Love reading but don’t want to pay?
Picture this, you find an interesting article but just as you start reading the first few sentences… BAM! You can not read more without subscribing or paying (like the image below). How often has this happened to you?
Before you go any further, here is a PSA: if you enjoy reading from the same publication, consider subscribing or becoming a paying member. Writers depend paying readers!
1. Use Private or Incognito mode on your browser
This one is pretty easy, just open the article you want to read in a private or incognito tab on your browser, it works for all the major browsers: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, etc.
Many places like WIRED (pictured above) will give you a few free reads before asking you to subscribe. These sites rely on their ability to track you, track what you are reading, and then sending you to the paywall once you hit their max limit for free reading.
Using private or incognito mode prevents tracking between sessions. So if you are reading in this way, when you hit a paywall for reading too many articles, simply close the window and start a new one.
note: it only works if the paywall is based on tracking you — either the count of articles being read, or the time spent reading on the website.
2. Pretend to read it later using an app like Pocket or the Reader on Safari
This step is kind of like cheating. You’re going to add or save the article using an app like Pocket (there are many others too) to read later. But once it’s saved, you’re just going to go read it right away!
If you use Apple’s Safari browser, it actually has a built in Reader which works well for most articles!
The reason this works is many of these reader apps do not capture a full website instead only taking the text or “meat” of the page leaving behind any trackers or code which is supposed to send you to the paywall.
3. Use a news aggregator like Apple News, Flipboard, or Google News
Your mileage may vary with this one. These companies have tried to bundle articles from many sources into a single service. In some cases they’ve negotiated their own quota of free articles for users means an article that appears behind the paywall on your browser may be free to read via one of these apps!
Also, paying for the monthly subscription to something like Apple News may be worth it as a cheaper alternative to get access to articles from various sources for a relatively affordable price!
4. Finding other sources that cover the same topics or ideas
Ok, I know, this is not the same thing. You’re not getting the same article by the same author on the same publication, but if the topic is popular chances are many other writers or publications are offering their own takes on it. A quick Google search can find you what you need — maybe it’s a small publication or maybe it’s someone’s blog!
I’m sure some of you will give the flat face emoji for #4 above but that’s just the reality of reading articles in our digital world. In the old days, you could only read if you paid for the publication, so at least now we get some free stuff.
Give these tips a try and share if you have any others that work for you. But, as mentioned at the beginning, writers often depend on paying readers so don’t make it a habit of bypassing the system. If you use it often, consider paying!
