What is Dark Reader used for?

Dark Reader is a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that generates a customizable dark mode for websites to reduce eyestrain. It is a good fit for reading websites comfortably at night and dark mode for sites that lack one.

Is Dark Reader open source?

Yes. Dark Reader is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at darkreader/darkreader and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. Dark Reader is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Dark Reader?

Yes. Dark Reader can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What are some alternatives to Dark Reader?

Similar open-source tools in the Productivity category include Stylebot, Vimium and Univer. SaaS products in the same category include 1 Pixel Workout, AfterFeed and AI Toolbox.

Is Dark Reader actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Dark Reader was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v4.9.133, published on 24 September 2026. The project has 22k stars on GitHub.

Dark Reader: open-source productivity

About Dark Reader

Dark Reader is an open-source, MIT-licensed browser extension that analyzes web pages and generates a dark mode for them, aiming to reduce eyestrain while browsing. It is available for Chrome and Firefox, is written in TypeScript, and is customizable in many ways through its interface. The project targets night browsing and accessibility needs.

A help page answers most questions, with GitHub Discussions for anything else. To build it yourself you need Node.js or Deno, with Node.js recommended and Deno support experimental. Running npm install and npm run build produces a zip for Chromium-based browsers and an xpi file for Firefox, and build flags can customize the process. The README also describes bundling with official Firefox store signatures as an experimental option, and contributions are explained in CONTRIBUTING.md.

Key features

Automatic dark mode for websites
Customizable brightness and contrast settings
Chrome and Firefox extension builds
Page analysis aimed at reducing eyestrain
Build with Node.js or experimental Deno
Help page and community discussions

Good fit for

→Reading websites comfortably at night
→Dark mode for sites that lack one

Built with: TypeScript
Tags: dark-mode; browser-extension; chrome-extension; firefox-addon; accessibility; eye-care; night-mode; typescript

Dark Reader: questions and answers

What is Dark Reader used for?: Dark Reader is a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that generates a customizable dark mode for websites to reduce eyestrain. It is a good fit for reading websites comfortably at night and dark mode for sites that lack one.
Is Dark Reader open source?: Yes. Dark Reader is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at darkreader/darkreader and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Dark Reader free?: Yes. Dark Reader is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Dark Reader?: Yes. Dark Reader can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What are some alternatives to Dark Reader?: Similar open-source tools in the Productivity category include Stylebot, Vimium and Univer. SaaS products in the same category include 1 Pixel Workout, AfterFeed and AI Toolbox.
Is Dark Reader actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Dark Reader was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v4.9.133, published on 24 September 2026. The project has 22k stars on GitHub.