There are more than a few ways to waste time on the internet.
But if you use it effectively, the web can help you to focus on your work, save money, become more efficient, and protect your personal information.
Enter Google Chrome extensions. .
These third-party applications allow users to tailor the way they access and use the world wide web.
In this article, you’ll learn about 25 of the best Google Chrome extensions.
But first…
Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Hire yourself and start calling the shots.
What Are Chrome Extensions?
Chrome add-ons or extensions are small programs you can install in your Google Chrome browser to extend its functionality.
These programs enable you to perform certain functions, like taking a screenshot of a webpage or researching keyword volume, directly in the Chrome browser.
Developers typically build these extensions using CSS, JavaScript, and HTML scripts.
25 Best Extensions for Chrome (Useful and Easy)
Now that you have the basic definition of Chrome extensions, let’s look at some good options to install for your browser. Some of them will help you become more productive and organized. Others will help you stay secure and save money. And more than a few others will improve your business.
1. Oberlo – Aliexpress Product Importer
With Oberlo’s Chrome Extension the entire product sourcing process is simplified. Import products from suppliers in seconds, with just one click. Oberlo is a dropshipping app that allows you to find trending products to sell online, add them to your Shopify store, and start selling today. You’ll never need to worry about packaging or shipping.
Couple your Oberlo account with their Product Importer extension and you can have your ecommerce store up and running in no time.
Add Oberlo Product Importer for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
2. Koala Inspector – Inspect Shopify Shops
Ever land on an online store and wonder what platform it was built on? With this extension, you can see if that beautiful website was created through Shopify, an e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems.
This interesting tool highlights not only if the website was created through Shopify, but also what the theme is, if any new products have been added, best selling products in the store, and product statistics. Alongside Oberlo’s Product Importer extension, this tool can help you get ahead of your competitors.
Add Shopify Inspector for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
3. StayFocusd
Procrastination is a funny thing.
One minute, you’re all set to work. Next minute, you’re learning about deep sea marine life on Wikipedia.
StayFocusd helps you to be more productive by limiting the amount of time that you can spend on time-wasting websites. Simply set how long you’ll allow yourself on distracting websites. Then, when you’ve used up your allotted time, the extension will block those sites for the rest of the day.
StayFocusd is also extremely flexible to your needs. You can block entire websites, specific subdomains or pages, and even specific in-page content (such as videos, games, and images).
Add StayFocusd for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
4. News Feed Eradicator for Facebook
When used intentionally, Facebook is a magnificent tool. But if you let it, it will happily steal half of your morning.
If you find yourself spending too much time on Facebook, News Feed Eradicator for Facebook is the extension you need.
It eradicates the most addictive and time-consuming part of the site: the News Feed.
The best part about this Chrome extension is that it doesn’t block Facebook entirely. You can still use Facebook’s other features, such as Messenger, Groups, and Marketplace.
Add News Feed Eradicator for Facebook for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
5. RescueTime
RescueTime is another popular productivity extension that measures how much time you spend on each website you visit.
We may think we only spent 5 minutes checking our email, but with RescueTime, there’s no hiding from the fact that it was more like, oh, I don’t know… exactly 27 minutes and 39 seconds.
*Gulp*
This app tracks everything so you can understand your habits and become more productive. It will even pause if your keyboard and mouse go untouched for two minutes or more.
RescueTime is free for the Lite version. However, to access additional features like alerts and site-blocking, you can upgrade to the Premium version for $6 per month or $72 per year.
Add RescueTime for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
6. FoxClocks
Next on our Chrome extension list is FoxClocks, an add-on that shows all time zones from around the world at the bottom of your browser. If you worry about daylight saving time while working with a global team, then this is the best chrome extension for you. You can customize how you view the time via this extension making it very flexible.
FoxClocks automatically checks for updates to the time zone database, so you’ll know that you’ll always be on time.
Add FoxClocks for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
7. Buffer
Buffer is a simple but powerful social media tool. If you’re managing multiple social media accounts and would like to schedule updates to platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, you need this tool.
The extension places Buffer in the toolbar so that whenever you land on a page you’d like to share, all you have to do is click the icon and schedule your updates.
The free version lets you connect three social media accounts, and schedule up to 10 posts to be published later. But Buffer also has a handful of other premium plans depending on your needs.
Add Buffer for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
8. BeFunky
BeFunky is a free extension that helps with image editing. It’s designed to help you whip up professional-looking images to include in your projects.
Just open a webpage in your browser and click the BeFunky icon to open the extension in a new window.
Your webpage and its contents will be waiting in an image editor for you to customize. Then, you can use an array of editing tools to customize the image. BeFunky’s free version allows you to edit for contrast and exposure, as well as modify the layers and background.as.
The best part is that BeFunky offers many free templates, so you can easily create a brochure, poster, or invitation card. .
Add BeFunky for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
9. Loom
Sometimes emails won’t cut it and things are best done in a video.
Loom is a free Google Chrome extension that allows you to capture, narrate and instantly share video recordings of your screen. This isn’t the best program for video editing, but it is jam-packed with incredibly useful features.
Record just your current tab or your entire screen. Choose whether you’d like to include a thumbnail video of your face on the webcam. Plus, you can share the videos instantly, and even choose whether the video needs a password to be seen.
The best part is that there’s no limit to how much you can record — and it’s absolutely 100% free!
Add Loom for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
10. Send to Kindle
Do you ever come across long articles that you’d love to read, but just don’t have the time at that particular moment?
Send to Kindle is a simple extension that solves this problem entirely.
Whenever you come across something online that you’d like to read properly, instead of missing out or frantically skim-reading it, use this extension to come back to it at a more convenient time.
You can send web content to your Kindle in just two clicks, and the extension will convert it into a clean, reader-friendly format.
Add Send to Kindle for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
11. Mercury Reader
Most web pages today have an incredible amount of clutter and advertising on them. This can make it difficult to focus on the article you want to pay attention to.
Mercury Reader to the rescue.
This simple extension strips away all of the noise and presents clean, reader-friendly versions of web pages and articles.
Choose between a dark or light theme, and share articles sans clutter via email or social media.
Add Mercury Reader for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
12. Grammarly
Grammarly is a powerhouse. This extension checks the grammar and spelling of everything you write online.
Never again will you make a silly typo or grammar mistake in your emails, Facebook comments, tweets, and so on.
What’s more, it doesn’t just check spellings but offers accurate, context-specific suggestions.
The Chrome extension is free, but Grammarly also has some extra premium features available for a monthly fee.
Add Grammarly for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
13. Google Dictionary
Sure, you could Google it, or head to Dictionary.com — but why bother when the Google Dictionary extension offers a shortcut?
Instead of opening a new tab to check the definition or spelling of a work, simply highlight the word and click the Google Dictionary extension icon in your browser.
Alternatively, click the icon and type in the word or double-click a word on any web page.
It’s fast, simple, and essential.
Add Google Dictionary for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
14. Google Calendar
How often do you check Google Calendar? For many people, the answer might be one of two things: “too much” or “not enough.”
Either way, this extension is your salvation.
It puts a small Calendar icon in the toolbar of your browser. Now, you can check your upcoming events with a single click without leaving your page. Plus, your calendar isn’t taking up valuable tab space.
You can also customize which calendars appear in the extension, and if you’d like to know more details simply click “Google Calendar” to open your full calendar in a new tab.
Add Google Calendar for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
15. Evernote Web Clipper
Evernote is hands-down the best way to collect and organize resources and notes online. This incredible tool also syncs across all of your devices and even lets you search images for text.
The Evernote Web Clipper Chrome extension lets users save web content to their Evernote notebooks in just a couple of clicks.
But that’s not all.
You can also save full articles, reader-friendly versions, screenshots, and more. Plus, Evernote even lets you annotate screenshots within your browser before you save them to your account.
Evernote is free, but also offers premium business features for a monthly fee.
Add Evernote Web Clipper for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
16. Cite This For Me: Web Citer
Properly attributing research, data, and quotes can be a pain, to say the least.
Cite This For Me: Web Citer is here to help.
This free web tool is designed to help you quickly prepare an entire bibliography or reference list in no time at all. Simply add your references or citations, choose your citation style, and add the formatted bibliography to your paper.
Add Cite This For Me: Web Citer for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
17. Boomerang for Gmail
Boomerang is the ultimate email productivity tool.
With this Gmail plugin, you can write emails and send them later – even if you’re not online. That way, you won’t end up in a perpetual back-and-forth email conversation that consumes your days.
But that’s not all.
You can also track responses, write better emails with the help of AI, schedule reminders right inside Gmail, know when your emails are read with cross-platform read receipts, and more.
The Boomerang extension puts all of this functionality just a click away. If you’re looking for cool Chrome extensions, this tool won’t disappoint.
The free plan allows users to schedule up to 10 messages per month, but Boomerang also offers unlimited scheduling and premium features for a small monthly fee.
Add Boomerang for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
18. AdBlock
No list of the top Chrome extensions would be complete without AdBlock.
This extension has had over 200 million downloads and it’s easy to understand why. With the constant bombardment of interruption advertising in 2018, this extension is vital.
AdBlock blocks ad content from known ad servers and providers.
You can choose to continue seeing unobtrusive ads, whitelist your favorite sites, or simply block all ads by default. Some websites will require you to disable your ad blocker to see their content. AdBlock lets you whitelist these sites in just a couple of clicks.
Add AdBlock for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
19. Honey
Who doesn’t love a discount?
But no one loves a spam-filled inbox full of updates, and newsletters from retailers – even if they do include coupons.
Honey was created to solve exactly this problem.
Whenever you reach the checkout of an online store, this extension scours the web for discount codes that you can apply to your basket with one click.
It works with Amazon, Target, Macy’s, and more than one hundred other online stores in the US, UK, and Canada.
Save money without the hassle.
Add Honey for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
20. InvisibleHand
InvisibleHand is one of the most recommended Chrome extensions for saving money. With this tool, you save by searching the web for lower prices.
It’s not a perfect system, but the extension is definitely worth having as it searches a pool of over 600 retailers to see if you could save money on your purchase.
The extension works particularly well for flights and is supported in the US, UK, and Germany.
Add InvisibleHand for free in the Google Chrome Web Store
21. Keywords Everywhere
If you’re a marketer, keywords are an important part of your life.
Sure, there’s a host of incredibly complex tools out that you can spend hours diving into. But what if you just need to check out a keyword or two?
That’s where Keywords Everywhere can help.
This extension shows related keywords and People Also Search For Keywords for free. With the paid version you can see the volume, cost-per-click (CPC), and competition for keywords wherever you search them on sites like Google, Amazon, YouTube, and more.
Stay on top of your keyword game with ease.
Add Keywords Everywhere for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
22. Tab Wrangler
Be honest: How many tabs do you have open right now? If there’s too many to count at a glance, check out Tab Wrangler.
This simple extension automatically closes Tabs after they’ve been inactive for a set period of time. Don’t worry though, it won’t close tabs that you “Pin” even when you’re not browsing them.
What’s more, closed tabs are easy to recover – just click the Tab Wrangler icon to see a list of closed sites.
Ditch the clutter.
Add Tab Wrangler for free in the Chrome Web Store.
23. LastPass: Free Password Manager
Remembering passwords for so many sites is such a hassle. So much so that lots of people just use the same password for multiple sites…
Sure, this makes your life easier – but it makes the hacker’s life easier, too.
LastPass is a tool that stores all of your passwords securely in your “vault.” To access this vault, you set one extremely secure password. Then, you can set LastPass to create new, super-secure passwords for all of your online accounts.
LastPass automatically enters your new secure passwords wherever you go online. Plus, the tool syncs across multiple devices.
It’s simple, secure, and free. You can also access premium features for a small yearly fee.
Add LastPass for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
24. Momentum
Momentum allows you to transform the New Tab Page into a personalized productivity dashboard.
When you open a new tab in Chrome, this extension will greet you with a stunning photo, inspirational quote, and the question, “What is your main focus for today?”
You use a widget for your to-do list and add links to your favorite sites for easy access. Oh, and the weather is also displayed in the top right-hand corner of the window.
Add Momentum for free in the Google Chrome Web Store.
25. Earth View from Google Earth 2.
Earth View from Google Earth is a minimalist alternative to Momentum. This extension presents you with a breathtaking satellite image from Google Earth each time you open a new tab in Chrome.
Although there are no productivity widgets, there are links to download the photo as a desktop wallpaper, view the image on Google Maps, or share it on social media. You can also access Google Apps from the window.
Add Earth View from Google Earth for free in the Google Chrome Web Store
Conclusion
The internet is an incredible tool when used effectively.
So take advantage of these usefulChrome extensions to get the most out of your time spent on the web.
Which extension are you most excited to start using? Let us know in the comments below!
Summary: 25 Best Browser Extensions for Chrome Users
- Oberlo – Aliexpress Product Importer
- Koala Inspector for Shopify
- StayFocusd
- News Feed Eradicator for Facebook
- RescueTime
- FoxClocks
- Buffer
- BeFunky
- Loom
- Send to Kindle
- Mercury Reader
- Grammarly
- Google Dictionary
- Google Calendar
- Evernote Web Clipper
- Cite This For Me: Web Citer
- Boomerang for Gmail
- AdBlock
- Honey
- InvisibleHand
- Keywords Everywhere
- Tab Wrangler
- LastPass: Free Password Manager
- Momentum
- Earth View from Google Earth
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