Can you read scientific American for free?
Someone ask this question in Google search result page.
So I specially created this helpful, reliable, and people-first content to answer his or her query.
Yes, you can, and there are many ways to bypass Scientific American paywall.
In other words, you can read Scientific American site articles about science and technology without having to subscribe.
Welcome to another post from The DiGiztal Bypass Paywalls Tips series.
Back in April 15, 2019, scientificamerican.com announced that readers will receive three articles for free before being asked to subscribe.
If you really want to read the important and exciting research, ideas and knowledge in science, health, technology, the environment and society, then subscribe to Scientific American.
But anyway, this post is for informational purposes only.
I am sharing with you how people have been accessing Scientific American website without an account.
How to bypass Scientific American paywall
There are more than ten methods to access Scientificamerican.com articles without an account, besides using the Archive.Today.
I am going to show you one method.
To know how the rest of the tips work, just click them.
- Clear browsing data, cache and cookies
- Reader View/Reading Mode
- Private browsing
- Temporary Containers extension
- Bypass Paywalls Clean extension
- Disable JavaScript
- Block cookies and site data
- 12 Feet Ladder
- 13 Feet Ladder
- Textise
- Txtify.it
- PrintFriendly
- Google Translate
- User script
Now you know there are so many options people can continue reading the rest of Scientific American articles online without being a subscriber.
Just follow any of the methods how to get over Scientific American paywall and you can access unlimited free articles.
In this article I would be just showing you one way of circumventing its digital barrier with a userscript.
The rest of the techniques, you just click the links to each post to find out more.
User script
A user script or userscript is like a tiny computer program written in JavaScript,
Its main job is to change how a website looks or acts when you visit it.
User script manager extension
Before you can use this user script, you need a user script manager.
First you have to download and install the user script manager extension to your browser.
And different browser uses a different user script manager.
For Chrome, you can use either: Tampermonkey or Violentmonkey
For Firefox, you can use: Greasemonkey, Tampermonkey, or Violentmonkey.
However for Microsoft Edge, Safari, Opera or Maxton browser, you can find the links at the Greasy Fork homepage.
For this explanation, I am using the Chrome browser with the Violentmonkey userscript manager extension,
NOTE: Chrome Web Store has disabled Violentmonkey, To get it back, follow this tutorial, "How to enable back Violentmonkey in Chrome Web Store".
After you have enabled back the Tempermonkey extension, as I have mentioned above, now click the blue color "Add to Chrome" button.
A box pops up, click the "Add extension" button.
Instantly the Violentmonkey extension is installed to your bowser.
You have successfully installed the user script extension Tempermonkey to your browser.
Install user script to Tempermonkey extension
Now go to scientificamerican.com Paywall Bypass userscript in Greasy Fork, and click the green color "Install this script" button.
A page pops up, click the "Install" button.
Now you have install the scientificamarican Paywall Bypass userscript into the Tempermonkey extension.
How to remove paywalled articles
Go to Scientific American homepage, and click the Violentmonkey icon, this box pops up.
Make sure user script is enabled (toggle switch is in green color).
Now you can read keep reading Scientific American articles without being blocked by its paywall anymore.
How does it work: This userscript is like a smart "fake ID" that you slip into your browser.
It sneaks in before the website finishes building the page.
It tricks the website into thinking the user is "exempt" from the paywall, thus displaying the full article content.
The userscript doesn't actually "hack" the server or steal anything.
It just changes a specific setting on your own computer that the website uses to decide whether to show you the paywall or the content.
This is how to use the Violentmonkey extension together with a userscript to access Scientific American for free.
NOTE: This method may not involve direct hacking or unauthorized access, it can still violate anti-circumvention laws and terms of service. Consider using the legal and ethical ways to access paywalled web articles.
RELATED TIPS:
How to bypass Nikkei Asia paywall
How to bypass The Economist paywall
DISCLAIMER: This post is for educational purposes only. It aims to help you better understand web technologies and digital security. It does not endorse breaking website rules or illegal activity. Use responsibly; the author is not liable for misuse or legal issues.