Dark Reader vs Refined GitHub
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Browser extension that automatically darkens web pages to reduce eyestrain.
Open source · MIT
A browser extension that cleans up GitHub's interface and adds extra features.
The short answer
Choose Dark Reader if you need…
- People who browse a lot in low light and want darker pages without changing each site themselves
- Users of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari or Thunderbird who want one tool across browsers
- Web developers who want to offer a dark mode on their own site using the npm package or CDN build
- Users who want fine control over brightness, contrast and sepia on pages
Choose Refined GitHub if you need…
- Developers who use GitHub daily for code review, issues, and pull requests
- Maintainers who manage many repositories and want quicker actions
- People who use GitHub Enterprise and want the extension to work there too
- Users of Chrome, Firefox, or Safari who want the same tweaks across browsers
Side-by-side
| Dark Reader | Refined GitHub | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 22.6k | 32.4k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Use it in the browser (or self-host) | Use it in the browser (or self-host) |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Dark Reader
Dark Reader is a free, open-source browser extension that analyzes web pages and generates a dark color scheme for them. People use it to reduce eyestrain when browsing at night or in dim rooms. It is customizable through its interface and is also available as a JavaScript library for websites.
Refined GitHub
Refined GitHub is a browser extension that changes how GitHub looks and works in your browser. It hides some clutter, fixes annoyances, and adds small features such as showing whitespace characters, showing how far a pull request is behind its base, and adding delete or pull request buttons on branch pages. People use it to make everyday GitHub browsing faster and less frustrating.
Best for
Dark Reader
- People who browse a lot in low light and want darker pages without changing each site themselves
- Users of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari or Thunderbird who want one tool across browsers
- Web developers who want to offer a dark mode on their own site using the npm package or CDN build
- Users who want fine control over brightness, contrast and sepia on pages
Refined GitHub
- Developers who use GitHub daily for code review, issues, and pull requests
- Maintainers who manage many repositories and want quicker actions
- People who use GitHub Enterprise and want the extension to work there too
- Users of Chrome, Firefox, or Safari who want the same tweaks across browsers
Strengths
Dark Reader
- Free, MIT-licensed and open source, with a large public following (about 22,500 stars on GitHub)
- Available across several browsers and as an npm package for websites
- Highly customizable and has a documented API for developers
Refined GitHub
- Covers many small annoyances in one extension, with a feature list in the README
- Available for Chrome and other Chromium browsers, Firefox, and Safari
- Actively maintained, with a recent push date and a large star count
Not ideal for
Dark Reader
- People who need a guaranteed perfect dark theme on every site: the README describes it as aiming to reduce eyestrain, and site fixes are not automatically synced by default
- Firefox users who want it on restricted pages without lowering browser security settings, since the README asks them to change about:config and warns of a security risk
- Users looking for a system-wide dark mode for their whole operating system; the README only describes browser use
Refined GitHub
- People who want GitHub to stay exactly as it is by default, since the extension changes the interface
- Users on browsers the README does not list (only Chromium browsers, Firefox including Firefox Android, and Safari are named)
- Anyone who needs an official, GitHub-supported product, since the README says the project is independent and GitHub trademarks are used under license
Trade-offs
Dark Reader
- Some pages may not look right, and fixing them can require manual site-fix steps described in the README
- On some Firefox restricted pages, it needs extra browser settings changes that carry a security risk
- Automatic site-fix syncing is disabled by default, so users must enable it manually
Refined GitHub
- Changes GitHub's interface, so some users may find the layout different from what GitHub intends
- Depends on GitHub's page structure, so features may break when GitHub changes its site (inferred from the nature of browser extensions; the README does not discuss this)
- The README is truncated, so the full feature list and settings are not covered here
Getting started
Dark Reader
Clone the repository to build from source
git clone https://github.com/darkreader/darkreaderRefined GitHub
Install from Chrome Web Store (Chrome and Chromium browsers)
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/refined-github/hlepfoohegkhhmjieoechaddaejaokhfInstall from Mozilla Add-ons (Firefox)
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/refined-github-/Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Dark Reader and Refined GitHub?
Dark Reader: Browser extension that automatically darkens web pages to reduce eyestrain. Refined GitHub: A browser extension that cleans up GitHub's interface and adds extra features. Dark Reader suits people who browse a lot in low light and want darker pages without changing each site themselves, while Refined GitHub suits developers who use github daily for code review, issues, and pull requests.
Are Dark Reader and Refined GitHub free?
Dark Reader: Free and open source. Refined GitHub: Free and open source.
Is Dark Reader or Refined GitHub more popular?
Refined GitHub has more GitHub stars (32.4k) than Dark Reader (22.6k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Dark Reader and Refined GitHub?
Other options people compare them with include Stylus, Saladict, ChatGPTBox.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.