Last updated: 20 October 2026

The short version

Zen Reader works fully without an account. If you never sign in, your settings, saved articles and highlights stay on your own device. Signing in is optional. It is only needed to sync across devices or to use Pro.

Without an account

• Your reading settings, saved articles and highlights are stored in your browser's extension storage, on your device. We cannot see them.
• The text of pages you read is processed on your device to build the reader view.

If you sign in with Google

• We receive your name, email address and profile picture from Google.
• We store, in your account: your saved articles (title, address and text), your highlights (the page address and the highlighted text), your plan, and a short list of your most recent reads (title and address).
• This is stored with Google Firebase. It is used only to sync your library and settings across devices and to apply your Pro plan.
• You can ask us to delete your account and everything saved in it at any time. Email [email protected] and we will remove it.

Anonymous usage stats

To see which features are used, Zen Reader sends anonymous events to Google Analytics.

• They use a random ID generated on your device. It is not linked to your name, email or account.
• They contain the event name (for example, "theme chosen" or "highlight added"), the extension version, and a rough type of site (for example, "newsletter" or "news").
• They never contain the address, title or text of the pages you read.
• Google receives your IP address when the request is made.
• You can turn this off in Zen Reader's Settings, under "Share anonymous usage stats".

Payments

Pro is a one-time purchase processed by Dodo Payments. We never see your card details. We receive your email address, the payment ID and the date, and keep them to activate your Pro plan.