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Software · head to head

Mercury Reader vs Save to Google Drive

M

Mercury Reader

Software

Clear clutter from articles instantly

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Save to Google Drive logo

Save to Google Drive

Software

Save web content to Google Drive

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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; Save to Google Drive cannot capture chrome:// pages or Chrome Web Store pages due to browser security restrictions
  • They diverge on capability: Mercury Reader covers Content extraction, Save to Google Drive covers Save to Drive.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mercury Reader and Save to Google Drive actually diverge.

Attributes where Mercury Reader and Save to Google Drive differ
AttributeMercury ReaderSave to Google Drive
PlatformsChrome, Firefox, EdgeChrome
Founded20152013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Mercury Reader

  • Content extraction
  • Clean reading view
  • Custom themes
  • Font customization
  • Firefox support
  • Edge support

Only in Save to Google Drive

  • Save to Drive
  • Multiple formats
  • Screenshot capture
  • Context menu integration

Both cover

  • Chrome support

Where each one falls short

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

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

Save to Google Drive

  • Cannot capture chrome:// pages or Chrome Web Store pages due to browser security restrictions
  • Full-page image capture often fails despite correct settings configuration
  • Authorization errors when saving images via context menu occur intermittently
  • Save as Google Document feature gets stuck on 'Downloading' for some users
  • No automatic file organization or categorization upon saving

Pricing, plan by plan

Mercury Reader

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

Save to Google Drive

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Save images
    • Save documents
    • Save web pages

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Save to Google Drive if

  • You need save to drive.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome.
  • You also want multiple formats.
Save to Google Drive review

Questions people ask

Is Mercury Reader or Save to Google Drive better?
Neither clearly leads. Mercury Reader starts at Free and Save to Google Drive at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mercury Reader or Save to Google Drive?
Mercury Reader starts at Free and Save to Google Drive at Free.
Does Mercury Reader or Save to Google Drive run on more platforms?
Mercury Reader runs on Chrome, Firefox, Edge. Save to Google Drive runs on Chrome.
Can I use Mercury Reader for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What can Mercury Reader do that Save to Google Drive cannot?
Mercury Reader covers Content extraction, Clean reading view, Custom themes, Font customization. Save to Google Drive covers Save to Drive, Multiple formats, Screenshot capture, Context menu integration. Both handle Chrome support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Save to Google Drive: What file formats can Save to Google Drive capture?

The extension can save pages as PDF, Google Docs, raw HTML, MHTML, or images (visible or full page), with configurable options for each save.

Source
Save to Google Drive: Does Save to Google Drive count against storage limits?

Yes, all content saved to Google Drive counts against your storage limit. Free Google accounts come with 15GB shared across Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.

Source
Save to Google Drive: Can the extension capture entire web pages?

The extension has reported issues with full-page capture functionality, despite settings configured for 'Image of entire page' - this feature reportedly worked better in the past.

Source
Save to Google Drive: Does the extension have organization features?

No, the extension has no automatic organization features. Files land in whatever folder you designate with no built-in categorization or tagging.

Source
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