Compare Reader Mode + Notes, PDF & Web Highlighter, and Instapaper: Which Extension is the Best?
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. | With Web Highlights, you can easily highlight text on any website or PDF and create notes. It's free and easy to use without signing up. In our eyes the best online PDF and web highlighter extension. | Instapaper lets you save, organize, and highlight articles, videos, and web pages for offline reading. Features include folders, Kindle sync, text-to-speech, and mobile apps | |
| 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. | 9.4 | 9.8 Winner in this category | 8.2 |
| Total users Total active users across all major browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. | 32 | 111,765 | 212,271 Winner in this category |
| Total ratings Total number of user ratings received across all supported browsers. | 1 | 3,715 Winner in this category | 650 |
| Average rating Average user rating across all browsers, calculated from available store ratings. | 5.0 ⭐ Winner in this category | 4.8 ⭐ | 4.1 ⭐ |
| Entry Level Price The minimum price required to start using the extension. "Free" means a free tier is available. | Free | Free | Free |
| Chrome User rating and stats for the extension on Chrome browser. |  5.0 5.0 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 32Users Winner in this category | 4.8 4.81 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 100.0K+Users | 3.8 2.69 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 200.0K+Users |
| Edge User rating and stats for the extension on Edge browser. | - |  4.7 4.66 Average Microsoft Edge Store rating from the last 100 reviews 10.9K+Users Winner in this category | - |
| Firefox User rating and stats for the extension on Firefox browser. | - |  5.0 5.0 Average Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store rating from the last 100 reviews 820Users Winner in this category | 4.4 4.44 Average Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store rating from the last 100 reviews 12.3K+Users |
| Safari User rating and stats for the extension on Safari browser. | - | - | - |
| Features Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Features' aspect of each extension. | 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. | 9.8 Web Highlights offers a range of features. In addition to its main function of highlighting text on websites and PDFs, it provides much more, making it the ideal tool for learning and self-improvement. Top Features of Web Highlights1. Highlighting websites & PDFs:  Web Highlights excels at one thing better than any other tool we tested—highlighting websites and PDFs. You don't even need an account. Just visit any site, highlight the text, and a marker icon will appear, letting you choose from different highlight colors. Once highlighted, your highlights are visible on the website. And the best thing: Your highlights will also be visible on the website if you reload the page. You not necessarily need the highlighter popup to mark up some text. In general, there are three ways to create a highlight:
In our tests, we could easily highlight several websites, and those highlights were effortlessly restored when revisiting them. It works seamlessly with both online and local PDFs.  All of your highlights are not only visible on the page but also accessible through the sidebar, which gives you a good overview of your highlights made. This is much like the highlighter sidebar which is common in PDF tools like Acrobat. Here is how it looks:  The sidebar gives you an outline of your highlights on the current page. 2. Create Notes & Tags:  You can either create tags & notes by using the sidebar or by clicking on a highlight on the page. This will open up a popup allowing you to add tags and notes to a specific highlight. Any changes you make on the pages are also directly visible in the sidebar. Making it a perfect research tool to work with large articles. Inside the sidebar you can then find all your highlights and bookmarks listed for the given tag. 3. Web App:  The best thing about Web Highlights is, that it can synchronize all your research to the corresponding web app at app.web-highlights.com. The web app can be opened in your browser but works perfetly on your phone. If you have opened the website before, you can even access your research when you are offline. The dashboard of the app shows all of your research in one place in a beautiful overview. You can also filter for specific tags or websites. 4. Save Bookmarks:  Web Highlights isn't just for highlighting text—it’s also great for saving pages as bookmarks. This way, you can either come back later to continue highlighting or easily find the page again. 5. Email reminders  A standout feature of Web Highlights is its email reminder, which works a lot like "snoozing" emails. You can set a reminder for a specific date and time by clicking the clock icon on a highlighted page. Web Highlights will then email you the article so you don’t forget to revisit it. This feature is unique among competitors, and we use it daily to get reminders for websites we need to return to later. 6. Export to Notion, Markdown, and more  Web Highlights gives you plenty of export options. With the Markdown export, you can easily send your research to any Second Brain or PKM tool you prefer. On top of that, it directly integrates with Notion and Capacities through full API connections. For instance, if you're on a highlighted page, just click the three dots in the sidebar and choose "Export to Notion." In seconds, a Notion page will be created. The same process works for Capacities. Winner in this category | 8.8 Instapaper's feature set is impressive in its core functionality. The service excels at its primary purpose of saving and reading web content offline. The text view feature provides an excellent reading experience, stripping away distractions and presenting content in a clean, readable format. The highlighting and note-taking capabilities are useful tools for active readers, though they could benefit from some refinement. The Kindle integration works seamlessly, making it easy to transfer articles to your e-reader. Mobile apps offer reliable synchronization across devices, ensuring your reading list is always up to date. However, the service lacks some modern features like social sharing that competitors offer. The search functionality in the free tier is somewhat basic, and customization options are more limited compared to other services in this space.  |
| Performance Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Performance' aspect of each extension. | 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. | 10 The extension performs seamlessly, allowing you to highlight websites and PDFs without any lag or interruptions. The full-text search functionality is quick and accurate, enabling you to find your highlights effortlessly. Additionally, the ability to sync your highlights across devices ensures that you can access your research from anywhere, enhancing your productivity. The best part is that the web app works entirely offline. So, you can access your research from any device, even without an internet connection. Winner in this category | 8.0 Instapaper’s performance is strong overall, but the initial setup leaves much to be desired. After installing the Chrome extension, there was no response or prompt—no indication that any further action was needed. It wasn’t until we read a user review that we realized we had to manually visit the Instapaper website and log in. Without that information, we likely would have assumed the extension was broken and uninstalled it. Once past that rocky start, however, the service works reliably. Web pages save quickly, and saved content loads without issue. Offline access is stable, and synchronization across devices keeps your reading list up to date. The mobile apps offer smooth performance and quick navigation, while the text view provides a responsive and comfortable reading experience. The search function is usable, though slightly slow at times. Despite the poor onboarding, Instapaper delivers solid functionality once everything is properly set up. |
| Design Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Design' aspect of each extension. | 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. | 9.9 The design is clean and intuitive, making it easy to get started right away. We loved the customizable highlight colors and the overall look and feel of the sidebar. What users love most is the intuitive sidebar and the well-organized web app. It’s super easy to navigate and quickly find what you need. The web app also looks great on mobile devices, making it simple to access the articles you've read on your phone. Winner in this category | 8.5 The design of Instapaper focuses on simplicity and readability. The interface is clean and minimalist, putting the content front and center. The text view is particularly well-designed, offering a comfortable reading experience with good typography and spacing. The mobile apps follow their respective platform design guidelines, providing a native feel on both iOS and Android. The browser extension maintains this simplicity with a straightforward interface. However, some UI elements feel dated and could use a refresh. While the reading experience is consistent across platforms, the navigation could be more intuitive in some areas. The limited customization options might disappoint users who prefer more control over their reading environment. |
| Value for Money Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Value for Money' aspect of each extension. | 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. | 9.5 Web Highlights can be used for free without signing up, providing access to a wide range of offline features. To fully enjoy the benefits of Web Highlights, including accessing your highlights and bookmarks from anywhere with automatic cloud-sync, you can upgrade to the PREMIUM or ULTIMATE version of the extension. The pricing plans are affordable, making it a cost-effective solution for students, researchers, and avid online readers. No other tool gives you this much value for so little cost. Winner in this category | 8.0 The pricing structure of Instapaper offers a basic free tier that's functional but limited. The premium features are reasonably priced, offering good value for heavy readers. The pricing is competitive compared to alternatives in the market. However, some features that are currently premium could potentially be included in the free tier to provide more value to basic users. The annual subscription offers good savings for committed users. While the premium features are well-implemented, the free tier could offer more value to attract new users and provide a better experience for casual users. |
| Ease of Use Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Ease of Use' aspect of each extension. | 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. | 9.5 We can’t think of a simpler Chrome Extension to start with than this one. The best part? It works seamlessly right out of the box, no account needed. Installing it is a breeze, and you can easily add the extension to both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Once installed, a highlighter pop-up appears whenever you highlight text on any website. The process is intuitive and easy to grasp. If you need help, Web Highlights offers plenty of blog posts that guide you through its features. With so many powerful features, Web Highlights might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but everything falls into place quickly. The tagging system, in particular, is easy to use and much simpler than traditional folders. That’s why we rate it 9.5 out of 10. It’s extremely user-friendly, though some features might take a little time to fully appreciate. Winner in this category | 7.0 Instapaper’s setup process is not beginner-friendly. After installing the browser extension, there was no response or guidance—no prompt, login window, or confirmation. We had to manually visit the website and log in, something we only discovered thanks to a tip in another user’s review. Without that, we likely would have uninstalled the extension, assuming it didn’t work. However, once logged in, the service functions smoothly. Saving content is quick, the interface is clean and intuitive, and managing your reading list is simple and efficient. |
| Security & Privacy Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Security & Privacy' aspect of each extension. | 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. Winner in this category | 9.9 In the Security & Privacy category, we give Web Highlights a solid 10/10. The fact that you can use this tool offline without needing an account sets it apart from its competitors. Even if you opt for cloud sync by creating an account, Web Highlights puts data privacy first. Your highlights, notes, and tags are visible only to you by default unless you decide to share them. Your data isn’t sold to third parties, nor is it used or transferred for anything beyond the extension's core functionality. This dedication to data privacy ensures your information stays secure and confidential. | 9.0 Instapaper takes user privacy and security seriously. The service maintains a clear and transparent privacy policy, explicitly stating that user data is not sold to third parties. The company has demonstrated a strong commitment to user privacy through its GDPR compliance and Privacy Shield certification. Data storage is secure, and the service regularly updates its security measures. The data collection practices are transparent, with clear explanations of what information is collected and how it's used. This high level of attention to privacy and security makes Instapaper a trustworthy choice for users concerned about their data. |
| Conclusion A summary of our findings and final thoughts for each extension. | 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. | We have been using Web Highlights - PDF & Web Highlighter for years and can confidently say it’s a top-notch tool for anyone who spends a lot of time reading online. Its user-friendly design and powerful features make it a must-have for students, researchers, and professionals alike. The free version is fantastic, but if you need more advanced features, the premium options are well worth the price. If you’re serious about staying organized while reading online, we highly recommend giving Web Highlights a try. | Instapaper is a reliable “read-it-later” service that is characterized by its core features. The service has maintained its position in the market by focusing on what matters most to readers: a clean, distraction-free reading experience and reliable offline access to stored content. While it doesn't offer the breadth of features of some newer competitors, its simplicity and reliability make it a solid choice for those who primarily want to save articles and read offline. Recent issues with the Chrome extension and some user complaints about the save feature need to be addressed, but the core service remains stable and useful. For users who appreciate a simple, straightforward approach to saving and reading web content, Instapaper remains a good choice. However, those looking for advanced features or a more modern interface should look for alternatives. |
| Our Recommendation | In our comparison between Reader Mode + Notes, PDF & Web Highlighter, and Instapaper, PDF & Web Highlighter came out on top, scoring 9.8. Instapaper is the most widely used, with over 212k users and 650+ reviews, but PDF & Web Highlighter 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. 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, PDF & Web Highlighter is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you. | ||
