Just launched: Meista – AI that explains anything you highlight on a website

Hi Indie Hackers 👋

I've just launched a Chrome extension called Meista. It's built for people who often come across stuff online they don’t fully understand — a tricky term in an article, medical, legal or tax jargon, some dense language in a report, or even every articles online. Or stuff they want to know more about. Simply follow up and drill down. It's like interacting with any webtext.

How it works:

• Highlight any word, phrase, or paragraph on any site

• Get instant AI-powered insights in a popup right next to the highlight

• Ask follow-up questions right there, no tabs, no copy/paste

• Stay in your flow — never leave the page

Why I built it:

I was tired of bouncing between tabs just to understand something or to get more information. I'd copy a phrase, switch to ChatGPT or Google, lose focus, and then sometimes forget why I even opened that second tab.

So I built Meista to act more like a personal information guide — there when and where I need it, but never in the way.

Who it’s for:

Right now it's for casual learners, content creators, and researchers — not necessarily academics or pros. Think:

• People doing their own research

• Self-learners

• People who want to know how something affects their situation

• People double-checking info before sharing

Tech & monetization:

• Built as a lean Chrome extension

• Freemium model: free tier with limits, full-featured paid version

• Referral rewards and affiliate program

📥 Try it:

👉 [Chrome Extension Link]
(no signup required to test it)

Would love your thoughts:

• Is this something you'd use?

• What would make it better?

• Any specific cases you'd want handled?

Thanks for reading. This community has been super inspiring. Can't believe I didn't know about it until yesterday (actually my extension mentioned it to me - LOL) — happy to answer anything behind the scenes too!

— Michael Tatzber
#MeistaIt