How To Get Past Paywalls: 18 Ways To Bypass & Read 2025

Methods to Bypass Paywalls

The article details 18 methods to circumvent online paywalls, categorized by increasing complexity. These include:

• Simple Methods: Searching the page title, using reader mode, clearing cookies, private browsing, and archiving the page.
• Intermediate Methods: Using a VPN or proxy server, ad blockers, checking local library subscriptions, and using Tor Browser.
• Advanced Methods: Employing web crawlers, anti-paywall browser extensions (with legal caveats), utilizing Spaywall/Unpaywall, the Facebook shortcut, changing the user agent, disabling JavaScript, deleting the paywall element using Inspect, and requesting article access from the author or a subscriber.

Understanding Paywalls

The article explains different paywall types (soft, hard, dynamic) and how they track user activity (IP addresses, cookies). It also highlights that while bypassing paywalls is possible, subscribing directly supports content creators.

Ethical Considerations

The article emphasizes that while the listed methods can bypass paywalls, directly subscribing to websites is the best way to support their content creation. The use of some methods, such as anti-paywall extensions, carries potential legal risks.