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Browser Extensions · head to head

ColorZilla vs Mercury Reader

ColorZilla logo

ColorZilla

Browser Extensions

Advanced color picker and eyedropper

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
M

Mercury Reader

Browser Extensions

Clear clutter from articles instantly

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ColorZilla no pricing information published on main website or pricing page, making cost structure unclear to potential users; Mercury Reader mercury Reader's underlying engine (Postlight Parser) is free open source software licensed under Apache License 2.0, per the GitHub repository, with no paid tier
  • They diverge on capability: ColorZilla covers Color picker, Mercury Reader covers Content extraction.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ColorZilla and Mercury Reader actually diverge.

Attributes where ColorZilla and Mercury Reader differ
AttributeColorZillaMercury Reader
Founded20072015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Chrome, Firefox, Edge), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Browser Extensions).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ColorZilla

  • Color picker
  • Eyedropper tool
  • Gradient generator
  • Palette analyzer

Only in Mercury Reader

  • Content extraction
  • Clean reading view
  • Custom themes
  • Font customization

Both cover

  • Chrome support
  • Firefox support
  • Edge support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ColorZilla

  • Extracting exact color values from website designs instantlynot Mercury Reader
  • Generating CSS gradients without returning to Photoshopnot Mercury Reader
  • Analyzing and converting visual color palettes to codenot Mercury Reader

Mercury Reader

No use cases recorded yet. See the Mercury Reader review.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ColorZilla

  • No pricing information published on main website or pricing page, making cost structure unclear to potential users
  • No free tier or trial option clearly advertised, limiting ability to test features before purchase

Mercury Reader

  • Mercury Reader's underlying engine (Postlight Parser) is free open source software licensed under Apache License 2.0, per the GitHub repository, with no paid tier

Pricing, plan by plan

ColorZilla

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Color picker
    • Eyedropper
    • Gradient generator

Mercury Reader

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Clutter removal
    • Clean reading
    • Custom themes

Which should you pick?

Choose ColorZilla if

  • You need color picker.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Firefox, Edge.
  • You also want eyedropper tool.
ColorZilla review

Choose Mercury Reader if

  • You need content extraction.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Firefox, Edge.
  • You also want clean reading view.
Mercury Reader review

Questions people ask

Is ColorZilla or Mercury Reader better?
Neither clearly leads. ColorZilla starts at Free and Mercury Reader at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ColorZilla or Mercury Reader?
ColorZilla starts at Free and Mercury Reader at Free.
Does ColorZilla or Mercury Reader run on more platforms?
Both run on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use ColorZilla for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is ColorZilla best used for?
ColorZilla is most often used for extracting exact color values from website designs instantly, generating css gradients without returning to photoshop, analyzing and converting visual color palettes to code. Of those, extracting exact color values from website designs instantly and generating css gradients without returning to photoshop are not what Mercury Reader is typically brought in for.
What can ColorZilla do that Mercury Reader cannot?
ColorZilla covers Color picker, Eyedropper tool, Gradient generator, Palette analyzer. Mercury Reader covers Content extraction, Clean reading view, Custom themes, Font customization. Both handle Chrome support, Firefox support, Edge support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ColorZilla: How much does ColorZilla cost?

ColorZilla does not publish pricing on its website. The site describes browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome, plus an online CSS gradient editor, but cost information is not available. Users must contact the company directly or check browser extension marketplaces for availability and cost details.

Source
ColorZilla: Is ColorZilla free to use?

The website does not specify whether ColorZilla tools are free or paid. While browser extensions are often offered free in extension stores, the online tools and their pricing model are not documented on the main site.

Source
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