# Bypass Paywalls Clean

32 Hacker News commenters recommended Bypass Paywalls Clean and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 11 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend this free browser extension for getting past paywalls on most news sites, with rules updated every few weeks. Critics warn of privacy risks and legal trouble.

## Why people recommend it

- Works on most news paywalls (6 comments): "It includes custom paywall-bypassing code for pretty much every news websites you could reasonably imagine" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47099273)) "the most comprehensive and up-to-date paywall bypasser out there" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46610602)) "it works remarkably well. I haven't seen a paywall in years!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49307348))
- Rules updated frequently and actively developed (3 comments): "Development is continuing here, the link you gave is just an old mirror" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45839992)) "they update the rules every couple of weeks" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47099671)) "The project has been going on for years" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48364501))
- Free and quick to install (2 comments): "Never worry about a paywall again" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47092592)) "Install it now, thank me later" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039030))
- Seen as safer than similar extensions (2 comments): "BPWC is good as well, but I would keep it in a separate browser profile" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48366984)) "I consider BPC safer to run than any plugin that works for" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46747757))

## What people warn about

- Legal risk and removal from platforms (2 comments): "Tantamount to malware, considering how it has been legally exiled from 3 platforms" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46747717)) "using this would earn you a felony" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46610777))
- Privacy and security concerns (2 comments): "Tantamount to malware, considering how it has been legally exiled from 3 platforms" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46747717)) "introducing additional attack surface and privacy risks with yet another extension" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49307731))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [DeArrow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/dearrow.md): 40 recommend
- [Old Reddit Redirect](https://hackerapproved.com/p/old-reddit-redirect.md): 20 recommend
- [Orange Juice browser extension](https://hackerapproved.com/p/orange-juice.md): 18 recommend
- [Stylus](https://hackerapproved.com/p/stylus.md): 14 recommend
- [Weedout](https://hackerapproved.com/p/weedout.md): 13 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Bypass Paywalls Clean", https://hackerapproved.com/p/bypass-paywalls-clean/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).