Websites using Readability

Okay, let s break down Readability, covering its overview, revenue (as best as we can estimate), alternatives, pricing, and customer care details.

Readability: Overview

Readability is a service that aims to simplify web pages for easier reading. It strips away distractions like ads, sidebars, and other non-essential content, leaving behind just the core text and images. This functionality can be useful for:

• Focus: Helping users concentrate on the content they want to read without getting sidetracked.
• Accessibility: Improving readability for individuals with visual impairments or cognitive differences.
• Comfort: Offering a less visually cluttered reading experience, especially on devices with smaller screens.
• Saving Data/Bandwidth: Reducing the amount of data required to load a page.
• Research: Making it easier to copy and paste clean text for use in research or note-taking.

Readability offers:

• Browser Extensions: Available for popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
• Bookmarklets: A simple way to quickly activate Readability on any page.
• Mobile Apps: Apps for iOS and Android devices.
• API: Developers can integrate Readability s functionality into their own applications.

Revenue

Readability s revenue model is a bit opaque. It was acquired by Arc90 in 2011, and was then acquired by Readability in 2016. There is no indication of a change in status since.

Here s what we know and can speculate:

• Previously a Paid Service (Premium): Readability offered a premium tier with features like saving articles to the cloud and reading them offline, but is currently a free platform.
• No Publicly Available Revenue Data: Readability is not a publicly traded company, and they haven t disclosed their revenue figures. Therefore, there is no concrete data available.
• Potential Revenue Streams (Hypothetical):
  • API Usage: A small potential revenue might come from fees for using the API.
  • B2B Solutions: Although not confirmed, they might potentially offer more advanced solutions to businesses (e.g., to improve readability on their own websites).
  • Data Anonymization: It is possible that anonymized usage data is sold.
  • Open Source Model: It is possible they are now following an open-source model with voluntary contributions.
• Current Status: The Readability platform is currently free to use.

Conclusion: Readability, with its current free model, likely doesn t generate much or any direct revenue. They might be operating to provide a free service to users to build brand awareness, or under other means for an established company.

Alternatives to Readability

Several tools and services offer similar functionality to Readability. Here are some popular alternatives:

• Pocket: This is a very popular read it later service that includes article simplification. Pocket also supports saving articles and organizing them into lists.
• Instapaper: Another leading read it later service known for its excellent reading mode. It also includes text-to-speech capability.
• Mercury Reader (Firefox extension): A free browser extension built by Mozilla that provides similar simplification.
• Safari Reader: A built-in feature in Apple s Safari browser that simplifies web pages.
• Reader Mode (Chrome Extension): There are numerous reader mode extensions available for Google Chrome.
• Outline.com: A website that allows you to quickly strip formatting from web pages.
• Built-In Reader Modes: Many websites now incorporate their own reader mode or text-only view options.
• Microsoft Edge Immersive Reader: A tool built directly into Microsoft Edge browser that simplifies and provides accessibility options for content.

Pricing

• Currently Free: As stated previously, Readability s core functionality is currently free for end users. There may be potential costs associated with API usage, depending on the agreement.

Customer Care Details

• Limited Direct Support: Readability does not appear to have robust, direct customer support channels. It s a fairly straightforward tool, so this might be intentional.
• No Dedicated Support Email: I could not find a dedicated support email.
• GitHub Repository: It has a GitHub repository where bugs can be reported: https://github.com/mozilla-readability/readability
• Community Support: Users may find assistance from online communities or forums where discussions about Readability take place.
• Documentation: Limited documentation is available on their site (http://www.readability.com/).

Summary

Readability is a tool for simplifying web page content. It was popular with users for its streamlined reading experience. It s currently free, with the business model unclear and generating little to no revenue as a platform. The company has undergone various acquisitions. While it lacks robust customer support, it is straightforward to use. Users looking for a similar experience have many good alternatives such as Pocket, Instapaper, and built-in browser features.

I hope this overview is helpful. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!