It isn’t wise to get a subscription to every publication only because you want to read every news article out there. It will be even worse if you land behind a paywall while researching specific topics. The sudden paywall pop-up or the paywalled article will make it impossible for you to continue with your work, and this is where exactly bypassing the paywall comes into play.
There are specific ways to access articles blocked by a paywall without paying a single penny. This write-up will let you read articles online for free by bypassing hard, soft, and metered paywalls.
Since you have the right to know about the things relevant to your life and interests, we are here to walk you through the steps to help you get away with the pesky Paywall.
What Is A Paywall?
Paywalls have been around for quite a long time, and all readers must pay a certain amount in the form of a subscription to gain regular access to updated or new content. Hence, a Paywall can be termed a digital barrier restricting users from accessing free content. These barriers require you to pay or subscribe to certain online content.
Simply put, they are known to protect website content, and the cost can either be a monetary subscription or an email address that, over time, grows into a newsletter.
The main reason behind using a paywall is rational and straightforward, too. Since the ad blockers are going too far in hindering the publisher’s revenue streams, a paywall was used to check this. Besides, paywalls are a means of monetizing their websites as the internet is flooded with information for free, so the website owners have got hold of paywalls to keep the flow of information restricted.
Types Of Paywalls:
Publishers choose various paywalls for their customers that offer a wide range of digital subscription offers. Below are the types of Paywalls:
Hard Paywall
In the case of Hard Paywalls, a particular portion of web content remains closed for the non-subscribers. People who aren’t going through digital subscriptions cannot read the articles. The consequence of using this paywall is that there will be a drop in the number of readers as the readers will be inclined to look for information elsewhere.
Soft Paywall
In Soft Paywalls, users get access to free content plus premium offers. They are entitled to read various content on websites without paying any subscription. Still, particular articles are premium content and only available to customers who pay regularly.
Metered Paywall
A Metered Paywall depends entirely on the user, and generally, the content on display on websites with a metered paywall is free. It depends on the user to access the number of articles, and once they reach a limit, they will have to purchase a subscription or wait till the next month to read articles for free.
Dynamic Paywall
The Dynamic Paywall analyzes the data from returning customers and user profiles quickly. By doing this, the publishers learn about their interests, reading habits, and the choice of articles they anticipate to read each month. Users who return to a particular page more than once daily to access its content are directed to payment barriers by the dynamic paywall.
Open Paywall or Voluntary Donations
In Open or Voluntary Paywalls, the donation comes from readers who value editorial independence. There is a sidebar that directly links to available funding options. Also, certain people in creative industries look for methods to offer readers the chance to pay voluntarily
Ways To Bypass Paywalls And Read Articles For Free
So, here are some of the effective ways to avoid paywalls on any website. Following these methods will help you get around paywalls and will help you to read a certain number of articles for free.
1. Incognito Mode
Most browsers have an Incognito or private browsing mode, allowing users to access websites without identifying the server.
The noteworthy feature of using incognito mode is that all the cookies and browsing history are deleted after use, making it impossible for a web server to maintain tracking information on the user’s part.
Doing so, you will be able to deceive the website and make them think that you’re a new visitor and will be able to bypass paywalls and read unlimited articles for free.
2. Disable Javascript
Most paywalls have implemented JavaScript, so deactivating JavaScript on your web browser will solve a majority of paywall cases and will help you bypass paywalls to read. The deactivation process is different for the browsers, but mostly, you need to enter Settings and then make the necessary changes.
3. Google Cache
Some sites allow bots to enter their pages to get higher traffic. In this case, all you need to do is identify your browser as Googlebot, or you can also Google the page you are looking for and then view a cached version of it.
Google will save a temporary copy of the web pages that are your search results. So, to view a page, all you need to do is search for it, click on the three dots next to its address, and click “Cached.”
4. Use Software Tools
There are a few software tools out there in the market that make it easy to get around the paywall. Generally, these tools are websites or browser extensions that are available for the most popular platforms and are known to detect paywalls and bypass them to read for free.
Here are a few of those:
12ft-Ladder, Removepaywall, Incoggo,Readium, Bypass Paywalls, The Free Internet Plugin and Unpaywall.
5. Look For The Article Elsewhere
Another thing that you can do is copy the headline of the article, paste it into a search engine, and then look for a duplicate article. In this case, you can read the entire article for free. This is the easiest way to get past a paywall and read the content. It has been noticed that, at times, a popular article from a subscription-based news organization is copied and pasted elsewhere for free. In this case, you can read several articles for free.
6. Sign Up For A Free Trial
Look for options allowing you to apply for a trial to bypass the paywall, use it, and cancel it before you are charged. This isn’t a chargeable one and can help you to get around a paywall.
7. Convert The Page To PDF
Look for a page-to-PDF convert and put the URL of the paywall page into the text box, covert it, and then download the PDF to have an offline accessible copy of the article at your convenience.
8. Use Multiple Devices Or Browsers
If a user is hidden behind a paywall, they are often seen switching between different devices or browsers. Each can be perceived as a distinct user by the website, granting access to more free articles than intended. Some users also utilize multiple devices, such as smartphones or laptops, to get away with the limitations of a metered paywall, but this strategy is limited to several devices.
9. Stop The Page From Fully Loading
This is another option where you need to be very alert. You only need to pause the page before the paywall can open quickly. So, interrupt the page from being loaded fully to stop the paywall pop-up from being displayed. If the paywall launches before the article or the page loads quickly, this method won’t work.
10. Check The Internet For A Similar Article
If none of the above methods work, all you can do is look for similar articles on the internet since there are several instances of the same article. Certain websites copy-paste premium articles and publish them to get more visitors. Hence, try this out by copying the paid article’s title and searching for it online. There is a high chance of coming across a similar article online.
11. Use A VPN Service
Specific paywalled sites give you access to news articles for free each month. Here, you can use a VPN service to change your IP address and, in turn, can trick the site and continue reading more articles for free. This method will not be helpful for sites that don’t offer free access, but it is still worth trying.
12. Archive. today
You can easily archive the page to bypass the paywall. Archive. today is a website that can archive any website whose link gets pasted on its bar. It is similar to taking a screenshot of any website within a time stamp.
If the website you are trying to bypass is not archived, it will be marked red: “My URL is alive, and I want to archive its contents.”
13. Reset Your Browser Cookies
Resetting or deleting the browser cookies will help you to remove the block from counting the number of articles you’ve read and make it appear as if a new visitor has entered the page.
Hence, it will allow you some time to read it before re accessing it for resetting the cookies:
- Open your web browser and then click on the three-dot menu on right and navigate to Settings.
- In the Privacy and Security tab, find the section called Clear browsing data and click on it.
- Finally, check the box Cookies and other site data and click on Clear data.
14. Use A “read-it-later” Tool
Using a “read-it-later” tool can help you save articles for offline reading, thereby avoiding the paywall altogether.
Pocket is a popular read-it-later tool. You can install the pocket extension from your web browser to access the article anytime. Click on the pocket button to save it offline reading.
Other read-it-later tools include Instapaper andEvernote, so try out these and see which works best for you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Is It Legal To Bypass A Paywall To Access News Articles For Free?
Bypassing paywalls may violate the terms of service and can sometimes infringe copyright laws, so it is essential to be aware of the legal implications of bypassing paywalls.
- What Are The Reasons Behind Using A Paywall?
The reasons behind using a Paywall are:
- Revenue Generation
- Enhanced User Experience
- Content Valuation
- What Are The Pros And Cons Of Using A Paywall?
Pros Of Paywall:
- Revenue Generation
- Better Content Quality
- Premium Features And Benefits
- More Subscribers
Cons Of Paywall:
- Reduced Traffic
- Limited Access To Information
- Reduced Ad Revenues
- Difficulty In Attracting New Readers
- Technical Barriers
- Subscription Fatigue
- Inequality
Final Words
Bypassing paywall to access articles for free is indeed a tempting option, especially with quite a few available options.
However, it is essential to remember that specific ethical and legal considerations exist for doing the same. Remember that healthy and diverse online information is crucial in accessing quality content, so choose the methods wisely and support content creators whenever possible.