Knowledge is power, and what better way to gain knowledge than by learning new things through reading? There are so many articles, blog posts, and web pages available to read, but sometimes reading them from your laptop or computer screen is uncomfortable and inefficient.

Here are five free Chrome extensions you need to download now to enhance your experience and read more productively.

1. Best Reader View

Best Reader View

This is the perfect extension if you want to switch your articles into a simplified reader view and actively take notes. With this, you’ll be able to read through all the text in an article without needing to see the ads or extra formatting. Beware, though, some pictures may not make the cut.

With Best Reader View, you can also highlight passages to save them or add your own comments and notes for reference. All of these can be saved with an account and accessed again. You can also enter a Focus Mode that puts the reader view in full screen to block out other distracting tabs in your browser.

2. ReadBee

ReadBee

This is another extension that turns articles into a simplified reader mode. ReadBee provides everything you need to customize your reading experience. You can change the size of the text, change the line height, and make the font bold for a more comfortable reading experience based on your accessibility needs.

It also comes with options to read content with a white, beige, or black background. This also makes it the perfect extension if you happen to be a late-night reader, as dark mode can reduce the strain on your eyes.

3. Reeader

Reeader

Reeader is a unique take on speed reading with Chrome extensions. Similar to ReadBee, activating Reeader turns an article into a simplified reader view. The difference is that this extension also comes with features that help you read the article faster.

The single lightning bolt grays out the sides of a block of text, allowing you to focus on the middle. The double lightning bolts omit filler words to help you skim through and capture the main points in each sentence. It’s an interesting method to encourage you to read through an article faster while still capturing all the information.

4. Crammer AI

Crammer AI

When you’re about to read a long article, Crammer AI can help you save time by analyzing the article and seeking out an extensive list of key phrases. These can act as both a table of contents and a glossary, helping to jump to the important topics within the page. Analyzing a page is as simple as a click and only takes a few seconds.

This is a useful extension when you’re doing research on a topic because it helps identify key items you should keep an eye out for when reading and can take you directly to what you’re looking for. You can sort the list of key phrases alphabetically or by how many times they appear on the page.

5. Readme - Text to Speech Reader

Readme

Sometimes you want to know what an article says, but you might not have the time or energy to actually read it over the old-fashioned way. With Readme, you can listen to an AI voice read everything out loud to you. On top of that, you can skip to certain sections of an article, choose from a large variety of voices, and control the speed at which you’re being read to. This customizes the experience for you.

Readme is a great solution for when you need to multitask. You can continue with what you’re doing while you listen to the content on the web page. It’s also an opportunity to rest your eyes, learn how an unfamiliar word is pronounced, and more.

Related: The Best Text-to-Speech Tools for Educators

Read Better Now

That's a roundup of our favorite Chrome extensions to enhance the reading experience and help you read more productively. These extensions are here to help you read more comfortably, find information faster, or multitask. Give them a try for your next research project, catch-up on current news, or personal reading session.