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5 Best Dark Mode Google Chrome Extensions For Better Reading Experience

Over the years, developers have made dark mode on apps and websites a norm. This is because most users prefer dark mode, as it reduces blue light and makes it quite comforting to the eye in low-light environments. And while not all websites are compatible with dark mode, we can enable dark mode on such websites using third-party extensions in Chrome. This article explores the five best dark mode extensions for Google Chrome to read better in low light.

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Best Dark Mode Extensions for Google Chrome

Using extensions, you can quickly change the website background to dark in Google Chrome. Doing so will increase the contrast between text and the background and eliminate the blue light to prevent eye strain. Below we’ve mentioned some of the best dark mode extensions with pros and cons.


1. Dark Reader Extension

With over 4 million users, Dark Reader is one of the most popular Google Chrome extensions for reading in the dark. It comes in with many added features apart from just enabling dark mode on websites. Here’s how to install the extension.

Step 1: Visit the Dark Reader Extension page. Click on Add to Chrome > Add Extension. 

Dark Reader Extension for Chrome

Step 2: Click on the extension’s icon in the top right corner. Select Dark Reader.

Step 3: You will now find many options to enable and configure dark mode using this extension.

Step 4: Once you enable dark mode, here’s how websites on Google Chrome will appear.

Dark Mode Websites Extension in Google Chrome

Pros :

  • In our experience, this extension provides the most refined and clean dark mode.
  • There are many options to control the color filter in dark mode (brightness, contrast, etc.)
  • This extension is ad-free and does not claim to collect any data.
  • You can block/enable dark mode for specific websites.
  •  The extension also comes with a dynamic mode for more accurate colors in the dark mode.

Cons :

  • This extension does not enable dark mode on PDF files viewed in Chrome.
  • Dynamic Mode, at times, seems to slow down websites.
  • Sometimes images tend to be broken on a few websites due to the dark mode forced by this extension.
  • This extension has problems enabling dark mode on a few drop-down and pop-up menus.

2. Lunar Reader Extension

The Lunar Reader extension is another extension that we liked and does an excellent job among all the dark mode Google Chrome extensions for a better reading experience. Here’s a step-by-step procedure to install the extension.

Step 1: Visit the Lunar Reader extension page. Click on Add to Chrome > Add Extension.

Step 2: The extension will automatically activate and convert websites into dark mode. Here’s how websites will appear once this extension enables dark mode.

Step 3: This extension also provides you with many additional options and features. Open the extensions menu on the top right corner and click on Lunar Reader to access them.

Dark Reader Extension for Google Chrome

Pros :

  • Like the previous extension, you get a few options to manage the color filters of the dark mode. You also get an additional feature of managing the color temperature.
  • You get an option to blacklist/whitelist websites from being converted into dark mode.
  • One feature we liked was being able to schedule dark mode.
  • Another unique feature of this extension is that you get a few keyboard shortcuts to toggle the features of this extension quickly.

Cons :

  • This extension has a few issues with darkening headings and links.
  • Some sites are inverted partially, and the rest of it remains light.
  • It sometimes ends up inverting everything, even including images – which are supposed to remain in their true color schemes irrespective of what mode is being used.
  • In our experience, although it does a decent job, but is far from the previous (Dark Reader) extension.

Related | 5 Ways to Get Automatic Dark Mode in Chrome (Mobile, PC)

3. Super Dark Mode

If you prefer using a simple, lightweight extension – you can use the Super Dark Mode extension. We observed a slightly better performance, and this extension does not skimp on any features and makes it one of the better dark mode Google Chrome extensions for a better reading experience.

Step 1: Visit the Super Dark Mode Extension Page. Click on Add to Chrome > Add Extension.

Super Dark Mode Extension for Google Chrome

Step 2: The extension is automatically activated. You can tap the extension icon in the menu to disable it when required.

Step 3: Here’s how websites appear using this extension.

Step 4: To access more features to configure this extension, click the extensions menu in the top right corner.

Step 5: Click on the three dots icon next to the Super Dark Mode extension > Options.

Step 6: A new tab will now open up, showing you all the features and options provided by this extension.

Pros :

  • This extension enables dark mode even on a few PDFs, and other local files once opened on Google Chrome.
  • This extension is quite light and stable to use.
  • To offer a refined dark mode experience, this extension comes with three different modes – Classic, Invert, and Modern. The smart invert mode ensures that dark mode is not applied on websites that already have dark mode enabled.
  • This extension does not skip standard features like scheduling dark mode or whitelisting/blacklisting websites.

Cons :

  • This extension does not seem to work well with Google Docs.
  • Text in pop-up menus and a few websites are too pale at times.
  • Sometimes, the extension has trouble detecting black text, and as it makes the background around the black text dark, it fails to lighten the text.
  • We also faced a few white flashes as we scrolled down websites converted to dark mode using this extension.

4. Dark Mode For Chrome

Another extension that gets the job done for enabling dark mode on all websites is the Dark Mode for Chrome extension. Here’s a step-by-step procedure to install the extension.

Step 1: Visit the Dark Mode For Chrome extension page. Click on Add to Chrome > Add Extension.

Step 2: Once installed, the extension is activated by default, and to toggle it on and off – you need to click on the extension’s menu in the top right corner > select Dark Mode for Chrome.

Dark Mode for Chrome Extension

Step 3: This is how websites appear in dark mode once the extension is enabled.

 

Step 4: Like every extension, you can configure dark mode on this extension using a few options. Click on the extension’s icon in the top right corner.

Step 5: Click the three dots icon next to the Dark Mode for Chrome > click on Options.

Step 6: A new tab opens up with all the options to configure the extension. Like other extensions, it does come with all the standard features and options for enabling dark mode.

Dark Mode Extension for Chrome

Pros :

  • This extension is quite simple to use and lightweight too.
  • You can also customize the different colors that appear in the dark mode – using Theme Changer in options.
  • When it comes to excluding sites from dark mode – you can exclude websites or just individual pages on websites. This is quite a unique feature.

Cons :

  • We are not entirely impressed with how websites appear in the dark mode. The refinement is quite low, and we do not like how a few elements have grey boxes around them.
  • It does not have any scheduling options for dark mode.
  • Multiple complaints from many users regarding the whitelist feature not working properly.

5. Night Shift Redux

Unlike all the other dark mode Chrome extensions, the Night Shift Redux extension comes with a night shift mode – which adds tints and filters to web pages to help further reduce eye strain and makes reading much more comfortable. Here’s how to install the extension.

Step 1: Visit the Night Shift Redux extension page. Click on Add to Chrome > Add Extension.

Night Mode Extension for Google Chrome

Step 2: To access the extension’s main menu, tap the extensions menu in the top right corner. Then, click the extension.

Dark Night Mode Extension for Chrome

Step 3: This is how websites appear in dark mode with an added filter. You can configure the colors and the opacity of the filter with the settings provided in the main menu.

Dark Night Mode Extension for Chrome

Pros :

  • We love the Night Shift feature on this extension, and it does make reading comfortable in darker environments.
  • You can also control the opacity of the extension using the slider provided in the main menu.
  • You can customize the color of the night shift tint in the main menu.
  • It also comes with options to schedule the dark mode.

Cons :

  • There is a minor glitch on this extension, where users complain of being redirected to the Bing search engine as the default homepage.
  • This does a mediocre job when it comes to converting all elements into dark mode on websites, and at times a few sections of the webpage might look weird.
  • Texts also get greyed out on certain websites. Users also complain of the extensions greying out and camouflaging text on Facebook Messenger.

Related | 4 Ways to Fix Google Chrome Dark Mode Won’t Turn Off

Wrapping Up

These are some of the best dark mode Google Chrome extensions for a better reading experience at night and low-light. Do try them, and we hope our detailed pros and cons help you make the right choice. Stay tuned for more such guides on using unique extensions on Google Chrome to enhance your browsing experience.