In today’s fast world, everybody wants an uninterrupted lifestyle, and for this, various software programs are available.
12ft.io is one such website that bypasses paywalls by pretending to be a search engine crawler while requesting a webpage to make the user’s online experience smoother. The platform got its name from the phrase, “Show me a 10-foot wall, and I’ll show you a 12-foot ladder”.
But the 12-foot wall has some drawbacks as well. Currently, it removes paywalls for the categories of news and books only. Also, it does not work properly with sites like Bloomberg, The New York Times, and The Athletic.
To deal with such situations, we have prepared a list of the best 12ft ladder alternatives, which are described further.
Best Alternatives of 12ft io
12ft believes that Google Adwords affects the web by corruptly rewarding sites that perform better through search engine optimization. This service provider lets you search the internet without signing up for any newsletters.
There are various 12ft ladder alternatives available for browsers like Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Mac, Windows, and Linux. We have prepared a complete list of the best 16 alternatives of 12 ft io, which are described below:
It is considered to be one of the oldest universal blockers in the world. This alternative blocks all the annoying stuff on the web and makes surfing peaceful. It restricts all ads, trackers, malware, paywalls, cryptojackings, and other disturbances. Currently, Incoggo can be used by Mac users only, but the tool is soon going to be launched for Windows users as well.
However, the software has some limitations as well, e.g., it is incompatible with VPNs and is not available for iOS and Android users. Also, the tool is in its early stages, which may affect its functioning.
Features:
- Works in incognito mode as well.
- Available free of cost.
- Supports all browsers and apps like Slack, Mail, Spotify, and Discord.
In order to use it, you just have to install the app > drag it to your app folder > run it.
It is among the best replacements for 12 ft Io that lets you eliminate paywalls across the web. This application provides a reader mode to you by applying which you can convert a particular part of the article into a beautiful and interruption-free organization.
Features:
- Supports more than 160 new websites.
- Reader mode can be applied.
- Available at zero cost.
- Supports Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.
In short, Bypass Paywalls is a safe and easy-to-use tool.
This Chrome extension hides the web articles behind a paywall on the overview pages. This tool not only supports book categories but also the most prominent German online magazines, news sites, and newspapers.
Features:
- Compatible with all Firefox and Chrome-based browsers.
- It does not collect and use your data. Therefore, it is safe software.
- Can be used without paying anything.
It is a Chrome extension and a web app that restricts all ads, clutter, and distractions while viewing your articles. It also makes reading easier and more attractive by stripping website design. Reader mode offers you custom themes, deletes unwanted elements, prints pages, saves edited pages, custom CSS, etc.
Features:
- More support from research tools and dyslexia.
- It is free to use.
So, the tool is an amazing alternative for 12ft io with the option of Twitter linking, but sometimes, it may bug the page.
This 12ft.io alternative blocks annoying popups from most websites. It is a Mozilla extension that is easily accessible on your desktop memory. With the help of uBlock Origin, you can create your own global and local rules to override entries from the filter lists, along with various other benefits.
Features:
- CPU and memory efficiency
- JavaScript can also be blocked both locally and globally.
- Available free of charge
- Does not collect or use your data.
The tool serves various benefits like privacy tracking, Spam 404, and an online malicious URL block list.
It removes all the payrolls and ads from the articles and lets you enjoy surfing without logging in or paying. To use this tool, you just have to input the URL of your target article into the search bar and press enter.
Features:
- It supports, so many popular websites like The NY Times, The Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, etc.
- The tool is available for free.
It is a browser extension for Chrome, Mozilla, and other Chromium-based web browsers. The list of all supported sites can be seen in the settings section of Bypass Paywalls Clean which you can enable or disable as per your choice. However, interruptions may occur due to delays in updates, especially when the target site has made some changes.
Features:
- It has a daily user counter function, which can be disabled as well.
- Supports custom news sites.
- Blocks JavaScript and changes user agent or referrer.
- Available at zero cost.
A benefit of the tool is that it can bypass paywalls on over 100 sites.
This data storage platform allows users to upload numerous files without paying anything. These files can easily be shared as well.
Features:
- Flatfile provides complete security for data, even if the record has been erased.
- Files can be recorded, shared, and uploaded.
You can also opt for the premium version of this software, which serves a few extra envelopes after paying a certain amount.
If you are looking for an alternative of 12ft io that targets bookmark users, Readium is one of the best fits for you.
Features:
- This open-source Chrome extension works well on Windows 10, macOS, Linux, and others.
- It can be used without paying anything.
It is one of the best choices for those who constantly look for scholarly articles. When you view a research article, the tool automatically replaces it with a copy of a legal and full-text PDF from its index, where more than 20 million free scientific articles are available.
Features:
- It has a rich network of resources and makes science more accessible.
- Shows legal manuscripts posted by authors and hosted on the official sites of universities.
- It is free to use.
Once Unpaywall finds the copy of your article, a green Unlock button pops up on the screen. You have to click on that button to access the article.
This 12-foot ladder alternative is an amazing open-source Chrome browser plugin that restricts paywalled content while surfing the internet.
Features:
- As it is clear from the name, the tool is available free of charge.
The platform also welcomes support for its development in the form of donations and suggestions.
If you are looking for a substitute for a 12-foot ladder that can remove pop-ups from different sites, you should give it a try to StopAd. This tool can easily eliminate sponsored ads from social media sites like Facebook and make your surfing experience smoother and more satisfactory. You can simply download it from Softonic for Windows.
Features:
- The tool has enhanced security over 12 ft.io, and it does not share your private information with unknown advertisers or malicious companies.
- It helps the web page load faster by removing the ads.
- StopAd does not charge any fees.
A negative side of the tool is that it does not support platforms like Twitch, and it is also required to have Windows 7 or higher versions to use this tool.
Text Fish
This alternative of a 12-foot wall allows you to avoid interruptions while searching the internet. Text Fish provides access to all those paywalls that disable the page’s text from the site. But it only works with the sites you specify.
Features:
- It allows you to restrict the sites’ pop-ups.
- No need to pay anything for using the platform.
This Mozilla extension has similar functionality to a 12 ft ladder, but it has a slightly different mechanism. As it is clear from its name, the software brings dead pages and broken links.
It helps you retrieve the cached or archived version of an unavailable page.
Features:
- It supports Mozilla 57+ and Windows 10 & 11.
- It is available at zero cost under the Utility and Tools Category.
You can simply download Resurrect Pages on your PC and start using it.
Alt Tag: AdBlock with Link Intelligence on Softonic
It is an outstanding 12ft ladder alternative that is designed with the uBlock Origin project. This open-source Chrome extension blocks ads on practically all sides, including YouTube. Also, if you want to enjoy the content in offline mode without sacrificing sound quality, you can use some best YouTube to WAV downloaders.
The tool underlines links that contain paywalls, clickbait, or any other malicious pattern in red. It helps you protect your privacy.
Features:
- It restricts ads on YouTube.
- It has some additional features, like link intelligence and complete audio ad blocking.
- The software enhances the page loading time and makes your experience faster.
- AdBlock does not use any servers and completes all the ad blocking locally on your device.
- You are not required to pay anything to access it.
You can easily restrict trackers from accessing your online profile and secure yourself from spyware, malware, and cryptocurrency minors with the help of AdBlock.
This magnificent tool makes the user experience faster and serves ad-free browsing. It uses native Safari integration to provide you with high-performance blocking on all your Apple devices.
Features:
- This software is compatible with iPhone, Mac, and iPad.
- It is a free-to-use software with an optional pro subscription for macOS version 11.0 at the rate of $2.99 for monthly packs and $29.99 for annual packs.
The portal keeps your privacy at the top of its priority and stops ad trackers from following your web activities. These are some amazing alternatives that you can try out in lieu of 12ft ladder.
Closing Thoughts
12ft wall is an incredible free-of-cost paywall bypass site that was created by Thomas Millar and Seron. But it restricts the paywalls only to the sites related to the content of news and books. This increased the demand for its alternatives like Incoggo, uBlock Origin, Reader Mode, Unpaywall, and many others which are listed above.
The best thing about these 12ft ladder alternatives is that they do not charge any fee, and let you access content from various categories like news articles, scholarly manuscripts, books, YouTube videos, social media platforms, etc.
FAQs
Ans: To remove paywalls:
- Copy the paywalled URL.
- Paste it on the 12 ft.io site.
- Select the Remove Paywall button.
Ans: Yes, it is considered a legal software as it does not modify the paywalled website but just the visitor’s browser, which is not an offense as per the Computer Misuse Act.
Ans: On 30 July 2023, the security certificate of the site appeared to be invalid.
Ans: Bloomberg, The NY Times, and The Athletic are some renowned sites that do not support 12 ft.
Ans: There are three types of paywalls; hard paywalls, soft paywalls, and metered paywalls.
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