SMRY vs RemovePaywall
Two different approaches to reading paywalled content. Here's what each one actually does.
RemovePaywall.com is a straightforward paywall bypass tool — paste a URL, and it tries to fetch the article through web archives and cached versions. It's been a reliable option for years. SMRY started with the same goal but evolved into a full AI reading environment: it bypasses paywalls, summarizes articles, lets you chat with the content, and provides a clean reader mode with highlights and export.
RemovePaywall vs SMRY: Feature Comparison
| Feature | SMRY | RemovePaywall |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | SMRY Free tier: Yes | RemovePaywall Free tier: Yes |
| AI-powered summary | SMRY AI-powered summary: Yes | RemovePaywall AI-powered summary: No |
| Chat with article | SMRY Chat with article: Yes | RemovePaywall Chat with article: No |
| Text-to-speech | SMRY Text-to-speech: Yes | RemovePaywall Text-to-speech: No |
| Multiple extraction sources | 3 sources + classifier | Archive-based |
| Reader mode | 3 view modes | RemovePaywall Reader mode: No |
| Highlights & notes | SMRY Highlights & notes: Yes | RemovePaywall Highlights & notes: No |
| Export (Markdown, Notion) | SMRY Export (Markdown, Notion): Yes | RemovePaywall Export (Markdown, Notion): No |
| Dark mode | 10 themes | RemovePaywall Dark mode: No |
| Works on mobile | SMRY Works on mobile: Yes | RemovePaywall Works on mobile: Yes |
| No browser extension needed | SMRY No browser extension needed: Yes | RemovePaywall No browser extension needed: Yes |
| Account required | Optional (for Pro) | RemovePaywall Account required: No |
| Keyboard shortcuts | 20+ shortcuts | RemovePaywall Keyboard shortcuts: No |
Key Differences Between SMRY and RemovePaywall
RemovePaywall is a bypass tool. SMRY is a reading tool.
RemovePaywall focuses on one job: getting past the paywall and showing you the article. SMRY does that too, but then adds AI summaries, a chat interface for asking questions about the article, text-to-speech, highlights, and export to tools like Notion and Obsidian.
Extraction approach differs.
RemovePaywall primarily uses web archive lookups (Google cache, Wayback Machine). SMRY runs three extraction sources in parallel and uses an XGBoost classifier to pick the best result. This means SMRY can often recover content even when one source is unavailable.
RemovePaywall has no reader mode.
RemovePaywall shows you the raw article page (or a cached version). SMRY parses the content into a clean, distraction-free reader view with customizable fonts, dark mode, and adjustable line spacing. You can also switch to the original HTML or an iframe view.
Privacy considerations.
Both tools process article URLs server-side. SMRY stores no article content after processing — it's fetched, parsed, and streamed. Chat history can be kept locally in your browser (IndexedDB) or synced to the server for Pro users.
The Verdict: Which Should You Use?
RemovePaywall is a solid, no-frills bypass tool. If all you need is to read one article behind a paywall, it works. But if you read paywalled content regularly and want AI summaries, the ability to ask questions about what you read, or a proper reading environment — SMRY gives you significantly more. Both are free to start, so try pasting the same URL into each and see which experience you prefer.
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Paste any article URL and see the difference. No account needed.
Read an article now →Frequently Asked Questions
- Is RemovePaywall free?
- Yes, RemovePaywall is free to use. SMRY also has a free tier that includes paywall bypass and AI summaries, with a Pro plan for unlimited usage.
- Which tool has better site coverage?
- Both tools have similar coverage for archive-based bypass. SMRY adds its own parser as a third source, which can sometimes access content that archive-only tools miss. Neither can bypass hard paywalls requiring paid subscriptions.
- Does SMRY store my reading history?
- Article history is stored locally in your browser (localStorage) only. SMRY does not track which articles you read on the server. Pro users can optionally sync chat threads to the cloud.
- Can I use RemovePaywall and SMRY together?
- Yes. Some users use RemovePaywall for quick access and SMRY when they want AI features or when RemovePaywall doesn't work for a particular site.