15 Recommended Chrome Extensions for New Browser

Just formatted your PC or Mac and installed Chrome? Nice-starting fresh feels great! The next step? Getting your browser set up with the right tools. Chrome works well out of the box, but extensions are where the real magic happens.

Whether you’re focused on boosting productivity, staying secure online, or just making everyday browsing smoother, I’ve got some recommendations.

In this post, you’ll find 15 must-have Chrome extensions-my go-to picks whenever someone asks, “What should I install?”

These extensions can help you:

• Boost productivity
• Block annoying ads
• Save time and money
• Keep your tabs organized (because we all open too many)

Grammarly

Grammarly is a writing assistant that improves your spelling, grammar, and clarity. It works seamlessly in emails, documents, and web forms.

Key Features:

• Real-time grammar and spelling corrections.
• Suggestions to improve tone and style.
• Integrates with popular platforms like Gmail, Google Docs, and social media.
• A personal dictionary to save unique words.

Whether you’re composing a formal email or casual message, Grammarly ensures your writing is polished and professional.

Alternatives:

• LanguageTool – A multilingual writing assistant with grammar and style checks.
• ProWritingAid – An advanced tool offering detailed writing insights and analysis.

LastPass

LastPass is a password manager that keeps all your credentials secure and accessible. It simplifies managing multiple accounts with features like:

• Secure storage of passwords, notes, and personal information in an encrypted vault.
• Autofill for login credentials on websites and apps.
• Built-in password generator for creating strong, unique passwords.
• Cross-device sync for seamless access across all your devices.

By using LastPass, you only need to remember one master password, making account management both secure and convenient.

Alternatives:

• Bitwarden – A free, open-source password manager with similar features.
• Dashlane – Offers password management with a focus on simplicity and additional security tools.

Dark Reader

Dark Reader is a must-have extension for enabling dark mode across all websites. It enhances browsing comfort, especially in low-light environments.

Key Features:

• Applies a customizable dark theme to any website.
• Adjusts brightness, contrast, and sepia tones to suit your preferences.
• Allows site-specific toggles to disable or enable dark mode as needed.
• No ads or tracking, keeping your browsing private.

Whether you’re working late or just prefer a darker interface, Dark Reader makes your browsing easier on the eyes.

Alternatives:

• Night Eye – A similar tool with advanced options for dark mode customization.
• Dark Mode – A simpler extension for toggling dark mode on and off.

Google Translate

Google Translate makes language barriers a thing of the past. This extension integrates with Chrome to provide instant translations for web pages and text.

Key Features:

• One-click translation of entire web pages.
• Quick translation of selected text via the right-click menu.
• Supports over 100 languages.
• Customizable settings for automatic or manual translation.

Whether you’re browsing international websites or need help understanding foreign text, Google Translate ensures seamless communication.

Alternatives:

• Lingvanex Translator – A feature-rich translator with voice support and dictionary options.
• DeepL Translator – Known for its high-quality translations with a focus on context and tone.

uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin is a lightweight and efficient ad blocker that enhances your browsing experience by eliminating intrusive ads. It also protects your privacy by blocking trackers and malicious domains.

Key Features:

• Blocks ads, pop-ups, and trackers for a faster, cleaner browsing experience.
• Uses fewer system resources compared to other ad blockers.
• Customizable filters and whitelists for advanced users.
• Protects against malware and phishing attempts by blocking harmful domains.

With uBlock Origin, you can enjoy distraction-free browsing without slowing down your system.

Alternatives:

• AdBlock – A popular ad blocker with easy-to-use features.
• Adblock Plus – Another reliable option for blocking ads and trackers.

HTTPS Everywhere

HTTPS Everywhere is a security-focused extension that ensures your connections to websites are secure. It automatically redirects you to HTTPS versions of websites when available.

Key Features:

• Automatically switches sites from HTTP to HTTPS to secure your browsing.
• Protects sensitive data from being intercepted on unsecured connections.
• Maintains a database of HTTPS-enabled sites for seamless redirection.
• Reduces risk of man-in-the-middle attacks on public Wi-Fi networks.

This extension is a simple way to boost your online privacy and security without any extra effort.

Alternatives:

• Secure Site – Highlights whether the site you visit uses HTTPS or not.
• Smart HTTPS – Automatically upgrades connections to HTTPS and falls back to HTTP when necessary.

Click&Clean

Click&Clean is a privacy-focused extension that simplifies clearing your browsing data. With just a click, you can remove history, cookies, and caches to keep your data safe and improve browser performance.

Key Features:

• One-click clearing of browsing history, cookies, and caches.
• Scans for and removes unnecessary files to free up space.
• Provides quick access to Chrome’s privacy settings.
• Works as a browser hygiene tool, helping to prevent tracking.

Click&Clean is an excellent tool for maintaining your browser’s speed and protecting your privacy.

Alternatives:

• Clear Cookies and Storage – Focuses on clearing cookies and storage for individual sites.
• History Eraser – A simple tool for managing and clearing your browsing history.

Momentum

Momentum transforms your new tab page into a personalized productivity dashboard. It helps you stay focused and organized while providing a visually pleasing experience.

Key Features:

• Displays inspiring daily backgrounds and quotes.
• Built-in to-do list to track tasks directly on your new tab page.
• Customizable focus area to set daily priorities.
• Integrates with productivity tools like Todoist and Asana.

Momentum is perfect for keeping you motivated and focused throughout your workday.

Alternatives:

• Start.me – A customizable homepage for organizing bookmarks, widgets, and RSS feeds.
• iChrome – Allows you to create a custom dashboard with widgets like weather and news.

Toby

Toby is a powerful tab manager that helps you organize and save your tabs into collections. It’s designed to reduce clutter and improve productivity.

Key Features:

• Save and organize tabs into customizable collections for future use.
• Quickly restore entire tab collections with one click.
• Syncs your tab collections across devices for seamless access.
• Provides a clean and minimal interface to manage your workspace efficiently.

Toby is ideal for users who need to juggle multiple projects or research topics without overwhelming their browser.

Alternatives:

• Session Buddy – A session manager for recovering and organizing tabs.
• OneTab – Converts all open tabs into a list to save memory and reduce clutter.

StayFocusd

StayFocusd is a productivity extension designed to help you stay focused by limiting the time you spend on distracting websites. It encourages better time management with features like:

• Set daily time limits for specific websites or categories.
• Block entire websites, subdomains, or specific content on a page.
• “Nuclear Option” to block distractions entirely for a set period.
• Customizable settings for working hours and focus time.

StayFocusd is a simple yet effective tool to keep you on track and minimize procrastination.

Alternatives:

• BlockSite – Blocks access to time-wasting sites and apps with scheduling features.
• LeechBlock NG – Provides advanced site-blocking options with customizable rules.

Notion Web Clipper

The Notion Web Clipper lets you save web content directly to your Notion workspace. It’s perfect for collecting research, bookmarking articles, or saving ideas.

Key Features:

• Save full web pages or selected content to Notion with one click.
• Organize clips into specific Notion pages or databases.
• Access your saved content from any device with Notion installed.
• Clean, distraction-free interface for seamless clipping.

This tool is indispensable for anyone using Notion to manage projects, track ideas, or store information.

Alternatives:

• Evernote Web Clipper – Save web pages, articles, and PDFs to Evernote with tags and annotations.
• Pocket – Quickly save articles and videos to view later, even offline.

Session Buddy

Session Buddy is a session and tab manager designed to help you recover and organize your browsing sessions. It’s perfect for anyone who works with multiple tabs.

Key Features:

• Save and restore tabs after a browser crash or accidental closure.
• Organize sessions by topic or project for easier access later.
• Search through saved sessions to find specific tabs quickly.
• Export and share session data in various formats, including CSV and JSON.

Session Buddy ensures you never lose important tabs or work due to unexpected issues.

Alternatives:

• Toby – Focuses on organizing tabs into collections for easier retrieval.
• OneTab – Consolidates open tabs into a list to save memory and reduce clutter.

Print Friendly & PDF

Print Friendly & PDF cleans up web pages for distraction-free printing or saving as PDFs. It removes ads, navigation menus, and other unnecessary elements to optimize content.

Key Features:

• Clean up pages by removing unwanted sections before printing.
• Save optimized pages as PDFs for offline reading or sharing.
• Customize font size and layout to improve readability.
• Supports sharing the cleaned-up version via email or social media.

This extension is great for professionals and students who frequently need clean copies of online content.

Alternatives:

• Save as PDF – Quickly save entire web pages as PDFs with one click.
• PDF Mage – Capture web pages as high-quality PDFs for archiving or sharing.

Honey

Honey is an extension that helps you save money by automatically finding and applying coupon codes at checkout. It also tracks prices and offers cashback rewards.

Key Features:

• Automatically applies the best coupon codes for online shopping.
• Tracks price history for products to help you find the best deals.
• Earns cashback rewards when shopping at participating retailers.
• Supports thousands of popular online stores.

With Honey, you can make smarter shopping decisions and save time hunting for discounts.

Alternatives:

• Rakuten – Offers cashback rewards and coupon codes for participating stores.
• Coupon Follow – Finds and applies discount codes from a community of users.

Loom

Loom is a screen recording extension that lets you capture and share videos instantly. It’s perfect for creating tutorials, explaining concepts, or sharing feedback.

Key Features:

• Record your screen, webcam, or both simultaneously.
• Instantly share videos with a link after recording.
• Basic editing tools like trimming for refining your recordings.
• Unlimited video storage on the free plan with viewer analytics.

Loom is an essential tool for remote workers, educators, and content creators looking to communicate effectively through video.

Alternatives:

• Screencastify – A screen recording tool with drawing and annotation features.
• Awesome Screenshot – Combines screen recording and image capture with annotation tools.