How to read The Economist for free

How The Economist paywall works

Paywall type: Hard paywall

The Economist locks most of its articles behind a subscription and may ask you to register before showing anything. A small number of pieces are open to everyone.

Because it publishes on a weekly cycle, most of its articles are archived soon after they come out, which makes archives a good route.

What works best for The Economist

The options most likely to work for economist.com links, best first:

1. Archive.today. The best first try. Articles from the weekly edition are often saved within a day of publishing.
2. Wayback Machine. Useful for back issues and older articles.
3. smry. Worth one click for the articles The Economist leaves open, if the page is cluttered.

Results change as publishers and archives change. For a closer look at each option, see every method compared.

Legitimate free access to The Economist

• Library apps. Many libraries carry The Economist in digital magazine apps. Check what your library card gives you.
• Shared articles. Subscribers can share some articles with non-subscribers.
• Free articles and podcasts. A few articles each week and some podcasts are free to everyone.

If you read The Economist most days, a subscription is the most dependable option and supports the reporting.

Questions about reading The Economist

Guides for other sites

• The Wall Street Journal
• The New York Times
• Bloomberg
• The Financial Times
• The Atlantic
• Medium