Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Dark Reader VS CSS Scan

Compare Dark Reader VS CSS Scan and see what are their differences

Dark Reader logo Dark Reader

Reduce eye strain in your browser with this extension that provides a dark theme for browsing.

CSS Scan logo CSS Scan

Instantly check or copy computed CSS from any element for only ~95$
  • Dark Reader Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-27
  • CSS Scan Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-14

Dark Reader features and specs

  • Eye Strain Reduction
    Dark Reader converts bright websites to dark mode, which reduces eye strain and improves visual comfort, especially in low-light environments.
  • Customizable Settings
    The extension offers various customization options like brightness, contrast, and sepia filters, allowing users to adjust the appearance to their liking.
  • Improved Battery Life
    Using dark themes on OLED screens can help save battery life because pixels consume less power when displaying black.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, Dark Reader allows for community contributions and transparency, ensuring better security and continuous improvements.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    Dark Reader is available for multiple browser platforms such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, ensuring a consistent experience across different devices.

Possible disadvantages of Dark Reader

  • Performance Impact
    The extension can sometimes slow down browser performance, particularly on resource-intensive websites or less powerful devices.
  • Inconsistent Behavior
    Not all websites are fully compatible with Dark Reader, leading to occasional rendering issues or incomplete dark mode implementations.
  • Learning Curve
    New users might find the range of settings and customization options overwhelming and might need some time to adjust the extension to suit their needs.
  • Limited Support for Dynamic Content
    Websites with dynamic content or frequent updates may not immediately reflect changes in dark mode, requiring manual adjustments or refreshes.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with any browser extension, there are potential privacy concerns if the extension collects browsing data, though Dark Reader's open-source nature mitigates this risk to some extent.

CSS Scan features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    CSS Scan offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy for developers of all skill levels to inspect and copy CSS styles directly from the browser.
  • Time-Saving
    It significantly reduces the time needed to debug and replicate styles by allowing quick copying of well-structured CSS rules from any element on the page.
  • Accuracy
    The tool ensures that the copied CSS maintains the exact styling, including computed styles and vendor prefixes, providing high accuracy in replication.
  • Live Edits
    CSS Scan enables live editing of styles, allowing developers to make real-time changes and see the results instantly, which is beneficial for testing and adjustments.
  • Visual Representation
    The extension visually displays how CSS rules are applied, making it easier to understand complex styling hierarchies and cascades.

Possible disadvantages of CSS Scan

  • Cost
    CSS Scan is a paid tool, so there is a financial investment required, which might not be feasible for all developers, especially those working on personal or non-commercial projects.
  • Browser Compatibility
    As a browser extension, its functionality may be limited to supported browsers, potentially excluding users of less common or unsupported browsers.
  • Limited Scope
    While CSS Scan is powerful for copying and analyzing CSS, it does not offer features for editing or managing CSS files directly, requiring another tool or manual intervention for those tasks.
  • Dependency
    Relying on a third-party tool can be a downside if the tool experiences downtime, changes its pricing, or ceases development, leaving users in a difficult position.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Using browser extensions can raise privacy concerns, as they typically have access to the pages you visit; ensuring the trustworthiness of the extension is crucial.

Dark Reader videos

Dark Mode for Google Chrome — Dark Reader

CSS Scan videos

Chrome CSS Viewer CSS Scan 2.0 - All Your CSS Secrets Revealed

More videos:

  • Review - CSS Scan and Microthemer are buddies

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Dark Reader and CSS Scan)
Browser Extension
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
28 28%
72% 72
Dark Mode
100 100%
0% 0
Design Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Dark Reader and CSS Scan

Dark Reader Reviews

7 Best Dark Mode Extensions For Chrome
Using an on-demand dark styles theme generator, this eye-care extensions for google chrome turns on night mode for web pages. Bright color are turned into high contrast, easy-to-read hues at night thanks to Dark Reader.
Source: thedroidguy.com
The 10 best dark mode extensions for Google Chrome in 2022
Dark Reader also provides you with other controls that let you tweak your display however you want. They allow you to change any website’s brightness, contrast, font, and other display elements. You can also store the settings for a particular URL so that you do not have to make these adjustments every time. The most notable feature of Dark Reader is its toggle switch that...
Source: chromeready.com

CSS Scan Reviews

We have no reviews of CSS Scan yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Dark Reader seems to be a lot more popular than CSS Scan. While we know about 191 links to Dark Reader, we've tracked only 13 mentions of CSS Scan. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Dark Reader mentions (191)

  • Claim for a Missing Tooth
    I suppose they’re using https://darkreader.org/ or something like that! If you implement dark mode yourself, you can add `` to prevent Dark Reader from triggering. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Please Don't Force Dark Mode on Users
    Instead of writing this shitty article, just do like those of us who can't take light mode, and install Dark Reader (that also does light mode). https://darkreader.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Ask HN: Will HN ever have a dark mode?
    I prefer sites not to implement a custom dark mode and instead to make sure their styles invert well, less work for devs, more consistency for me. https://darkreader.org/ https://www.howtogeek.com/446198/how-to-force-dark-mode-on-every-website-in-google-chrome/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Ask HN: Why did you decide to make the background a bright white color?
    DarkReader will save your eyes, I'm not fond of extensions, but this one is worth it: https://darkreader.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Control iPhone with the movement of your eyes Support (SG)
    DarkReader works pretty well for my needs. It has an iOS Safari Extension. [1] https://darkreader.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
View more

CSS Scan mentions (13)

View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Dark Reader and CSS Scan, you can also consider the following products

Stylebot - Change the appearance of websites instantly. Preview and install styles created by other users on stylebot.me

CSS Scan Pro - The easiest way to get and edit the CSS of any website, live

Night Eye - Night Eye is a browser extension that enables dark mode on any website you visit. It does not ruin your browsing experience by simply inverting images.

Hoverify - All-in-one browser extension to improve your web dev experience.

Stylus - EXPRESSIVE, DYNAMIC, ROBUST CSS

CSS Peeper - Smart CSS viewer tailored for Designers.