# Pixlr vs Side Reader Pixlr records 9,251,872 monthly visits with -3.8% month-over-month growth and Freemium pricing. Side Reader records 355 monthly visits with -36.5% growth and Freemium pricing. | Metric | [Pixlr](https://openaitools.app/tool/pixlr) | [Side Reader](https://openaitools.app/tool/side-reader) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Website URL | https://pixlr.com | https://www.side-reader.com | | Categories | AI Photo Editor, AI Image Generator, AI Design Generator, AI Background Remover | AI PDF, AI Reader, AI Chatbot, AI PDF Summarizer | | Pricing Model | Freemium | Freemium | | Monthly Visits | 9,251,872 | 355 | | MoM Growth Rate | -3.8% | -36.5% | | Primary Market | United States | Vietnam | | Direct Visits | 4,060,664 | 149 | | Review Score | 3.8 | 2.4 | | Saved Count | 31 | 0 | | Supported Platforms | Website | Website | ## Pixlr Pixlr has been one of the best-known browser photo editors for years, and it now wraps a large AI layer around that foundation. Two core editors, Pixlr Express for fast edits and Pixlr Editor for advanced layer-based work, sit alongside an image generator, video generator, audio generator, face swap, collage maker and a long list of one-click retouching tools. Generation is powered by third-party models, including Flux, Kling, Recraft, Google Veo, Stable Diffusion, Qwen and others, so users can produce images from text, animate stills into video, create music or speech, and then refine everything in the same editor. Tools like Generative Fill, Generative Expand, Generative Transform, Extract Layers and an AI agent that applies natural-language edit instructions make the workflow feel closer to a studio than a simple filter app. The platform targets both casual creators and businesses with batch editing and template-driven design, and it requires no installation. Pricing is freemium: a capable free tier plus paid plans that unlock more AI credits, higher resolution and advanced features. **Pricing & Plans:** Freemium with a usable free tier and paid subscriptions that add AI credits, higher resolutions and advanced tools; check pixlr.com for current plan details. - **AI image and video generation:** Create images from text prompts and turn them into animated video clips using models such as Flux, Kling, Veo and Seedance. - **Full layer-based photo editor:** Pixlr Editor and Express provide masks, layers, curves, filters and precise retouching alongside the AI tools. - **One-click AI retouching:** Remove backgrounds, erase objects, swap faces, remove noise, colorize old photos and upscale images up to 25 megapixels. - **Generative fill and expand:** Select an area or extend an image beyond its frame and let AI fill the gap coherently. - **Design, collage and batch tools:** Grid-based collages, template designs, layer extraction and batch editing for teams and high-volume workflows. **Strengths:** Runs entirely in the browser with no installation; Combines a genuinely capable editor with current AI models; Large free tier with no watermark on standard output; Covers images, video, audio, collages and batch workflows in one place **Limitations:** Heavier AI features consume credits and can require a paid plan; The range of tools can feel overwhelming for first-time users; AI output quality varies by the underlying third-party model [Profile (Markdown)](https://openaitools.app/tool/pixlr.md) ## Side Reader Side Reader exists to remove the friction of working with documents and AI chatbots at the same time. Normally you either paste chunks of a PDF into a chat window or juggle two tabs and lose your place. Side Reader is a Chrome extension that renders the PDF in the sidebar of ChatGPT, Claude or DeepSeek, so the document and the conversation sit side by side. Once a PDF is open you use built-in action buttons to summarize, translate or explain content, and you can customize those button prompts so the AI answers in your preferred format. For content that cannot be selected — charts, infographics, scanned images — a screenshot question lets you ask about a region of the page directly. The reader itself supports zoom, page navigation and width adjustment, so it behaves like a normal PDF viewer rather than a stripped-down preview. Privacy is handled simply: PDFs are stored locally in your browser and Side Reader does not keep your files. Because the AI work happens inside the ChatGPT, Claude or DeepSeek session you are already using, Side Reader adds document handling rather than a separate subscription to yet another model. **Pricing & Plans:** Freemium. The core Chrome extension is available to install, with a paid upgrade for extended usage; check the extension listing for current limits. - **Read PDFs beside the chat:** PDFs render directly in the sidebar next to the chat, so your document and the AI conversation are visible at the same time. - **Summarize, translate and explain:** Summarize a whole document, translate it, or have passages explained in simpler terms using the AI you are already signed into. - **Custom action button prompts:** Built-in buttons cover the common actions, and you can edit their prompts to make the AI respond in the format and tone you need. - **Screenshot questions for non-selectable content:** Ask about charts, scans or regions that cannot be selected by taking a screenshot question instead. - **Local storage and a proper reader:** Files stay local in your browser and are not stored by Side Reader, and PDFs keep zoom, page navigation and width controls. **Strengths:** Keeps the PDF and the AI conversation visible in the same window; Works with ChatGPT, Claude and DeepSeek rather than locking you into one model; Local-only file storage — documents are not kept on Side Reader servers; Customizable action prompts for repeatable workflows **Limitations:** Requires an active ChatGPT, Claude or DeepSeek session to do the AI work; Chrome only — no Firefox, Safari or Edge-specific edition; Very new/small product, so the feature set is still evolving [Profile (Markdown)](https://openaitools.app/tool/side-reader.md) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How do Pixlr and Side Reader compare in monthly traffic? Pixlr has 9,251,872 monthly visits, while Side Reader has 355. Traffic estimates describe audience size, not product quality. ### How do their growth rates compare? Pixlr has a month-over-month growth rate of -3.8%; Side Reader has -36.5%. ### How does pricing compare? Pixlr: Freemium. Freemium with a usable free tier and paid subscriptions that add AI credits, higher resolutions and advanced tools; check pixlr.com for current plan details. Side Reader: Freemium. Freemium. The core Chrome extension is available to install, with a paid upgrade for extended usage; check the extension listing for current limits. ## Alternatives | # | Tool Name | Monthly Visits | MoM Growth Rate | Pricing Model | Summary | Profile (Markdown) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | [Adobe Firefly](https://openaitools.app/tool/adobe) | 396,998,213 | -8.6% | Freemium | Industry-standard creative suite offering significantly more powerful professional editing and commercial generative AI tools. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/adobe.md) | | 2 | [remove.bg](https://openaitools.app/tool/remove-bg) | 51,499,821 | -5% | Freemium | Instant AI background removal for high-resolution portraits, e-commerce product catalogs, and automated API workflows. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/remove-bg.md) | | 3 | [Photoroom](https://openaitools.app/tool/photoroom) | 18,213,872 | -2.8% | Freemium, Free Trial, Contact for Pricing | Specializes heavily in automated background removal and e-commerce product staging, with less general layer editing. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/photoroom.md) | | 4 | [Picsart](https://openaitools.app/tool/picsart) | 16,511,620 | +3.8% | Freemium, Free Trial | All-in-one creative platform combining accessible photo editing with a broader range of AI generation features. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/picsart.md) | | 5 | [SeaArt.AI](https://openaitools.app/tool/seaart-ai) | 15,683,904 | +0.5% | Freemium | Community-driven AI art, video, and character creation platform | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/seaart-ai.md) | | 6 | [Cutout.Pro](https://openaitools.app/tool/cutout-pro) | 6,600,547 | -12.8% | Freemium | Focuses specifically on automated background removal and photo enhancement utilities rather than full layer manipulation. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/cutout-pro.md) | | 7 | [SciSpace](https://openaitools.app/tool/scispace) | 4,464,111 | +8.6% | Freemium | AI research platform for reading, understanding and writing scientific papers | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/scispace.md) | | 8 | [Media.io](https://openaitools.app/tool/media-io) | 3,256,173 | -4.8% | Freemium, Paid | One browser studio for AI video, image, audio and characters | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/media-io.md) | | 9 | [PicWish](https://openaitools.app/tool/picwish-com) | 2,855,443 | +1.2% | Freemium, Free Trial | Streamlines background removal and object erasing for e-commerce, but lacks advanced multi-layer canvas editing. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/picwish-com.md) | | 10 | [PDFgear](https://openaitools.app/tool/pdfgear) | 2,845,280 | -3.4% | Free | A free, AI-powered PDF editor for every device | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/pdfgear.md) | --- Source: https://openaitools.app/compare/pixlr-vs-side-reader More Markdown: [Categories](https://openaitools.app/categories.md) · [Traffic rankings](https://openaitools.app/rankings.md) · [llms.txt](https://openaitools.app/llms.txt)