# Dark Reader for Safari vs Dark Reader

The clearest difference is price: Dark Reader at Free against Dark Reader for Safari's $4.99. Dark Reader also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Dark Reader for Safari's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (65% vs 30%). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Dark Reader is free to download; Dark Reader for Safari costs $4.99 up front. Dark Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Dark Reader for Safari asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Dark Reader for Safari against 4.4 for Dark Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dark Reader for Safari has 281 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Dark Reader for Safari's written reviews are positive against 30% of Dark Reader's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dark Reader for Safari | Dark Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.3 (281 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-reader-for-safari/id1438243180/reviews) | **[4.4 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-reader-pdf-viewer/id6736392716/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **281** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | **64.5% of reviews** | 30.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#17** | — |
| Size | 4 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dark Reader Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1438243179) | [Utsav Mangla](https://appshunter.io/developer/1729995457) |

## What reviewers say

### Dark Reader for Safari

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-reader-for-safari/id1438243180)

**Currently charting:** #17 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

This Safari extension transforms websites into dark themes, reducing eye strain and improving readability. It offers customizable brightness, contrast, and color themes, and seamlessly integrates with system dark mode. Enjoy a comfortable browsing experience, especially in low light conditions.

**Highlights:** Creates dark themes for websites, Adjustable brightness and contrast, Multiple color theme presets, Customizable background and text colors, Enable/disable for specific websites, Syncs with system dark mode

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works well on most websites
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Customizable settings
- 👍 Preserves website design
- 👍 Easy to enable/disable per site

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent performance on some websites
- 🐛 Occasional rendering issues
- 🔒 Privacy concerns about data access
- 💰 Paid extension when free versions exist
- 🔋 Can slow down Safari performance

**Reported bugs**

- Extension stops working after Safari has been open for a while
- Fails to load on certain websites
- Inverts colors incorrectly on some websites

**Requested features**

- Per-site settings for Dynamic vs Filter modes
- Automatic dark mode based on time of day
- Ability to customize accent colors
- Support for PDF documents
- Sync settings across devices


### Dark Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-reader-pdf-viewer/id6736392716)

Easily read PDF documents in a comfortable dark mode to reduce eye strain and save battery. This app automatically converts any PDF into a dark theme for a better reading experience on your devices.

**Highlights:** PDF dark mode conversion, Automatic dark mode application, All-in-one PDF viewer, Eye comfort focus, Supports iPhone, iPad, macOS

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual | $4.99 | per year |
| Lifetime: Buy once Use forever | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dark Reader for Safari free?

Dark Reader for Safari costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Dark Reader free?

Dark Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Dark Reader for Safari or Dark Reader?

Dark Reader is rated higher. Dark Reader for Safari averages 4.3 out of 5 from 281 ratings, while Dark Reader averages 4.4 from 7 ratings.

### Do Dark Reader for Safari or Dark Reader have ads?

Neither Dark Reader for Safari nor Dark Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dark Reader for Safari or Dark Reader?

Dark Reader for Safari ships an update every 2 months, and Dark Reader every 2 months. Most recently, Dark Reader for Safari was updated on September 24, 2026 and Dark Reader on September 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*