Compare Reader Mode + Notes and Recall: Which Extension is the Best?

	Reader Mode + Notes	Recall
	Distraction-free reading mode with notes and annotations - free, easy to use, no sign-up required. Turns any webpage into a clean, focused reading experience — and saves a complete offline copy. Reader Mode Web Clipper	With Recall, you can capture, summarize, and organize articles, PDFs, and videos with AI, spaced repetition, browser extensions, and strong privacy controls. AI Productivity
Key Features	Distraction-Free Reader Mode: One click strips away ads, sidebars, and popups for focused reading. Offline Saving: Automatically saves a full, readable version of any article that you can access forever — even if the original site goes offline. Highlighting & Notes: Mark important passages and add inline notes directly in the reader view. Tag-Based Organization: Organize articles and notes with custom tags for fast retrieval. Flexible Export: Export content to Notion, Markdown, Capacities, PDF, or HTML. Searchable Archive: Instantly search across saved articles and notes. (Premium) Sync Across Devices: Access your reading archive from any device using the web app. (Premium) Mobile Friendly: Read saved articles on your phone via app.web-highlights.com. Customizable Reader: Switch fonts, themes, layout, and toggle dark mode.	AI Summarization: Instantly summarizes articles, PDFs, YouTube videos, and more. Personal Knowledge Base: Saves and organizes your summaries for easy retrieval. Spaced Repetition & Active Recall: Helps you actually remember what you save, not just store it. Augmented Browsing: Highlights related content as you browse, surfacing connections in your knowledge. Browser Extensions: One-click saving and summarizing directly from Chrome or Firefox. Editable Notebook: Add notes, highlights, and customize your saved content. Tagging & Organization: Automatic and manual tagging, with support for nested tags. Cross-Platform Sync: Works on desktop and mobile, keeping your knowledge base up to date.
Our Rating	9.4	8.9
Total users	52	73,084
Total ratings	1	91
Average rating	5.0 ⭐	4.0 ⭐
Entry Level Price	Free	Free
Chrome	5.0 1 ratings 52Users	4.3 76 ratings 70.0K+Users
Edge	-	-
Firefox	-	3.7 15 ratings 3.1K+Users
Safari	-	-
Features	9.5 This tool isn’t just a basic reader mode — it goes way beyond that. Yes, it gives you the distraction-free reading experience you'd expect (cleans up almost any webpage beautifully), but it also lets you highlight in multiple colors, add notes, organize with tags, and save a full offline version of the article — which is super helpful if a page ever gets taken down. One of my favorite parts is how smooth the export options are: Markdown, Notion, Obsidian, Capacities, PDF... it just works. It even has a spaced repetition feature that helps you remember what you read long-term. It’s basically a powerhouse for anyone doing research or deep reading.	9.2 Recall's range of functions is impressive for a relatively new tool. The AI summary works on a wide range of content, from articles to YouTube videos with a running time of several hours. We particularly liked the personal knowledge base and the way Recall automatically links related content. Spaced Repetition and Active Recall are outstanding features for students. However, some features are still in beta or will be available soon. The functions in the free version are severely limited in the number of users per day, and there is an upper limit for free use.
Performance	9.4 I tested it on several websites — from news articles to blog posts to PDFs — and it handled everything smoothly. Pages load quickly, the reader view pops up without delay, and saved articles open instantly, even without internet. Even the offline functionality was seamless. I disconnected from Wi-Fi just to test it — and could still open and read saved articles without a hitch.	9.0 Retrieval is fast and reliable in most cases. The summary is fast, even with very extreme examples such as a 9-hour news show that we had summarized in our test. Occasionally, we encountered errors or slowdowns, especially when asking further questions about the summarized content via the wizard. The team is actively working on performance improvements and there are regular updates. Overall, the tool feels stable and is suitable for everyday use.
Design	9.6 The design is clean, modern, and just pleasant to use. You can switch between different color modes like dark, sepia, or high contrast, and you can customize font size, spacing, and width — which makes reading long texts super comfortable. It doesn’t feel overwhelming or cluttered. It’s intuitive and looks polished both on desktop and mobile. I especially liked how the sidebar slides in to show your notes and highlights without breaking your focus.	9.0 The user interface has a clear and modern design. The focus is on user-friendliness. We found the browser extension intuitive and easy to navigate. The tagging and organization system can be used flexibly, and some users mentioned minor bugs in the user interface, but these were only minimally noticeable in the test.
Value for Money	9.1 The free version already gives you most of what you need — clean reading mode, offline access, highlighting, note-taking. No sign-up, no hidden limits. That alone is worth a lot. The paid version just builds on that. You get syncing, full-text search, and access to a web app to view your archive from anywhere. For the price (just a few bucks per month), it’s an excellent investment if you read and research online often.	8.1 The free tariff is suitable for infrequent users who do not need all the functions, as you will quickly reach the map limit. However, if you want to use the extension on a day-to-day basis, you cannot avoid the extension. The paid plan is competitively priced, especially with the student discount. We appreciate that some features will remain free forever, and the team is open to feedback on pricing. Compared to alternatives, Recall offers good value for money for those who need advanced knowledge management features, but casual users may find the limitations too restrictive and stop using the extension.
Ease of Use	9.0 This extension just works — no setup, no confusion. I installed it, clicked on the icon while reading an article, and boom — instant reader mode. From there, highlighting was as easy as selecting text. Notes? Just a click away. Bookmarks and tags? Super straightforward. Even advanced features like syncing or exporting are done in a really user-friendly way. There are many things to discover, but if you want to dive deeper, there are helpful guides and blog posts too.	8.0 An account is required to use Recall. However, due to the integration with a Google and Apple login, this should be easy for everyone. Saving and summarizing content is a one-click process that is well explained at the beginning. However, mastering all functions (e.g., nested tags, links, and spatial repetitions) requires some time and some searching, which can lead to many users not being able to exploit the full potential.
Security & Privacy	10 What I really respect is that you don’t need an account to use it. Everything you save stays on your device, so your highlights and notes are private by default. If you do choose to create an account (which unlocks syncing and cloud access), your data is still treated with care — no ads, no tracking, no selling your info. It's a great balance between usability and privacy. Especially rare for a free tool.	9.9 Recall is characterized by its privacy-friendly approach. User data is not used by the extension for advertising, profiling, or AI training. All content is stored securely, and users retain full control over their data. Data can be exported for inspection or deleted at any time. The data protection guidelines are transparent, and support is always available to answer questions about data protection. We were unable to identify any uncertainties during our review.
Conclusion	Reader Mode + Notes & Annotations is more than just a reader mode extension. It’s a full-fledged research companion. Whether you're saving articles for later, organizing a reading archive, or just want to eliminate distractions, this tool delivers. If you're serious about focused reading and long-term content access, this might just become your favorite browser extension.	Recall impressed us with its useful intelligent use of AI and its focus on helping users in their everyday lives, especially when learning. The browser extension makes it easy to capture content, and the revision features with auto-generated questions are a real bonus for learners. For occasional users, the free version may be enough, but if you want to use the extension, you can't avoid the paid version. The extension is not yet perfect and has small bugs, but the team reacts quickly to these and feedback, and many new functions are currently being introduced. Overall, Recall is a good choice for anyone looking to do more than just bookmark cards and build a personal knowledge base. If you're tired of forgetting what you've read online and want to save time, it's a must!
	Install Reader Mode + Notes	Install Recall
Our Recommendation	In our comparison between Reader Mode + Notes and Recall, Reader Mode + Notes came out on top, scoring 9.4. Recall is the most widely used, with over 73k users and 91+ reviews, but Reader Mode + Notes outperformed it in our review. User reviews reflect our findings. Notably, Reader Mode + Notes has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 5.00, which supports its strong performance in our review. In the end, the differences between these extensions are minimal, so your choice may come down to personal preference or specific features. Looking for the richest feature set? Reader Mode + Notes stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, Recall lags behind in this area with a rating of 9.2. Need top performance? Reader Mode + Notes stands out with a rating of 9.4. On the other hand, Recall lags behind in this area with a rating of 9. Design lovers, take note: Reader Mode + Notes stands out with a rating of 9.6. On the other hand, Recall lags behind in this area with a rating of 9. Want to get the most for your money? Reader Mode + Notes stands out with a rating of 9.1. On the other hand, Recall lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.1. If you hate complicated tools, Reader Mode + Notes stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, Recall lags behind in this area with a rating of 8. With privacy and security becoming ever more important, Reader Mode + Notes stands out with a rating of 10. On the other hand, Recall lags behind in this area with a rating of 9.9. If you want a quick recommendation, Reader Mode + Notes is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you.