How To Bypass Washington Post Newspaper Paywall & Read Articles For Free

Paywalls, paywalls, and paywalls! 

If you use the internet thoroughly and love to read stuff online, chances are you’ve been introduced to paywalls every now and then. But it gets worse when you enter the site of a big platform like the New York Times or the Washington Post. The most annoying part? Inflation is skyrocketing, and sparing even a small penny is difficult, to say the least. 

As a result, you want a way around which no paywall will disturb you nor you have to strain your bank account. 

Welcome to the world of bypassing the paywall of the Washington Post, because the good news is, there are ways through which you can bypass the Washington Post and read WSJ for Free. In this article, we will thoroughly go through them so let’s get started. 

Why does the Washington Post have a paywall?

The answer is simple: why does any website have a paywall altogether? 

This is because Paywalls are an excellent way to generate revenue. This is exactly why the Washington Post and some of its competitors have paywalls because this way, they can earn some additional revenue and also have a list of paid subscribers who are loyal to what they post. 

While it's true, not having a paywall will not break the Washington Post altogether but it does help the platform to generate revenue through its online service. However, it is unclear how much the Washington Post makes on average or how much a paywall contributes to its earnings in a percentage.

How much does the subscription to the Washington Post cost?

The Washington Post offers what it calls All Access Digital subscription platform in which the plan is $29 for the first twelve months and from there the plan costs $70 every year. Of course, the subscribers have the freedom to cancel at any time.

 Some of the things that are offered in this plan include:

• Subscribers receive 24/7 live updates on their mobile or desktop devices. 
• Subscribers get in-depth investigation reports. 
• More than 200 original stories covering global topics. 
• Unlimited access to all the Washington Post posts. 

The rates may vary depending on the region you’re from. 

What kind of people need to bypass the Washington Post and read free articles?

Most avid researchers, current affairs enthusiasts, and students are the ones who require to bypass the paywall of the Washington Post. This is because it is hard for them to pay for all the platforms where they are actively looking for content that can increase their knowledge or can help them understand a topic. 

They can't subscribe to every authentic platform so this is why they prefer to bypass and read free articles from the Washington Post and other sources. 

Is it illegal to bypass the Washington Post and read WSJ for free?

As a matter of fact, no. It is not illegal to bypass the Washington Post and read WSJ articles for free. However, one must understand that overdoing it is ethically wrong. If you are an avid reader of WSJ, then you must subscribe as this directly helps to support the journalism which you love the most. 

But in case you’re not a frequent reader of the Washington Post, then it's perfectly alright for you to access the platform to increase your knowledge.

Another important thing to keep in mind is to not plagiarize someone’s work rather only use it to just increase your knowledge. 

Some of the ways through which you can bypass the Washington Post and read WSJ for free:

There are several ways through which you can bypass the Washington Post. Please note, not all of these will work for you depending on several factors but I’m sure the majority of them will work for anyone trying to access the Washington Post from anywhere. 

1. Using an incognito window:

One of the most interesting things about the Washington Post paywall is that it blocks you through the help of your IP Address and if you can change that, you’re going to get another round of free articles, which at the moment are 3. 

And when you use an incognito window from virtually any browser, you are changing your IP Address. What this does is, it allows you to access another round of free 3 articles. 

2. ByPass Paywall:

If you’re a Chrome or a Firefox user then you’re in luck because this extension will do the trick for you. All you have to do is head to the store, download it, and allow it to run on your extension. The best thing about this extension is that it works on several other platforms other than the Washington Post. 

ByPass Paywall is completely free and extremely user friendly so you wouldn’t have any issues as long as you’re aware of how browser extensions work. 

If you’re unable to find it on your browser store, you can download it directly from Github.

3. 12 ft ladder:

Another great place I’ve found to work is 12 ft Ladder and it gets as amazing as one even thinks of. The 12 ft ladder works quite similar to the way Google search does. All you have to do is head towards the 12 ft ladder site, enter the link of the Washington Post article you want to read without a paywall, and voila. A 12 ft ladder will do the rest for you. 

This is great for people who are trying to access the Washington Post on someone else’s device. Or they’re occasionally going through the internet and want to read a WSJ article that they find intriguing. 

4. Use Archive.today

While this isn’t exactly the best way for you to access the Washington Post but it still works. Archive.today, as the name suggests is an online archive that stores all articles which are published in the Washington Post. This is great if you’re looking for something that is more than 24 hours old because all you have to do is type the article’s name and that’s it, the results will show and you can easily access it.

However, if you’re looking for something that’s absolutely latest then this method may not work for you.

5. Using a VPN:

Another great way to disable the Washington Post paywall is to use what is known as a Virtual Private Network or a VPN. This works as a cake if you have a paid VPN subscription because similar to the incognito mode, a paid VPN will change your IP Address giving you access to several more articles. 

It's quite simple and works wonderfully every time. 

6. Using Tor Browser:

Tor is another great way that allows you to access the Washington Post for free. This is because Tor works as an anonymous browser that completely hides your identity. What’s even more interesting is that Tor repeatedly keeps on changing your location, giving you more freedom to read more articles without having to worry about the paywall message popping up. 

However, Tor is oftentimes slow for all obvious reasons, so that’s one issue with this method. 

Is it worth it to bypass the Washington Post and read WSJ for free?

As a matter of fact, yes. It is completely worth it to bypass the Washington Post and read it for free because it has some of the finest quality journalism that there is which goes extremely deep with its reporting.

Accessing an article in the Washington Post will give you ample knowledge about a certain topic which is thoroughly researched and presented with all different facts. 

Is there any alternative to the Washington Post?

While there are several alternatives to the Washington Post, the paper is unique in its own way as its reporting style is different. Therefore, it is best to say that the Washington Post has a prestige and brand of its own which globally many people prefer to read. 

Therefore, alternatives to the Washington Post should only be considered in a personalized manner not a recommended manner. 

Bottom Line:

There are several reasons why researchers, students, and writers need to access a Paywall in order to read the Washington Post. However, it should only be done to support one’s knowledge and research. Repeatedly doing so may work for you but it will be ethically wrong to misuse someone’s hard work for free and rather it is recommended to subscribe in that matter as it will help the paper to keep on producing amazing journalism and also help it to grow. 

Also read: How to bypass New York Times Paywall?