Reader Mode + Notes & Annotations - Web Highlights

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.