Reader Mode
Reader Mode is a cross-platform reading, bookmarking, and research tool that strips clutter from web pages and adds accessibility, annotation, citation, and organization features for individual readers, students, researchers, and educational institutions globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Reader Mode does
Reader Mode is an all-in-one reading, bookmarking, and research tool that parses web pages into a distraction-free format and augments them with accessibility tooling, annotation, and organization features. It was launched in September 2019 by Ryzal Yusoff as a solo side project in Manchester, UK, and has since grown to 300,000+ daily users across Chrome, Firefox (forthcoming), macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, and a web app. The product stack is built around a custom article parser that strips ads, tracking, and clutter while preserving original styling, supported by a Permanent Copy archival module that creates offline backups of web content. Around this reading core sit accessibility modules (OpenDyslexic and Lexend fonts, a reading ruler overlay, configurable text-to-speech), research utilities (multi-color web and PDF highlighting with notes and labels, citation generation in APA/MLA/Chicago/Vancouver/Harvard, translation across 133+ languages), and organization features (nested folders, tags, multiple views, notes, public profiles and collections, discover page). Syncing is two-way with Kindle, Instapaper, Pocket, Evernote, Notion, and Obsidian, with a ReadWise integration announced as forthcoming.
The business model is primarily product-led growth with a freemium funnel: a free tier limits storage to 100MB, bookmarks to 10, and highlights, while Premium ($8/month or $6/month annually), Believer ($180 every three years, equivalent to ~$5/month, with community calls and first-access perks), and Lifetime ($150 one-time) capture paying users. An Education Plan extends the model to institutions at $1,500/year with unlimited subscribers and a dedicated success manager, opening a B2B channel layered on top of the consumer base. Reader Mode is private, bootstrapped, and founder-owned; it has not disclosed any external funding rounds, and the founder serves simultaneously as engineer, designer, and customer support. Distribution and acquisition rely on browser extension marketplaces, Product Hunt placement (top post on launch), earned media in Mashable, Lifehacker, ZDNet, Smashing Magazine, and Morning Brew, plus organic Twitter and testimonial-driven growth.
Reader Mode firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Reader Mode
- Legal name
- Reader Mode
- Website
- https://readermode.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Reader Mode is a cross-platform reading, bookmarking, and research tool that strips clutter from web pages and adds accessibility, annotation, citation, and organization features for individual readers, students, researchers, and educational institutions globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Reader Mode industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Reading and Bookmarking Software
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192), Libraries and Archives (51921)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- eBook & Digital Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital Reading Content & eBooks (Leveled Readers, Libraries) (EDAFACAH), E-book Retail & Reading Platforms (Stores, Apps, Devices) (MPAJAMAA)
Keywords
Where Reader Mode is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Reader Mode business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription - Free Tier: Free plan with limited storage (100MB), up to 10 bookmarks, and limited highlights. Serves as acquisition funnel for premium upgrades.
- Subscription - Premium: $8/month or $6/month billed annually. Includes unlimited storage, bookmarks, highlights, and all features. Primary revenue stream.
- Subscription - Believer: $180 billed every 3 years (equivalent to $5/month). Includes all Premium features plus first access to new features, community calls, and priority support.
- One-time Purchase - Lifetime: $150 one-time payment for lifetime access to all features. One-time revenue from power users.
- Education Plan: $1,500/year for institutions with unlimited subscribers, dedicated success manager, and priority support. B2B institutional licensing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free - Limited features for new users |
| Subscription | Annual | Premium - Unlimited access for individuals |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Believer - 3-year commitment with perks |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Lifetime - One-time purchase |
| Subscription | Annual | Education - Institutional pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels5 records
Reader Mode product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Reader Mode is a cross-platform reading, bookmarking, and research tool delivered via browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox), desktop apps (macOS, Windows), and mobile apps (iOS, Android). It strips clutter and ads from web pages, enables multi-color web and PDF highlighting with notes, and offers accessibility features including text-to-speech, dyslexia-friendly fonts, and reading rulers. It also includes a citation generator, 133+ language translation, and a Permanent Copy feature for offline archival of web content.
Product overview
Reader Mode is a single unified all-in-one reading, bookmarking, and research platform designed to enhance productivity and accessibility. The product ecosystem includes the core Reader Mode application (distraction-free reader with web and PDF highlighter, text-to-speech, translate, citation generator, and advanced organization tools), available across multiple platforms: Browser Extensions (Chrome with Firefox coming soon), Desktop Apps (macOS and Windows), and Mobile Apps (iOS and Android). The subscription model includes a Free plan, Premium ($6/month), Believer (3-year), Lifetime ($150 one-time), and Education Plan ($1,500/year). Key modules include Web & PDF Highlighter, Citation Generator, Notes, Permanent Copy, Public Profile/Collections, Nested Folders, Tags, Dyslexia Fonts, Reading Ruler, Text-to-Speech, Translate (133+ languages), Custom CSS/Themes, Auto-run, Auto-scroll, Page Outline, Deletion Tool, Edit Content, Google Search integration, and sharing/collaboration features.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Reader Mode All-in-one reading, bookmarking, and research tool providing a distraction-free reader, web and PDF highlighter, text-to-speech, translation, citation generation, and read-it-later functionality for individual consumers worldwide.
- Reader Mode Browser Extension Browser extension available on the Chrome Web Store and Firefox Add-ons that activates Reader Mode on any web page to deliver distraction-free reading, web and PDF highlighting, and bookmarking within the user's existing browser.
- Reader Mode Desktop App Native desktop application available for macOS and Windows that delivers the full Reader Mode reading, highlighting, and bookmarking experience with local storage on the user's computer.
- Reader Mode Mobile App Mobile application available on iOS App Store and Android stores that enables reading, highlighting, and bookmarking on smartphones and tablets, with sync to the user's web and desktop Reader Mode library.
- Reader Mode Premium Subscription plan priced at $8/month or $6/month billed annually that unlocks unlimited storage, unlimited bookmarks, unlimited highlights, and all features of Reader Mode including PDF highlighter, custom CSS, auto-run, collections, and integrations for individual users.
- Reader Mode Lifetime One-time purchase plan priced at $150 that grants permanent access to all Reader Mode Premium features, including unlimited storage, bookmarks, highlights, and advanced reading tools, with no recurring billing.
- Reader Mode Believer Three-year subscription plan priced at $180 every three years ($5/month equivalent) that includes every Premium feature plus first access to new features, community calls with the team, and priority support for individual subscribers.
- Reader Mode Education Plan Institutional subscription plan priced at $1,500 per year for schools, colleges, and universities that provides every Premium feature for unlimited subscribers, a dedicated success manager, and priority support response.
- Public Profile, Collections, Discover & Team Collaboration Major feature release introducing a public profile page that displays a user's saved bookmarks and collections, a public Collections feature, a Discover feed, and team collaboration capabilities for sharing distraction-free articles with highlights and notes.
- Save Tweet & Thread from Twitter Twitter integration feature that lets users save individual tweets and entire threads directly from Twitter into their Reader Mode library without leaving the Twitter interface.
Quantifiable outcome
- 300,000+ daily active users
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Reader Mode
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Reader Mode technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability5 records
Feature10 records
Reader Mode partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Reader Mode competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Raindrop.io: Bookmark manager with reader mode, tagging, nested folders, and web/PDF highlights — overlapping with Reader Mode's organization, reading, and highlighting feature set.
- Pocket: Mozilla-owned read-it-later and distraction-free reading service that historically competed head-to-head with Reader Mode on bookmarking and clean-reading experiences for web articles.
- Readwise: Highlights aggregator and spaced-repetition reader tool that pulls highlights from Kindle, Pocket, Instapaper, and the web — overlapping with Reader Mode's Reader-to-Notes pipeline and explicitly named as a coming-soon integration.
- Matter: Modern read-it-later and highlight management service targeting professional readers, with cross-app syncing — directly comparable to Reader Mode's web-to-highlight-to-notes workflow.
- Instapaper: Long-standing read-it-later and article-reading tool with highlighting and text-to-speech features — overlaps directly with Reader Mode's core reading, bookmarking, and highlight-sync functionality.
Broad incumbents
- Notion: Broader productivity/note-taking platform that is also a Reader Mode export destination; competes for the 'where do my highlights and research notes live' workflow that Reader Mode targets.
- Evernote: Established note-taking and web-clipping product with reader-mode-style web capture — directly comparable to Reader Mode's export-to-Evernote workflow and overlapping with bookmark organization.
- Obsidian: Personal knowledge management app with web clipper and highlighting plugins; competes for the same researchers and lifelong learners that Reader Mode serves as a notes destination.
- Microsoft Edge Immersive Reader: Built-in browser reader mode with text-to-speech, reading preferences, and accessibility features — competes with Reader Mode's core distraction-free value as a free, default alternative.
Emerging players
- Omnivore: Open-source read-it-later app with highlighting, newsletter integration, and knowledge management — niche overlap with Reader Mode on free-tier distraction-free reading and article organization.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Reader Mode social profiles
Digital presenceReader Mode financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Reader Mode leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Reader Mode funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Reader Mode M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Reader Mode
What does Reader Mode do?
Reader Mode is a cross-platform reading, bookmarking, and research tool delivered via browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox), desktop apps (macOS, Windows), and mobile apps (iOS, Android). It strips clutter and ads from web pages, enables multi-color web and PDF highlighting with notes, and offers accessibility features including text-to-speech, dyslexia-friendly fonts, and reading rulers. It also includes a citation generator, 133+ language translation, and a Permanent Copy feature for offline archival of web content.
Is Reader Mode a public or private company?
Reader Mode is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Reader Mode founded?
Reader Mode was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Reader Mode based?
Reader Mode is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Reader Mode make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Subscription - Free Tier is the primary driver. The others are subscription - Premium, subscription - Believer, one-time Purchase - Lifetime and education Plan.
Who are Reader Mode's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Raindrop.io, Pocket, Readwise, Matter and Instapaper. Broad incumbents are Notion, Evernote, Obsidian and Microsoft Edge Immersive Reader. Omnivore is listed as an emerging player.
Does Reader Mode have an API?
No public API is recorded for Reader Mode.
What industry is Reader Mode in?
Reader Mode's product category is Reading and Bookmarking Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAK, eBook & Digital Reading Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAFACAH, Digital Reading Content & eBooks (Leveled Readers, Libraries). Its NAICS code is 5192 and its SIC code is 2741.