Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

Paywall Killer is a tool designed to help users bypass paywalls on news websites and other content platforms. Based on a Hacker News discussion idea, it allows readers to access articles that would normally require… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Prices are shown for the 5 we have checked on their own sites, 5 of them free or with a free tier. Paywall killer launched in 2012; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Bypass Paywall▲95

   Down with the walls

   2021 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Bypass Paywalls▲272

   A chrome extension that unlocks content

   2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   WallHop – 12ft.io is gone, so I built a replacementfree▲287

   wallhop is a free paywall bypass. Paste any article link to read it without paywall popups, ads or clutter. No signup, no extension. A simple 12ft.io alternative.

   11d ago · wallhop.io · its alternatives →

4. 4
   RemovePaywallfree▲170

   Read articles without annoying paywalls

   2022 · removepaywall.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Bypass, a chrome extension to read articles behind paywalls▲12

   2016 · chrome.google.com · its alternatives →

6. 6FT
   Filter the web by Hacker News▲146

   2016 · hackernewsfilter.com · its alternatives →

7. 7IF
   Incoggo – Free Adblocker for Paywalls▲34

   2021 · incoggo.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Remove Paywall Chrome Extension▲86

   Never pay for articles again

   2023 · removepaywall.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Paywall Removersfree▲132

   Remove paywalls on any article for free

   2024 · archivebuttons.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Built an extension to put an end to paywalls and popups▲39

    2020 · chrome.google.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Hacker Feed▲259

    Modern iOS app for reading Hacker News

    2019 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Hackerhunt – categorised curation of Show HN submissions▲335

    2017 · hackerhunt.co · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Hacker News, without AIfree▲207

    A better Hacker News reader for following stories, filtering noise, and keeping up with discussions.

    Sep 2026 · hcker.news · its alternatives →

14. 14IB
    I built a tool to remove news articles from HN▲131

    2020 · hn.luap.info · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Mask▲116

    A paywall built for the modern web

    2016 · trymask.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Brutal Reader▲98

    Strips any webpage down to just the article

    Mar 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    A userscript that adds archive URLs below the paywalled HN submissions▲63

    This userscript adds archive URLs to the metadata section of HN submissions without breaking the immersion. Here are 2 screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/PdUu6oG GreasyFork: https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/452024-hacker-news-anti-pa... Source code: https://github.com/MostlyEmre/hn-anti-paywall Now let me overexplain. -Why?- I never liked paywalled articles. I understand where they come from, but I don't like where we cross our paths. This is why I don't use major news aggregators anymore. Instead, I spend my…

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

18. 18FA
    Filter and read Hacker News by category▲78

    2015 · blog.monkeylearn.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Bypass Paywall Readerfree▲1

    It lets you bypass paywall and read articles for free!

    2024 · bypasspaywallreader.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Paywall Reader▲4

    Read without paywalls for free

    2024 · namisushiwa.com · its alternatives →

21. 21PA
    Pesky Adblock – Blocks site access to visitors without an adblocker▲119

    2018 · gitgud.io · its alternatives →

22. 22AC
    A cryptocurrency news scraper inspired by Hacker News▲183

    2018 · cryptonewsagency.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Coinwall, a bitcoin paywall▲49

    2014 · coinwall.co · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Text Fish▲139

    Skip Paywalls, Read Peacefully

    2020 · text.fish · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →