Google Chrome is the most popular browser in modern times, accounting for about 67% of the global desktop market share as of September 2024. But what makes Chrome enjoyable is its many add-ons you can choose from, which make your everyday browsing easier and memorable.
The Google Chrome browser is so good that Microsoft used Google’s open-source code to rebuild Microsoft Edge. Doing this allows Edge browser to support all Chrome’s extensions and also their Microsoft Extensions. Today, we will look at eleven free Google free extensions we can use to make our browsing experience blissful.
1. Save to Pocket
Source: google.com
Pocket is an excellent add-on to have if you are an avid reader online or want to save some articles to read later. It’s a convenient way of going back to saved web pages, images, or files. Another awesome thing about the pocket add-on is its ability to recommend other contents that may interest you.
2. LastPass
When browsing, we interact with many sites each day, and some of these sites will require us to register with them to gain access to their content or product. At this point, everything is okay. The problem starts when you have five, ten, or twenty of these sites. You won’t visit each one every day, and you won’t remember every single password.
That’s when LastPass comes in. It helps you store your password in a central place and auto-fill them when you get to those sites. All you have to know is one essential password for your LastPass account. Save yourself from the risks of using passwords like “Dave12345” for all your online accounts.
3. Grammarly
Source: pinterest.com
Do you do a lot of writing online? Maybe emails to clients, colleagues, or even management. Then you will need a tool to make your grammar flawless. That’s Grammarly for you. The add-on integrates with your browser and helps you check for syntax and grammatical errors. It also helps make your sentences readable and clear. The goal of the add-on is to make sure you make little to no mistakes while communicating online.
4. Pushbullet
Ever been frustrated because messages constantly interrupt you on your phone when trying to work with your laptop? Then Pushbullet is a viable option for you. It allows you to respond to apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Kik, and SMS messages from your desktop. You can even view who is calling you from your desktop.
Another neat feature aside from working from one central place is that you can send files directly to your phone from your laptop as long as it’s less than 25MB. It is a great extension to keep if you are constantly on your system with little time for your phone.
5. Honey
Source: clark.com
Looking for the best price while shopping online can be time-consuming and stressful. Jumping from one competitor site to another to find the best price or look for coupons shouldn’t be what eats into your shopping time. And with Honey, that problem becomes non-existent.
Honey Chrome extension automatically scans over 30,000 stores online to get you the best deal and save you some cash. It’s an extension that is a no-brainer if you are looking to save yourself extra money.
6. SignalHire
Ever thought of someone you have been searching for and didn’t know how to find the person? Or maybe there is a job opening, and you want to get in touch with people that fit the role. Well, you don’t need to look far again as the SignalHire email finder will help you track the personal and company phone numbers and email addresses of people in any profession. This is especially helpful in recruitment, for instance—as it will streamline the process.
SignalHire is a must-get for recruiters, marketers, and sales personnel. The Chrome extension allows you to go through websites like LinkedIn and GitHub. It also helps you find that person or group of people on platforms like Facebook.
7. StayFocusd
An add-on we all need in our modern time, StayFocusd’s job is to make sure you stay focused. StayFocusd allows you to set a time to prevent you from visiting a site and helps you do so by blocking that site for that period.
It has a safety feature to help you commit to the time called strict mode. The mode stops you from changing the time once set. It also has a lock mode, which requires you to input a password before altering the time. It’s a perfect extension for anyone who regularly checks their social media accounts or other sites a bit too much.
8. Nimbus Capture
Ever thought of capturing an article or a part of a website? Then Nimbus Capture is the extension for you. You can capture website pages and edit the picture. You can blur out sensitive information, add drawings to explain yourself, and resize your images. The best part is you can also record videos and share them across different platforms. It also allows you to save your screenshots locally.
9. Speedtest By Ookla
Source: pinterest.com
Your internet speed is crucial in executing your duties at home or in the work environment. And there are service providers that claim to offer you a certain speed when browsing. Speedtest can help you confirm this because it can scan the load, download, and upload time.
10. Distill Web Monitor
Ever refreshed a site a lot of times because of a piece of new information you needed? It may be you are a journalist staying up to date with the latest news or an eCommerce owner keeping up with reviews and competitor prices. The truth is, you need to be on that site so that you don’t miss a breaking story or a sudden price change. This situation is where distill comes in. It helps by updating you on any change on those sites. All you have to do is, after registering, add a list of websites or elements of the site to your watch list and set it on how you want to get informed on the latest update.
You can set distill to email, SMS or push signal you on your system to inform you of an update.
11. Disconnect
Source: pluginsaddonsextensions.com
Ever gone to a site before, for example, a site that sells shoes. And after closing the site, you notice adverts about shoes popping out every second? We are sure if you must have experienced such if you are a regular browser. The reason is that third-party cookies “spy” on your activities and try to copy your internet behavior or pattern. They can sell this information or use it to sell items to you.
Another downside to this is that they also slow down your browsing speed. Disconnect offers you the solution you thought you never had. The software allows you to block these third-party cookies, allowing you to approve the ones you want to follow you. It gives you complete control of your browsing experience without the fears of cookies following you.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, there are thousands of tools to choose from, but these eleven are some of the standout tools on Google Chrome today. It doesn’t cost you anything to install and try them, and if they are not to your taste, it cost you nothing to uninstall them. In our opinion, it is a win-win situation for you.
