Liner alternative: just the highlighter, none of the AI subscription
Liner started as a beloved web highlighter. Today it's an "AI copilot" — and longtime users report billing complaints, disruptive UX changes, and highlight features buried under AI chat. If you installed Liner to highlight and take notes, you're now paying (in money or clutter) for a product you didn't ask for.
Marklight: highlighting as the whole product
Marklight does one job. Select text, press Alt+H, done. Notes, four colors, automatic restore when you revisit the page, a searchable library, and Markdown export. Everything is stored locally in your browser — no account, no upload, no AI pop-ups, nothing to subscribe to.
Marklight vs Liner
| Marklight | Liner | |
|---|---|---|
| Core product | Highlighter | AI copilot + highlighter |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Where data lives | Your device | Liner's cloud |
| Pricing | Free; Pro $19 one-time | Subscription tiers |
| AI features | None, by design | Central |
| Markdown export | Yes | Limited |
When Liner is the better choice
If you want AI summaries, YouTube copilots, and cross-device sync — and you're happy paying monthly for them — Liner is built for that. Marklight is for readers who want their highlighter back.
Add Marklight to Chrome — free
No sign-up, five seconds to your first highlight.