Start free. Pro is coming for document superpowers.
Free webpage speed reading forever. HalfBold Pro is an optional subscription for full PDFs, Google Docs and advanced reading tools. It is planned and not on sale yet.
Unlimited reading on any website
Ideal for casual readers, researchers, developers reading documentation, and everyday web browsing.
No credit card · No account needed
Planned · not on sale yet
For students, researchers and professionals who read long PDFs, Google Docs and ebooks, or want guided speed reading.
Preview now: first 2 pages of PDFs & Docs · 500 RSVP words per launch
Free vs Pro: Full Feature Comparison
What is free and what HalfBold Pro adds. Checked against the extension in October 2026.
| Feature | Free | HalfBold Pro |
|---|---|---|
Half-Bold Word Emphasis on Webpages Bolds the opening letters of each word on any site; toggle with Alt+B | ||
Intensity Levels & 5 Highlight Styles Bold, underline, highlight, dotted and dashed anchors at adjustable depth | ||
Faded Tail & Contrast Controls Set the color of the emphasized letters and the rest of the word separately | ||
OpenDyslexic & Custom Fonts Switch webpage text to OpenDyslexic or another font, with your own colors | ||
Per-Site Rules & Keyboard Shortcut Auto-enable on the sites you choose; pause on apps and dashboards | ||
RSVP Speed Reader (one word at a time) Words flash on a fixed focus point at your chosen WPM; from selections, PDFs and documents | 500 words / launch | Unlimited |
PDF Reader with Reflow & On-Device OCR Original layout or reflowed text; scanned pages recognized locally | First 2 pages | Full documents |
Google Docs Reader Read Google Docs in a dedicated reader without publishing them to the web | First 2 pages | Full documents |
EPUB, DOCX & TXT in the Reader Files are converted in your browser and opened in the HalfBold reader | First 2 pages | Full files |
Guided Reading Pacer A highlight moves by word, chunk, line or paragraph at a set WPM | — | |
Focus Mode Dims everything except the current line, three lines or paragraph | — | |
Reading Profiles 14 one-click presets (study, dyslexia, night, speed…) plus your own | — | |
Reader Themes Sepia, cream, mint, forest, solarized dark and more in the Reader and PDF reader | Light & Dark | All themes |
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about licensing and features.
Is the free version free forever?
Yes. Webpage formatting, intensity and style settings, contrast controls, OpenDyslexic and custom fonts, per-site rules and the Alt+B shortcut are free with no time limit, no ads and no account.
How much does HalfBold Pro cost?
HalfBold Pro is planned and not on sale yet. Until it launches, free users can preview the document tools: the first 2 pages of any PDF or Google Doc and 500 RSVP words per launch.
How do I upgrade to HalfBold Pro?
You can’t yet: HalfBold Pro is planned and not on sale. Install the free extension to preview the document tools (the first 2 pages of any PDF or Google Doc and 500 RSVP words per launch); when Pro launches, the upgrade will appear in the extension settings.
Does PDF reading or OCR send my documents to a server?
No. PDF rendering, reflow and OCR run in your browser, and documents are not uploaded. If an OCR language model is not bundled, HalfBold asks before downloading it. Optional neural text-to-speech voices are an online service, so text you play with them is sent to that speech service.
What browsers are supported?
Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, plus most Chromium-based desktop browsers that install extensions from the Chrome Web Store, such as Brave and Arc.
Can I use HalfBold Pro on more than one computer?
Yes. When Pro opens it will be tied to your HalfBold account, not to one browser, so you can sign in with the same account (Google or Apple) in each browser.
HalfBold on iPhone, iPad & Safari? You decide.
There’s no Apple version yet. One tap tells us you’d use it: no email, no account. If enough readers want it, we’ll build it.
- iPhone
- iPad
- Safari on Mac
Anonymous: we store a random id per browser, nothing else.
Ready to upgrade your reading speed?
Start with free half-bold webpage reading now. Preview Pro document tools anytime.
Free webpage tools · No account needed
On a phone? Open this page on your computer to install.