly to competitors. However, given the ads in the free version and the overall user experience, you can find better value in alternatives that provide more features and a cleaner interface for the same or even lower cost. |
Ease of Use Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Ease of Use' aspect of each extension. | 8.7 In terms of user-friendliness, GPT Reader scores very well. Users of all technical levels should have little problem simply converting text to audio. The user interface is self-explanatory, and all functions are displayed immediately. Winner in this category | 6.5 Weava’s basic highlighting functionality is straightforward, but the poor design and mandatory account creation add unnecessary friction. The ads make navigation cumbersome, and while it’s not difficult to learn, using the tool effectively can be a challenge due to these barriers. |
Security & Privacy Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Security & Privacy' aspect of each extension. | 9.7 In our security analysis, GPT Reader showed a strong commitment to protecting user privacy. The extension only collects data from user-reported bugs and feedback. We appreciated the transparent privacy policy, where the user can read specific points. Winner in this category | 7.0 Weava does take steps to protect user data, and their privacy policy is clear about not selling personal information. However, the requirement to create an account and the potential for data collection through ads could be a concern for privacy-conscious users. |
Conclusion A summary of our findings and final thoughts for each extension. | GPT Reader is a promising text-to-speech extension based on ChatGPT voices. The easy-to-understand voices, combined with the fact that it is completely free, set it apart from conventional TTS tools. The extension can process various document formats. Both PDFs and copied web articles can be converted, but it has its limitations with longer texts. For example, a 300-page PDF was only partially converted in the text due to ChatGPT's limitations, which still resulted in about 2 hours of audio. The tool is very user-friendly and supports multiple languages. This extension is a must for anyone who wants to listen to texts. | Weava Highlighter may still be a popular choice, but its current state leaves much to be desired. The overwhelming presence of ads and a clunky design significantly detract from the user experience, making it hard to justify its use when other tools offer a more polished and ad-free environment. If you’re serious about your productivity, it’s worth exploring alternatives like Web Highlights, which delivers all the benefits of Weava without the downsides. |
Our Recommendation | In our comparison between GPT Reader and Weava, GPT Reader came out on top, scoring 9. Weava is the most widely used, with over 200k users and 3k+ reviews, but GPT Reader outperformed it in our review. User reviews for GPT Reader reflect our findings, while we rate Weava lower than users do. Notably, GPT Reader has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.24, which supports its strong performance in our review. There are big differences between these extensions, so it's important to look at the details below to find the best fit for your needs.
If you want a quick recommendation, GPT Reader is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you. |