Some of the best tools for bypassing paywalls include browser extensions and online services. These tools are designed to help users access content for personal use or research where subscriptions might otherwise be a barrier.
Yes, archive.is is considered a good tool for bypassing paywalls. It works on most major websites, including Financial Times, The Economist, and Medium. It is easy to use and reliable, though it can sometimes be slow and has a somewhat dated user interface.
This list compiles the most effective tools and browser extensions designed to help users bypass paywalls. The list is intended as a resource for those looking to access content for personal use or research where subscriptions are a barrier.
archive.is, also known as archive.today, is a website that lets you save a copy of any webpage. It works like a time capsule, taking a "snapshot" of the page as it is at that moment. This snapshot stays online even if the original page is deleted or changed. It saves both the text and images, making sure the copy is accurate. The archived page doesn’t have active elements like pop-ups or scripts, so it’s safer to view. People use archive.is for different reasons—saving articles that might get taken down, capturing price lists or job postings before they change, or keeping a record of social media posts. It’s also used to get around paywalls, since the archived copy often shows the full content without restrictions. You can use the site by entering the URL of the page you want to save. Once archived, you get a short, stable link to the snapshot. There’s also a search feature to find past snapshots of certain websites. They even offer a Chrome extension for quicker access.
archive.is, also known as archive.today, is a website that lets you save a copy of any webpage. It works like a time capsule, taking a "snapshot" of the page as it is at that moment. This snapshot stays online even if the original page is deleted or changed. It saves both the text and images, making sure the copy is accurate. The archived page doesn’t have active elements like pop-ups or scripts, so it’s safer to view. People use archive.is for different reasons—saving articles that might get taken down, capturing price lists or job postings before they change, or keeping a record of social media posts. It’s also used to get around paywalls, since the archived copy often shows the full content without restrictions. You can use the site by entering the URL of the page you want to save. Once archived, you get a short, stable link to the snapshot. There’s also a search feature to find past snapshots of certain websites. They even offer a Chrome extension for quicker access.
Paywall Reader is a tool that helps you read articles blocked by paywalls. It doesn’t hack into sites or break paywalls directly. Instead, it sends you to archived or cached versions of the page. These versions are saved copies from places like Archive.Today, the Internet Archive, or even Google Translate. It works best with soft paywalls—those pop-ups that block the screen but still have the full text underneath. To use it, you just paste the article’s URL, pick an option from the three services, and it tries to find a version without the paywall. If one doesn’t work, you can try another. Not every paywall can be bypassed, especially if a site blocks archiving, but most major news sources work fine. It’s considered legal because it doesn’t tamper with the website itself—it just finds copies that are already available online. People use it to access news without needing tons of subscriptions or for things like schoolwork and research. The site isn’t connected to any of the archive services or news outlets, and it leaves the responsibility of use to you.
PaywallBuster is a tool that helps you get around paywalls on news articles. You just paste the article link into the site, and it tries different methods to let you read the content for free. It doesn’t host anything itself—it just sends you to third-party websites that do the work. Not every method works for every site, so it opens multiple tabs using different tools, hoping one will break through. It’s free, works on iOS through a shortcut, and claims it’s legal since it only redirects you to other services. The creators say they don’t encourage breaking site terms or copyright laws, but they know people just want to read an article without hitting a wall.
archive.is, also known as archive.today, is a website that lets you save a copy of any webpage. It works like a time capsule, taking a "snapshot" of the page as it is at that moment. This snapshot stays online even if the original page is deleted or changed. It saves both the text and images, making sure the copy is accurate. The archived page doesn’t have active elements like pop-ups or scripts, so it’s safer to view. People use archive.is for different reasons—saving articles that might get taken down, capturing price lists or job postings before they change, or keeping a record of social media posts. It’s also used to get around paywalls, since the archived copy often shows the full content without restrictions. You can use the site by entering the URL of the page you want to save. Once archived, you get a short, stable link to the snapshot. There’s also a search feature to find past snapshots of certain websites. They even offer a Chrome extension for quicker access.
Paywall Reader is a tool that helps you read articles blocked by paywalls. It doesn’t hack into sites or break paywalls directly. Instead, it sends you to archived or cached versions of the page. These versions are saved copies from places like Archive.Today, the Internet Archive, or even Google Translate. It works best with soft paywalls—those pop-ups that block the screen but still have the full text underneath. To use it, you just paste the article’s URL, pick an option from the three services, and it tries to find a version without the paywall. If one doesn’t work, you can try another. Not every paywall can be bypassed, especially if a site blocks archiving, but most major news sources work fine. It’s considered legal because it doesn’t tamper with the website itself—it just finds copies that are already available online. People use it to access news without needing tons of subscriptions or for things like schoolwork and research. The site isn’t connected to any of the archive services or news outlets, and it leaves the responsibility of use to you.
Convert any webpage into a print-friendly format, enjoy a built-in Reader Mode for distraction-free browsing, and save webpages as PDFs for easy access.
This simple extension provides syntax highlighting for .env files.
This dead-simple extension allows you to block distracting websites for a period of time your specify. You get to decide which websites to whitelist and which ones to blacklist. Block & Focus comes with statistics, keyboard shortcuts, breaks, and a few other functionalities but is overall a really simple and effective tool.
News Feed Eradicator removes feeds from social media websites to help you use them more purposefully. Feeds are the most addictive parts of most website so this extension really helps you reduce mindless scrolling. News Feed Eradicator supports removing feeds from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Reddit, Hacker News, and GitHub. You get to pick which feeds to block and which to allow.
GoFullPage is a simple extension for taking full-page screenshots of websites. It handles all the scrolling and at the end allows you to export the website to png, jpg, or pdf.
Click with your keyboard. Have a bad touchpad? Trouble using a mouse? Love keyboard shortcuts? Link Hints is a browser extension that complements the built-in keyboard shortcuts with ones for clicking. Press Alt+J (Ctrl+J on macOS). This makes little yellow boxes with letters, called hints, appear next to links (and other clickable things). Type the letters to click the link. Alternatively, hold Shift and type a bit of the link text. The keyboard shortcuts and hints are fully customizable. Alt+J: Click links, buttons, etc. Alt+K: Open link in new tab. Alt+L: Open link in new tab and switch to it. Alt+Shift+J: Click many things. Alt+Shift+K: Open many links. Alt+Shift+L: Select element.
This strictly speaking isn't a productivity extension but ads are way too distracting. This extension helps you purge them from your browser. Enjoy a calmer browsing experience!
This dead-simple extension allows you to block distracting websites for a period of time your specify. You get to decide which websites to whitelist and which ones to blacklist. Block & Focus comes with statistics, keyboard shortcuts, breaks, and a few other functionalities but is overall a really simple and effective tool.
Momentum replaces your default new tab screen with a beautiful, personalized dashboard. It shows you the time, current weather, and a beautiful landscape photo. It comes with simple productivity tools such as a pomodoro timer, to-do lists, focus time, link lists etc. Even if you don't use the productivity tools, it's just gorgeous to look at.
News Feed Eradicator removes feeds from social media websites to help you use them more purposefully. Feeds are the most addictive parts of most website so this extension really helps you reduce mindless scrolling. News Feed Eradicator supports removing feeds from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Reddit, Hacker News, and GitHub. You get to pick which feeds to block and which to allow.
GoFullPage is a simple extension for taking full-page screenshots of websites. It handles all the scrolling and at the end allows you to export the website to png, jpg, or pdf.
Momentum replaces your default new tab screen with a beautiful, personalized dashboard. It shows you the time, current weather, and a beautiful landscape photo. It comes with simple productivity tools such as a pomodoro timer, to-do lists, focus time, link lists etc. Even if you don't use the productivity tools, it's just gorgeous to look at.
AI phone agent to receive and make phone calls for you
Easily create and share digital albums for any event with a QR code or link. Guests can also view and upload memories to a live photo wall—no apps or sign-ups required.
Song Finder: Your Ultimate Browser Music Identification Companion Ever wondered about that catchy tune playing in a video or streaming site? Song Finder is here to solve your music mysteries! Our powerful Chrome extension lets you identify any song playing in your browser with just one click. 🎵 Key Features: Instant Recognition: Click once to identify songs playing in any tab. Accurate Results: Powered by advanced audio fingerprinting technology. Detailed Information: Get artist, title, genre, label, and release date. Song Analyzer Integration: Dive deeper into song details with our online analyzer. Works Everywhere: Compatible with streaming sites, video platforms, and more. Privacy-Focused: No permanent audio storage or recording. 🚀 How It Works: Play any audio in your Chrome browser. Click the Song Finder icon. Wait a few seconds as we analyze the audio. Get instant results with comprehensive song details. Perfect for music enthusiasts, playlist curators, and anyone curious about the songs they encounter online. Expand your music knowledge and discover new artists effortlessly! 🎧 Use Cases: Identify background music in videos Discover tracks in live streams or podcasts Find the name of that song stuck in your head Build your playlist with newly discovered music 💡 Pro Tip: Use Song Finder in combination with your favorite music streaming service to quickly add identified songs to your playlists! Note: This extension requires tab audio access to function. We respect your privacy and do not store any audio data. Download Song Finder now and transform your browsing experience into a musical adventure!
Google Search Console lets you see your site's Google traffic and to help Google index your pages. You can view the number of search impressions, search clicks, keywords used, track links to your pages, check core web vitals, crawl stats etc. You can also manually request crawling of certain pages and upload site maps.
This dead-simple extension allows you to block distracting websites for a period of time your specify. You get to decide which websites to whitelist and which ones to blacklist. Block & Focus comes with statistics, keyboard shortcuts, breaks, and a few other functionalities but is overall a really simple and effective tool.
Limit allows you to put time limits on distracting websites. You get to choose how many minutes a day you're allowed to spend on each. After that, the website is blocked. It's a simple and effective tool for avoiding distractions and rabbit holes.
This strictly speaking isn't a productivity extension but ads are way too distracting. This extension helps you purge them from your browser. Enjoy a calmer browsing experience!
Best tool for saving code notes and finding answers to code problems
News Feed Eradicator removes feeds from social media websites to help you use them more purposefully. Feeds are the most addictive parts of most website so this extension really helps you reduce mindless scrolling. News Feed Eradicator supports removing feeds from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Reddit, Hacker News, and GitHub. You get to pick which feeds to block and which to allow.
Make AI chatbots in minutes
Click with your keyboard. Have a bad touchpad? Trouble using a mouse? Love keyboard shortcuts? Link Hints is a browser extension that complements the built-in keyboard shortcuts with ones for clicking. Press Alt+J (Ctrl+J on macOS). This makes little yellow boxes with letters, called hints, appear next to links (and other clickable things). Type the letters to click the link. Alternatively, hold Shift and type a bit of the link text. The keyboard shortcuts and hints are fully customizable. Alt+J: Click links, buttons, etc. Alt+K: Open link in new tab. Alt+L: Open link in new tab and switch to it. Alt+Shift+J: Click many things. Alt+Shift+K: Open many links. Alt+Shift+L: Select element.
This strictly speaking isn't a productivity extension but ads are way too distracting. This extension helps you purge them from your browser. Enjoy a calmer browsing experience!
Momentum replaces your default new tab screen with a beautiful, personalized dashboard. It shows you the time, current weather, and a beautiful landscape photo. It comes with simple productivity tools such as a pomodoro timer, to-do lists, focus time, link lists etc. Even if you don't use the productivity tools, it's just gorgeous to look at.
Limit allows you to put time limits on distracting websites. You get to choose how many minutes a day you're allowed to spend on each. After that, the website is blocked. It's a simple and effective tool for avoiding distractions and rabbit holes.
This dead-simple extension allows you to block distracting websites for a period of time your specify. You get to decide which websites to whitelist and which ones to blacklist. Block & Focus comes with statistics, keyboard shortcuts, breaks, and a few other functionalities but is overall a really simple and effective tool.
News Feed Eradicator removes feeds from social media websites to help you use them more purposefully. Feeds are the most addictive parts of most website so this extension really helps you reduce mindless scrolling. News Feed Eradicator supports removing feeds from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Reddit, Hacker News, and GitHub. You get to pick which feeds to block and which to allow.
Uneed is a platform where people can both discover new products and promote their own. It works a bit like Product Hunt, giving creators a way to get their products noticed. Every day at midnight PST, between 10 and 20 new products launch on the homepage. On launch day, products get prime visibility, but users can keep voting for them anytime afterward. Products are ranked daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. The top three products in each ranking get badges—gold, silver, or bronze—displayed on their product pages. Popular products also get featured in Uneed’s weekly newsletter, which reaches over 9,100 subscribers. If you want to launch a product, you make an account and fill out the details. There are two ways to get your product live: wait in a free queue (and get assigned a random launch date) or pay $30 to skip the line and pick your date. Success comes from a strong launch day, keeping your page up-to-date, and encouraging people to vote. Adding special deals can also earn you a badge and keep interest alive. The community side of Uneed is built around upvoting products. The more you vote, the more power you gain. For example, a 5-day voting streak doubles your vote’s power, and a 100-day streak triples it while unlocking an avatar border. At 150 days, you get a free line skip; at 500 days, you get discounts on advertising; and at 1,000 days, your votes count as five. The platform covers categories like development, design, marketing, business, and personal life products. It’s just one person running Uneed, and you’re encouraged to vote for your own product. If you have questions, they’re easy to reach via email. In short, Uneed is a straightforward way to launch a product, gather feedback, and build an audience—without needing a massive following upfront.
This directory boasts 20,000 subscribers and if you get featured, you get a backlink. You'll also be featured in the newsletter. Insanely Cool Tools is free to use but you may need to pay if you want to skip the queue.