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The story behind Helperbird

What started as a personal project in 2015 became a mission to make reading, learning, and the web accessible for everyone.

our story

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Hey there!

I'm Robert James Gabriel, the founder (and the one and only developer!) behind Helperbird. This project wasn't just a business - it was personal, created from my own experiences and needs.

Growing up in Ireland, school was a struggle. When I was 15, my English teacher told my parents I should drop out. That news was devastating, but my parents didn't give up on me. After testing, they discovered I had dyslexia, and with their support, I was able to turn things around.

In January 2015, during an internship at Teamwork.com, I created the first version of Helperbird to learn coding and help me study. What started as a small tool to make web browsing easier quickly grew into something much bigger. And coming up on ten years now, it's still just me here, developing and supporting Helperbird.

Helperbird's mission is simple: to make reading, learning, and navigating the web easier and more accessible for everyone. Whether you have dyslexia, low vision, ADHD, or just want tools to improve focus and productivity, Helperbird is here for you.

If Helperbird has made a positive difference for you, please consider leaving a five-star review - it helps others discover us and grow our mission.

Thank you for being part of Helperbird's story. My goal is to make a difference, and I'm honored to be part of yours.

With love,

Robert James Gabriel

Robert James Gabriel

Founder & Developer, Helperbird

from the heart

Core values

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What People Are Saying

Join over 1,000,000 people who use Helperbird every day.

I have ADHD and yesterday Helperbird and the text-to-speech function (available in free version) turned a 28-page reading assignment from a two-day task to roughly two hours, maybe three at the absolute most. It helped tremendously! And I loved that the text-to-speech has such a fluid voice compared to a lot of others I've used! Honestly, the fact that this was created by someone who knows the struggles is something I love, because then it has neurodivergency in mind. I've tried too many things in the past that were created by neurotypical folk trying to be helpful to us and I do appreciate it, but it doesn't work as well because our brains work different. Highly recommend!

Addison Brown

Addison Brown

Helperbird user

Helperbird is one of the most helpful tools I've ever used. It has so many great features that not many other apps or software have. The free version can be installed and stay forever on your browser. Other companies don't always give you access for free or give access for free forever. When you do get access to the Pro version or other paid plans, you expand your opportunity to read and stay focused better. One of the other great things about Helperbird is their support service. They have a video for every single feature that you can use. They are simple and helpful videos that make the learning process a lot easier. In addition, they have great live chat support. They are super nice and helpful. They always encourage people to give suggestions on how to improve Helperbird. Why is this important? It shows they really care about people with disabilities or people in general.

Alex R

Alex R

Helperbird user

Amazing Extensions in chrome. I Installed in my parents computer, because my dad have a poor vision, due to bad eye surgery. this extension really helps to have able to manipulate the font and font size for more comfortable use instead of chrome zoom feature. Because the chrome zoom feature is its overly zoom will cause the page looking super weird.

Kai Tam

Kai Tam

Helperbird user

Helperbird is a very useful and smartly designed tool that will most definitely make the browsing life of any user suffering from from dyslexia or is even remotely visually impaired a lot easier. It’s very easy to use, has the ability to synchronize settings on multiple devices, and is very efficient thanks to a useful set of straightforward customization options.

Vladimir Ciobica

Vladimir Ciobica

Helperbird user

I've been meaning to write this review for a while now. My daughter is newly diagnosed with dyslexia and I heard an interview with Robert on a Newstalk podcast and sought it out. I wasn't sure if I had it installed correctly on her laptop and Robert was on straight away to help. He was amazing. This app has changed everything for my daughter. Everything is accessible to her and everyday tasks and schoolwork are so much easier. She also has visual stress so the coloured overlay feature is a game changer for her. I would highly recommend this app to anyone, she couldn't be without it now!

James Summer

James Summer

Helperbird user

Brilliant extension! Have tired it for my daughter and she has come on leaps in school. While there are plenty of free features, the paid ones are only 30 USD a year. Can't recommend this enough.

Gary O'Connor

Gary O'Connor

Helperbird user

Helperbird logo: Stylized owl with large yellow eyes and a beige face, against a green background.

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Make browsing easier and more accessible with tools like Text to Speech, Immersive Reader, and more.