Web Reader
Web Reader is a free, open-source web browser designed for reading long-form content like books and articles. It provides distraction-free reading by removing ads, comments, and other website clutter.
distractionfree
longform-content
books
articles
opensource
Web Reader: Free, Open-Source Reading Browser
Free, open-source web browser designed for long-form content reading, removing ads, comments, and clutter for distraction-free reading experience
What is Web Reader?
Web Reader is an open-source web browser extension and mobile app that aims to optimize the reading experience on the internet. It strips away ads, comments, and other clutter on web pages to provide a clean, distraction-free reading view.
Some key features of Web Reader include:
- Removing ads, site headers/footers, comments sections, and other clutter
- Adjustable text sizing, fonts, colors, and line spacing for improved readability
- Saving articles for offline reading
- Syncs your reading progress across devices
- Support for Instapaper and Pocket integration
- Available as a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, etc. and as mobile apps for iOS and Android
Web Reader is designed specifically for long-form content like books, news articles, blog posts, and academic papers. It aims to eliminate distractions to help people focus on reading. The simplified interface and customization options make consuming long written content easier on the eyes.
As an open-source project, Web Reader emphasizes user privacy and is developed by a community of contributors on GitHub. It is free to use without ads or selling user data.
Web Reader Features
Features
- Reader Mode to strip away ads/clutter
- Customizable fonts/colors/layouts
- Offline reading with saved content
- Cross-platform - Windows/Mac/Linux
- Open source and privacy focused
Pricing
- Free
- Open Source
Pros
Minimalist interface for distraction-free reading
Highly customizable reading experience
Works with many sites and saves content offline
Free and open source software
Cons
Limited features compared to full web browsers
Requires manual enabling of Reader Mode on some sites
Development is community-driven so updates can be slow
The Best Web Reader Alternatives
Top Web Browsers and Reading and other similar apps like Web Reader
Here are some alternatives to Web Reader:
Suggest an alternative ❐
Balabolka
Balabolka is a versatile text-to-speech software for Windows that can read text aloud from a variety of file formats. It supports PDF, DOC, DOCX, HTML, EPUB, FB2 and plain text files. Balabolka can open website URLs and read their content out loud as well.Some of the key features of Balabolka...
NaturalReader
NaturalReader is a paid text-to-speech software application developed by NaturalSoft Ltd. It can convert text from documents, webpages, PDF files, and ebooks into spoken audio. Some key features of NaturalReader include:Support for over 25 languages and accents such as English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and moreNatural sounding male and female...
ESpeak
eSpeak is an open source, compact, multi-lingual software speech synthesizer for Linux, Windows, and other platforms. It was released under the GNU General Public License in 2005. eSpeak uses a "formant synthesis" method, which allows it to generate speech quickly and use little memory. It supports over 70 languages and...
Voice Dream Reader
Voice Dream Reader is a popular text-to-speech app that makes digital content more accessible for people who struggle with reading. It can convert documents, ebooks, web articles and more into natural sounding speech so users can listen instead of read.Some key features of Voice Dream Reader include:High-quality text-to-speech voices with...
TextAloud
TextAloud is a robust text-to-speech software application developed by NextUp Technologies. It can convert text from a variety of sources such as documents, webpages, RSS feeds, PDF files and more into natural sounding speech using built-in voices.Some key features of TextAloud include:Supports over 70 built-in voices with customizable speed, pitch...
Read Aloud
Read Aloud is a popular text-to-speech software that reads digital content out loud. It highlights words, sentences, or paragraphs as it reads them aloud, allowing users to follow along with electronic documents, webpages, PDF files, and more. Read Aloud offers natural-sounding voices in multiple languages and accents.This software is useful...
ReadSpeaker
ReadSpeaker is a customizable text-to-speech (TTS) software used to convert written content into natural sounding speech. It can be integrated into websites, mobile apps, e-learning platforms, e-books and documents to make them more accessible for people with reading difficulties like dyslexia or visual impairments.Some key features of ReadSpeaker include:High-quality voices...
Simple TTS Reader
Simple TTS Reader is a powerful yet user-friendly text-to-speech software for Windows. With its minimalistic design and intuitive controls, it makes it easy for anyone to convert text into natural sounding human speech. It supports reading text from common file formats like DOC, DOCX, PDF, EPUB, HTML and more.Some key...
Verbify-TTS
Verbify-TTS is an open-source neural text-to-speech engine capable of generating human-like speech from text. Developed by Verbify Labs, it utilizes state-of-the-art deep learning techniques such as Tacotron 2 and WaveRNN to synthesize natural sounding voices that adapt to the input text.Key features of Verbify-TTS include:Production quality voices that sound human-like,...
Read Aloud Extension
The Read Aloud Extension is a useful browser extension that reads text on web pages out loud using text-to-speech technology. It works in Chrome, Firefox, and Edge to make website content more accessible for people who benefit from listening rather than reading text.Some key features of the Read Aloud Extension...
