# Smart Reader - Bionic Reader

> Modify a web page to make it more readable by bolding the beginning of a word (like bionic reading).

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/smartreader](https://chrome-stats.com/d/smartreader)

## Overview

- **ID:** `smartreader`
- **Platform:** Firefox
- **Type:** Firefox add-on
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** Poucous
- **Category:** appearance,language-support
- **Daily users:** 820
- **Weekly downloads:** 9
- **Rating:** 4.03 / 5 (30 ratings)
- **Version:** 1.6
- **Last updated:** 2022-09-06
- **First published:** 2022-05-28
- **Size:** 43 KB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-07
- **Store listing:** [Firefox Add-ons Store](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/smartreader/)

## Description

Smart Reader, also known as Bionic Reader, is a Chrome extension designed to improve your web reading experience by bolding the beginning segments of words. This bionic reading technique helps users focus on key parts of text, making reading faster and more efficient. Simply install the extension, and enjoy enhanced readability on any webpage.

The Smart Reader extension is open-source and continually evolving based on user feedback. It's perfect for anyone looking to boost reading comprehension and speed without changing the content, only the display. Install now from the Chrome Web Store or explore its development on GitHub.

## Rankings

- #3,701 — Overall
- #149 — Language Support
- #17 — smartbook
- #21 — smart tool
- #22 — smart
- #22 — smartphone

## Permissions and access

### Permissions

- `<all_urls>`

### Content script matches

- `*`

## Safety

- **Risk impact:** Moderate risk impact
- **Risk likelihood:** Low risk likelihood

### Analysis details

- Allows access to all websites, posing a significant security risk as it can monitor and modify data from any visited site.
- This extension has low user count. Unpopular extensions may not be stable or safe.

> Some risk analysis details are omitted from this free response. [Upgrade to view the full analysis](https://chrome-stats.com/pricing).

## Review summary

Users find the Smart Reader add-on very helpful for improving reading speed and comprehension on most web pages, particularly academic and lengthy texts. However, repeated concerns include limited customization, lack of support for PDFs and dynamic content, occasional performance slowdown, and issues with styling or text selection. Overall, the add-on is well-received but could be enhanced by adding customization features and broader compatibility.

### Pros

- Significantly improves reading speed and productivity, especially for long texts and academic papers.
- Works well on most websites and web-based articles, enhancing readability.
- Simple and effective toggle feature to enable or disable the add-on on specific sites.
- Highly appreciated by users with reading difficulties or neurodivergence.
- Generally reliable performance with minor issues on some specific sites.

### Cons

- Lack of customization options, particularly inability to adjust the number of letters emboldened in each word.
- Incompatibility with non-Latin scripts and certain content types like PDFs and Google Docs.
- Slows down browsing experience on some websites and may affect page styling, sometimes making pages look unattractive.
- Does not function well with dynamic content such as live chats (e.g., Twitch.tv) or newly loading text.
- Prevents text selection on certain websites after activation.

## Similar extensions and apps

- [Bionic Reader](https://chrome-stats.com/d/bionicreader) — 7 users
- [Bionic Reader](https://chrome-stats.com/d/bionic-reader) — 3,542 users, 3.85 / 5
- [Bionic Text Reader](https://chrome-stats.com/d/bionic-text-reader) — 1 users
- [Bionic Reader](https://chrome-stats.com/d/bionic-reader-web-pdf) — 8 users, 5.00 / 5
- [Bionic Reading](https://chrome-stats.com/d/bionic_reading) — 76 users
- [BiReader](https://chrome-stats.com/d/bireader) — 94 users, 4.25 / 5
- [Bionify - Bionic Reading Plugin](https://chrome-stats.com/d/bionify-bionic-reading-plugin) — 114 users, 2.14 / 5
- [SimpleBionic](https://chrome-stats.com/d/simplebionic) — 1 users, 2.00 / 5
- [Bionic Reader](https://chrome-stats.com/d/bionic-reader-v69)
- [FastRead Tweaked](https://chrome-stats.com/d/fastread-tweaked) — 4 users, 5.00 / 5
- [PingAniReader](https://chrome-stats.com/d/pinganireader) — 46 users, 3.67 / 5
- [ReadBionic](https://chrome-stats.com/d/readbionic) — 1 users

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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/smartreader)