Chrome is a powerful browser by itself, but by installing extensions, you can turn it from something good into something extraordinary. Thousands of extensions can do everything from helping with your grammar to tracking prices. Unfortunately, with so many options available, it can be hard to tell what’s worth installing.
We collected several of the best Chrome extensions that you’ll actually use. We’ve included a variety of extensions, so there’s something here for everyone. If you use Chrome daily, you may want to consider one of the on of the best Chromebooks for the full Chrome experience.
Evernote Web Clipper
Evernote Web Clipper lets you save web pages, articles, or PDFs to your Evernote account. This might be your ideal extension if you’re always leaving articles and websites to read later. It syncs across devices, so you can save an article on your desktop, then open it on the Evernote app later.
What makes Evernote Web Clipper great is its clip formats. You can save the whole page, the page with original formatting, a stripped-down page, or just bookmark it. It only takes a couple of clicks and works perfectly. You’ll also have the option of organizing it within your Evernote folders from the extension.
Tab Wrangler
Tab Wrangler helps keep Chrome tabs manageable by automatically closing unused tabs. Once set up, Tab Wrangler automatically closes idle tabs after a designated time. Closed tabs aren’t gone for good; they’re stored in the dedicated Tab Corral, where you can quickly reopen them. This is an ideal extension if you’re constantly drowning in tabs you aren’t using or have so many open that you lose the ones you want to use.
There are a ton of customization options that make Tab Wrangler especially useful. Tabs can be locked or pinned to prevent closing, and you can prevent it from closing tabs that are open to your favorite sites.
Momentum
Momentum is an extension that helps focus your browsing goals. It replaces your new tab page with a personal dashboard. It asks you daily what your main focus is when you open your browser, and it then adds a checkbox next to the answer you can complete later. It’s a lovely feature that helps keep you focused without becoming overwhelming. Momentum also adds a to-do list, weather report, and a daily inspirational quote to your new tabs.
Momentum is ideal for people who like to mark off goals but don’t have the time to keep a journal or dedicated to-do list. Even if you don’t use productivity tools, it’s a great way to spruce up your tabs.
Awesome Screenshot
Awesome Screenshot does a lot more than take screenshots. It has options to capture the visible screen, the whole page, or a selected area, just like most screenshot tools. However, Awesome Screenshot lets you quickly annotate screenshots, then save them to your computer or the cloud. The screen recording feature has a raft of similar features, including an option to include an embedded webcam recording.
Awesome Screenshot is a vital tool for anyone who takes regular screenshots or screen recordings of their browser. It’s straightforward, too, so you won’t waste any time fiddling around with recording options or capture settings.
Grammarly
Grammarly is a spell checker and editor in one extension. It can check your writing anywhere in your browser, so whether you’re writing an email, Facebook message, or blog post, it can help correct your writing mistakes. Grammarly can also pick up grammatical and punctuation issues and highlight unclear sentences.
Grammarly won’t bombard you with pop-ups and messages. Its suggestions are straightforward, without being intrusive, so you won’t find your workflow disrupted. If you write things on the internet, install Grammarly. You won’t regret it.
Google Translate
Google Translate is a household name. From helping school kids with their French homework to translating foreign phrases, it’s a ubiquitous feature in our lives. The Google Translate extension provides the same service without the hassle of copying and pasting text into the website. Right-click or highlight some text, tap the Translate icon, and a translation instantly appears.
Mighty Text
Mighty Text allows users to send SMS (though unfortunately not RCS chat) messages straight from their browser. While the Google Messages web app offers a similar function, it can only work with the Google Messages app; Mighty Text works with any SMS app.
Mighty Text notifies you of texts and allows you to respond to them from your browser, and it sends notifications from other apps and low battery alerts. Mighty Text is an excellent tool for people who want to respond quickly to texts without picking up their phones.
Forest
Forest provides a horticultural incentive to stay motivated. This is your ideal extension if you check Facebook or YouTube too often. You’ll enter any URLs you wish to avoid when working, then set a timer. Once you’ve selected the timer, the extension plants a virtual tree. If you attempt to visit any of your blocked URLs, your tree dies. Only by avoiding these URLs for the duration of the timer will your tree become fully grown and be added to your virtual forest.
Forest is a charming way to stay focused on your work, and there’s also a brilliant Android app that kills a tree if you attempt to use your phone.
Keepa
Keepa adds price history charts to Amazon sites and notifies you if any drop below your desired price. While an Amazon wish list can inform you of price changes to saved items, Keepa offers more information, including comparing new and used prices. A raft of additional features like wishlist importing, in-stock alerts, and daily deals notifications help you save money on your Amazon shopping.
View Image
Thanks to a licensing deal between Google and Getty Images in 2018, Google removed the View Image button from Google Images results. This button would allow users to open the image in a separate tab for convenient downloading. View Image re-implements this button, along with the Search by Image button. Search by Image lets you right-click on any photo and search Google for other places it has appeared.
Unlike the other extensions on this list, View Image adds a feature previously present in Chrome. So if you want Chrome to work as it should, View Image should be first on your list.
Magical
Magical is a text expander and message template creator in one. You can create shortcuts for commonly used phrases, email templates, or links. Whether you’re reusing code snippets, creating marketing emails, or applying to jobs, there’s a use case here for everyone. Regardless of who you are, it can help save you time and boost typing accuracy.
Get the most out of Google Chrome
These extensions can significantly improve your Chrome experience, but they also work in any Chromium-based browser. These include popular browsers like Edge and Opera, so even if you don’t use Chrome, you can still use our recommendations. However, many extensions intended for Chrome might not work as intended for other browsers.
Extensions aren’t the only way to improve your Chrome experience. There are plenty of tips and tricks for Chrome on the desktop to help unlock the browser’s full potential.
