Mozilla removes Bypass Paywalls Clean extension from its add-ons repository; here are some alternative ways to use it

Bypass Paywalls Clean is a popular extension for Firefox, Chrome, which as the name suggests, circumvents paid subscriptions on popular websites, allowing users to read the content for free. The add-on is no longer available on Mozilla's add-on store (AMO).

Mozilla removes Bypass Paywalls Clean extension from its add-ons repository

It is unclear why the add-on has been removed, the developer claims that Mozilla took it off the repository without any notification. They also speculated that it maybe because the extension had too many users. You may refer to their Twitter, Gitlab page to read the above statement.

I already explained the add-on's functionality in the first line of this article.  Now, it is possible that one of the sites hit the Bypass Paywalls Clean add-on with a DMCA notice, which in turn could have resulted in Mozilla delisting the extension from its store. I'm not entirely sure about this, because if that was the case, wouldn't Mozilla have notified the developer? Or maybe it breached some clause in the terms and conditions of the repository. We can't tell that for sure, all that we know is that you can no longer download the plugin from the add-ons store.

The developer says that they have updated the add-on to version 3.5.0. You may not see the update even if you already have the extension, because it has been delisted. You can, however, opt-to install the unsigned version by sideloading the XPI from the project's GitLab releases page. If you choose to go with that version, you should export your custom filters before switching.

Not many people may like using unsigned add-ons for security reasons. The good news it that the author of the add-on also maintains a filter list that you can use with ad blockers, so you will get the same functionality without the extension, at least as far as the popular sites are concerned. Here's how to use it.

How to bypass paywalled articles using uBlock Origin

1. Click on the uBlock Origin icon in your browser.

2. Switch to the Filter lists tab.

3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click the checkbox next to "Import".

4. This will allow you to use custom filter lists. Paste the following URL in the text box.

https://gitlab.com/magnolia1234/bypass-paywalls-clean-filters/-/raw/main/bpc-paywall-filter.txt

5. Click on the Apply changes button at the top of the page. You should see a new filter labelled "Bypass Paywalls Clean filter".

That's it, the filter is ready to use. Try it by going to a website that has a paywall, and you should be able to access the articles for free.

This method works with Firefox, Waterfox, Chrome, Vivaldi, Edge, and Brave, basically any browser that supports uBlock Origin, Adblock Plus, etc., that supports custom filter lists.

Note: The website for the filter list mentions that it can be used with other ad blocker apps for mobile like AdGuard for iOS, Samsung Internet browser, etc. I haven't tried these so YMMV, I use the filter on Firefox for Android.

If you don't want to use the ad blocker filter, you can choose to subscribe to the Bypass Paywalls Clean user script via the Violentmonkey (for Firefox or Chrome), or similar extensions. The user script is available in 9 languages, and can be found on GitLab.

I use the add-on frequently to research stuff, learn new things. This is how the internet should be, free for everyone, without censorship and restrictions.

Note: There is an add-on called Bypass Paywalls, which is actually the original one. However, it uses Google analytics (in the Chrome version), you can verify that by checking its source code (Background.js mentions it). Bypass Paywalls Clean is a fork of it without the telemetry, hence the name "Clean".

Mozilla removes Bypass Paywalls Clean extension from its add-ons repository; here are some alternative ways to use it