Dark Reader
Browser extension that automatically darkens web pages to reduce eyestrain.
- Stars
- 22.6k
- Forks
- 2.8k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Dark Reader is a free, open-source browser extension that analyzes web pages and generates a dark color scheme for them. People use it to reduce eyestrain when browsing at night or in dim rooms. It is customizable through its interface and is also available as a JavaScript library for websites.
- Turn on dark pages for news or reading sites while browsing at night
- Adjust brightness, contrast or sepia for individual pages or the whole browser
- Set dark mode to follow the system color scheme using the auto option (for websites using the API)
- Add a dark mode toggle to your own website with the DarkReader.enable and disable API calls
Great for
- People who browse a lot in low light and want darker pages without changing each site themselves
- Users of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari or Thunderbird who want one tool across browsers
- Web developers who want to offer a dark mode on their own site using the npm package or CDN build
- Users who want fine control over brightness, contrast and sepia on pages
Not ideal for
- People who need a guaranteed perfect dark theme on every site: the README describes it as aiming to reduce eyestrain, and site fixes are not automatically synced by default
- Firefox users who want it on restricted pages without lowering browser security settings, since the README asks them to change about:config and warns of a security risk
- Users looking for a system-wide dark mode for their whole operating system; the README only describes browser use
How to get it
- 1
Use it in the browser (or self-host)
Clone the repository to build from source
git clone https://github.com/darkreader/darkreader - 2
Run it
- Install Dark Reader from the Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, Edge Add-ons or Thunderbird links in the README
- Click the Dark Reader extension icon in your browser toolbar
- Turn on the dark mode toggle for the page you are viewing
- Adjust brightness, contrast or sepia in settings if the default look is not comfortable
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the Dev tools and Preview new design steps in the README to access advanced options
- Enable the Synchronize sites fixes setting manually to get community-made fixes for some sites
- Use the Enable on restricted pages setting only after reading the README's security warnings
- For websites, use the auto option to follow the system color scheme
Downloads
Strengths
- Free, MIT-licensed and open source, with a large public following (about 22,500 stars on GitHub)
- Available across several browsers and as an npm package for websites
- Highly customizable and has a documented API for developers
Trade-offs
- Some pages may not look right, and fixing them can require manual site-fix steps described in the README
- On some Firefox restricted pages, it needs extra browser settings changes that carry a security risk
- Automatic site-fix syncing is disabled by default, so users must enable it manually
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| darkreader (this) | 22.6k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | People who browse a lot in low light and want darker pages without changing each site themselves |
| stylus | 11.3k | Dev tool | intermediate | 1.5 years ago | Node.js developers who already build front-end projects and want a CSS preprocessor |
| refined-github | 32.4k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers who use GitHub daily for code review, issues, and pull requests |
| ext-saladict | 13.4k | App | beginner | 6 days ago | Language learners who read foreign-language websites or PDFs |
| chatGPTBox | 10.8k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | People who want an AI chat panel available while browsing |
| CustomTkinter | 13.6k | Library | beginner | 4 months ago | Python developers who already know Tkinter and want a newer look |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.