FAQ
Is ReadMonkey Pro Data Private? Privacy Architecture Explained
Yes, ReadMonkey Pro is designed with privacy as a core principle. All your saved articles, highlights, notes, and tags are stored using Chrome's built-in storage and synced across your Chrome browsers via Chrome Sync. No data is sent to PlugMonkey servers or any third party, no PlugMonkey account is required, and there is zero tracking or telemetry. If Chrome Sync is disabled, your data stays local on the device. Here is how the privacy architecture works and why it matters.
Last updated: March 3, 2026
Why Privacy Matters for Reading Apps
Most read-later apps like Pocket and Instapaper require you to create an account, sync your data to cloud servers, and accept tracking of your reading habits. This means a third party knows every article you save, every highlight you make, and how long you spend reading. For researchers handling sensitive material, professionals reading confidential documents, or anyone who values their intellectual privacy, this is a significant concern. Your reading list is a window into your thinking, and it deserves protection.
How Chrome Sync Storage Works
ReadMonkey Pro uses Chrome's storage.sync API to save all data. When you save an article, the extension extracts the page content, metadata, and formatting, then writes it to Chrome's built-in storage. If you have Chrome Sync enabled (signed into Chrome with a Google account), your data automatically syncs across all your Chrome browsers. If Chrome Sync is disabled, the data stays local on that device. Either way, no PlugMonkey servers are involved — the sync happens entirely through your existing Chrome account. This is fundamentally different from cloud-based apps like Pocket that store your data on vendor-specific servers. With ReadMonkey Pro, your data lives in Chrome's infrastructure, not in any third-party service that could shut down.
What Data ReadMonkey Pro Stores
ReadMonkey Pro stores several types of data in Chrome's storage, synced across your browsers and accessible only to you.
- Saved articles — Full text content, page title, URL, domain, date saved, and reading progress
- Highlights — Highlighted text passages with their color and position within the article
- Inline notes — Any notes you attach to highlighted passages (Pro feature)
- Tags — Custom tags you assign to articles for organization
- Settings — Your theme preferences, font choices, reading width, and other configuration
No PlugMonkey Servers, No Accounts, No Tracking
ReadMonkey Pro does not require you to create a PlugMonkey account, enter an email address, or sign in to any PlugMonkey service to use the core functionality. There is no telemetry, no analytics, no usage tracking, and no data collection of any kind by PlugMonkey. The extension does not phone home, does not send crash reports, and does not transmit your reading data to any third-party server. Chrome Sync, if enabled, uses Google's own infrastructure to keep your data consistent across browsers — the same way Chrome syncs bookmarks and settings. Your license key (if you upgrade to Pro) is validated locally against a lightweight check, but no reading data is involved in that process. This zero-tracking approach means there is no PlugMonkey server to breach, no profile to sell, and no third-party data store to get hacked.
How This Compares to Pocket and Instapaper
Cloud-based read-later apps take a fundamentally different approach to your data. Pocket (owned by Mozilla) synced everything to Mozilla's servers, required an account, and used your reading history for content recommendations. Instapaper similarly requires an account and stores all articles on their cloud infrastructure. Both services have experienced data breaches or security incidents in the past. ReadMonkey Pro avoids these risks by using Chrome's own storage rather than any vendor-specific cloud. Chrome Sync handles cross-device syncing through your existing Google account — the same infrastructure that syncs your bookmarks and passwords. No PlugMonkey servers are involved, no additional account is needed, and no third party has access to your reading data. See our detailed comparison with Pocket for a full breakdown.
Free vs Pro Privacy
Both the free and Pro tiers of ReadMonkey Pro use the same privacy architecture. There is no difference in privacy between the two tiers. Free users get the same zero-tracking, no-PlugMonkey-account, Chrome-storage experience as Pro users. The Pro upgrade adds more features (unlimited saves, more highlight colors, additional export formats) but does not change how or where your data is stored. Privacy is not a premium feature — it is the foundation of the product.
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