The biggest advantage that Google Chrome has over any other web browser is the extensive library of extensions available on the Chrome Web Store. Of course, popular extensions are available for other browsers too, but the sheer number and the quality of extensions that are available for Chrome is unmatched. Now you can even use Chrome extensions on Android devices, which is super cool. That said, since the number of extensions available on the Chrome Web Store is so extensive, it is difficult to find out the best extensions which are really useful to a user. That’s the reason we have created this list of the best Google Chrome Extensions you should get in 2023.
Here, we have mentioned Chrome extensions for students, researchers, general users, business folks, and more. We also added many extensions for improving productivity on Chrome. You can expand the table below and move to the desired section with just a click.
Chrome Extensions for Privacy and Security
Click&CleanPrivacy BadgeruBlock OriginTunnelBear VPNDuckDuckGo Privacy EssentialsChrome Extensions for Better Reading and Video Experience
Dark ReaderMagic Actions for YouTubeYouTube Rabbit HolePicture-in-Picture ExtensionControls for Instagram VideosRead AloudTurn Off the LightsPocketInstaPaperEvernote Web ClipperImagusGoogle Scholar ButtonChrome Extensions for General Productivity
StayFocusdRaindrop.ioKamiNoisliMarinaraGrammarlyBitwardenPushbulletTodoistHoneySave Image as TypeDistillCliptMagical- Text Expander & AutofillChrome Extensions for Gmail Productivity
MailTrackChecker PlusMailButler For GmailGmail TablesChrome Extensions for Tab Management
The Great SuspenderChrome Extensions for Customizing New Tabs
Start.meInfinity New Tab (Pro)Chrome Extensions for Media Creation
Awesome Screenshot & Screen RecorderLoom / ScreenitySmallpdfOther Useful Chrome Extensions
Teleparty / ScenerSuperYouTubeImageAssistant Batch Image DownloaderClickbait Remover for YoutubeVolume MasterCustom Cursor for ChromeTypio Form RecoveryScreen ShaderGoogle DictionaryReturn YouTube DislikeShazamCoffeelingsBonus: Momentum
Click&CleanPrivacy BadgeruBlock OriginTunnelBear VPNDuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials
Dark ReaderMagic Actions for YouTubeYouTube Rabbit HolePicture-in-Picture ExtensionControls for Instagram VideosRead AloudTurn Off the LightsPocketInstaPaperEvernote Web ClipperImagusGoogle Scholar Button
StayFocusdRaindrop.ioKamiNoisliMarinaraGrammarlyBitwardenPushbulletTodoistHoneySave Image as TypeDistillCliptMagical- Text Expander & Autofill
MailTrackChecker PlusMailButler For GmailGmail Tables
The Great Suspender
Start.meInfinity New Tab (Pro)
Awesome Screenshot & Screen RecorderLoom / ScreenitySmallpdf
Teleparty / ScenerSuperYouTubeImageAssistant Batch Image DownloaderClickbait Remover for YoutubeVolume MasterCustom Cursor for ChromeTypio Form RecoveryScreen ShaderGoogle DictionaryReturn YouTube DislikeShazamCoffeelings
Chrome Extensions for Privacy and Security
1. Click&Clean
Click&Clean is one of the must-have Chrome extensions for privacy and safety. As the name suggests, it deletes your browser history, URLs you have typed, cache, cookies and downloads in just 1-click once you close the Chrome browser! The extension is a kill switch that you can press to immediately delete the traces of your internet session. Not only it can remove the aforementioned details, Click&Clean also offers an app that can clean temporary files on your computer’s hard disk to make way for disk space.
Privacy Badger is a great extension that protects your online privacy while you are browsing the internet. It blocks spying ads and invisible trackers and ensures that companies can’t track your browsing without your consent. One of the biggest problems with online browsing today is the trackers that follow you across websites and generate information about you to deliver targeted ads. Privacy Badger protects you from such kind of invisible trackers.
Install: Privacy Badger
While you might think that most of the information available on the web is available for free, you are actually paying for it with your privacy. Invisible trackers track you across sites and deliver you targeted ads. While the extensions mentioned above stop invisible trackers from tracking your browsing data, uBlock Origin blocks those persistent ads from showing on the websites. uBlock also allows you to whitelist the websites of your favorite creators so that you can browse the internet ad-free without keeping a guilty conscience.
A good way to protect your browsing history from being tracked not only by the automatic scripts present on websites but also from your ISPs (internet service providers) is by using a VPN. A VPN allows you to browse the internet by using a virtual or proxy IP address and saves your browsing data from getting tracked. VPN also had added benefits of unblocking the region-locked content.
Install: TunnelBear VPN
DuckDuckGo became popular as an alternative search engine to Google (Bing was never in the picture) as it promised users that it doesn’t track any of their data. Now, the service has also launched its Chrome extension which helps users in protecting their privacy across the internet.
6. Dark Reader
Dark Reader is an extension that brings dark mode to the whole of the internet. Whenever you are on a website, all you need to is click on the Dark Reader extension icon and it will apply the dark theme to that website. It also provides you with more granular control over the applied dark theme as the user can control brightness, contrast, make sepia filters adjustment, change font settings, and more. Using Dark Reader, you can get Chrome dark theme for any website that you visit. If you love dark mode, do give this one a try.
Install: Dark Reader
This one is for people who spend most of their time watching videos on YouTube cannot escape its vortex. I am one of those people and the Magic Actions extension for YouTube has been a great partner in crime for me. The extension brings a ton of features like Auto HD (always play videos in HD), instant control over volume by scrolling mouse wheel, Cinema Mode, 1-click snapshot, day/night toggle switch, managing watch history, and more. If you spend a lot of time on YouTube, you should definitely give this one a try.
YouTube Rabbit Hole is a not-so-popular Chrome extension but believe me, it’s one of the best Chrome extensions in 2023 that you can use. You already know how algorithms lull you into clicking on likable videos taking you deeper into the rabbit hole. Within a moment, you are watching videos on conspiracy theories and whatnot.
YouTube comes with a built-in Picture-in-Picture mode, but if you want to use the same PiP mode then you will need to install a separate extension. No matter on which website you are watching videos, you can create a PiP window with this extension.
Controls for Instagram Videos is a simply Chrome extension that adds playback controls to Instagram videos. Once you install this extension, you will automatically get options like playback speed, picture-in-picture mode, seek bar and a volume control option on Instagram videos. This makes scrolling through Instagram and watching reels a much better experience, which, otherwise is not possible to lack of media playback options on the social media platform.
Install: Controls for Instagram Videos
If you prefer listening to long essays and articles on the web then the Read Aloud extension is for you. It uses text-to-speech (TTS) technology to convert texts to audio and the extension supports more than 40 languages. That’s amazing, right? For researchers and students, this is a must-have Chrome extension.
Turn off the Lights is another extension that is a must for users who watch a lot of videos on places like YouTube. The extension basically fades the entire page while highlighting the video you are watching, giving you an immersive experience. The best part about using this extension is that it works for all known video sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Hulu, Netflix, Metacafe, YouKu, and more.
13. Pocket
Pocket is a read it later service that allows users to save articles offline for later reading. Apart from having a Chrome extension, Pocket also has its own Android and iOS app, allowing users to read articles on the go. It’s one of those services which you never realize you needed until you use it once. If you like to read a lot of articles on the web, Pocket will be an extremely valuable service to you.
Just like Pocket, InstaPaper is a read it later service which helps you in saving web pages to read later on your iPhone, iPad, Android, computer, or Kindle. Although Pocket was the first read-it-later service to hit the market, I personally prefer InstaPaper over it because it offers a far better, minimalistic, and eye-pleasing UI.
Evernote Web Clipper is a great extension if you are already using Evernote’s service. While the web clipper can act as a read it later service, as it not only can save the offline version of an article but the entire article itself, I mainly use it as a researching tool. As you all know, Evernote is already one of the best note-taking apps out there, and having a web clipper that can save articles, bookmarks, and take quick screenshots, is just a boon. If you are using Evernote, its web clipper extension for Chrome is a must-have.
Install: Evernote Web Clipper
As you all know, Google Scholar is Google’s search engine arm that indexes and searches only scholarly articles. It’s a great tool for students who want to find the source of the article they are citing. Google Scholar Button allows students to do that, without having to open a new tab every time.
Install: Google Scholar Button
18. StayFocusd
Everyone opens their laptops swearing that they will be productive this time. However, the web is a big fat distracting place that has its own agenda. That’s why a few hours later you find that you have spent all your time on social media, watched a couple of hours of video, ranted on Twitter, got jealous of your Facebook friend’s statuses, and did pretty much everything else other than being productive.
19. Raindrop.io
If you don’t use a bookmark manager then you should start leveraging it for maximum productivity. Raindrop.io is a one-stop bookmark manager that allows you to save anything from photos to links, clip articles, PDFs, webpages, and more. You can neatly organize all your bookmarks with tags and sort them based on many parameters.
Kami is a solid Chrome extension for students, teachers, researchers, and educators. It’s a PDF and document annotation tool that can be a life-saver for students and educators. You can import any PDF, image, document; annotate on it and then describe everything using the webcam. It helps you create videos on the go as the company has partnered with Google Classroom for seamless creation and syncing with Google Drive.
Install: Kami / Additor
Want to be productive but getting distracted by all the noise around you, then check out Noisli. Noisli is one of the best and most beautifully designed productivity companions. No matter if you are in an environment where it is too loud or too quiet, with Noisli you can create and listen to your favorite background sounds in order to focus and concentrate on your tasks.
Another great way to improve your productivity is by using the Pomodoro technique. If you are not familiar with the term, it basically states that you should work in a cycle of deep work and rest. The basic cycle is 25 minutes of work followed by 5 minutes of rest, however, you can change the time as per your personal capacity.
Marniara helps you in using this Pomodoro method by bringing a Pomodoro clock to Chrome. The extension not only times your work and breaks but also keeps a record of it. The record is a great way to say how productive you have been in say last week or last month.
If you are really productive on the web, a good chunk of your time is being spent on writing things. Whether you are replying to emails or drafting your next article on Google Docs, Grammarly is an extension which can help you write better. It uses its underlying technology to identify grammatical errors in your writing, which are otherwise missed by any other word processor.
24. Bitwarden
While there are a lot of password managers which can help you secure your passwords, Bitwarden is probably my favorite as it is truly cross-platform, offers more features with its free tier, and is cheaper than most of the password managers out there. That’s why when it came to choosing a password manager extension, I went with Bitwarden.
I have always loved the convenience that comes with owning an iOS and macOS device. The way every service is synced across the devices is just beautiful. However, there is no such thing on an Android device. That is why Pushbullet is such a powerful service as it brings the same iOS and macOS synergy to your Android device with the help of its Chrome extension.
With Pushbullet, you can reply to messages, chat on services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, share links and files, see all the notifications, and do so much more. PushBullet is like having your Android device on your desktop.
Having a to-do list is one of the best ways to ensure that you remain productive throughout your day. Not only does a todo list make it easier to remember all your tasks, but it also helps you take things step by step, making it easier to tackle larger projects. Todoist is one of the best Chrome extensions you can use for managing a to do list on the go.
Install: Todoist
Honey is a little bit different from other productive extensions on this list as it doesn’t help you in getting more work done, rather it helps you save time in the work you are already doing. If you are a thrifter by nature, you must be spending a lot of time searching for coupons before you make an online purchase and since most of our shopping is done online these days, that time adds up pretty quickly.
This Chrome extension is a lifesaver for those users who want to download images in a specific file format. There are times when you download images and it turns out a WEBP file. In such cases, you have to open a photo editor and convert the image to JPG or PNG. Save Image as Type extension lets you directly download an image in an image format of your choice from the web. That’s awesome, right?
Install: Save Image as Type
Distill is a must-have Chrome extension for students and researchers. If you want to monitor a webpage for changes then this extension will do the job for you. For example, if you want to find out when the admissions will open online, you don’t need to open the website regularly to check for changes. The extension will monitor the webpage and if it finds any change then it will alert you via email, SMS, push notification on the phone, and more. That’s one handy tool, right?
Clipt is a Chrome extension from OnePlus Labs which makes it easier and more seamless to use devices of different ecosystems together. Basically, once you have the Clipt extension installed, and the Clipt app on your smartphone, you can easily share your clipboard between your devices. So, you can copy things on your laptop and paste on your phone, and vice versa. Similar to PushBullet, Clipt also lets you send files between your devices in a more seamless manner, which is great.
31. Magical- Text Expander & Autofill
if you are someone who performs repetitive tasks like entering data in fields and sending same emails with different text fields, this extension would prove to be a life changer for you. Magical – Text Expander & Autofill can help you create shortcuts for repetitive tasks and launch them just a click. You can autofill spreadsheets and send customized messages without typing them entirely. Magical is compatible with emails, chats, sheets and more. It is undoubtedly one of the best productivity Chrome extension catering to several working professionals.
32. MailTrack
One of the things that made WhatsApp really popular was the double-green checkmarks which helped users in seeing if their messages were read or not. MailTrack brings that same double-green checkmark feature to your Gmail account. The extension has been developed by MailTrack.io, and it lets you know if the emails you’ve sent have been read or not. The best part is that the service is free to use forever.
Checker Plus is a great way to manage multiple email accounts from Chrome. It basically brings Android-style notifications to your Chrome allowing you to mark emails as read and delete them. It even shows an iOS-style badge on the extension icon allowing you to see how many unread emails you have.
Using the extension you can also easily switch between your accounts without having to open a new window or tab. Lastly, it also gives you an option to run in this notifier in the background when Google Chrome is closed and can still show a new email alert.
MailButler is your own personal assistant for Gmail. It offers a plethora of features like send later, mail tracker, reminders, signatures, notes, message and email templates, and many more. I especially love the snooze features which removes the emails from the front for a predefined time so that I can deal with them later.
35. Gmail Tables
Everyone who has ever sent an email before knows that it is next to impossible to create a table in Gmail. Well, the “Gmail Tables” extension helps you solve this problem. When installed, it adds a table button to your Gmail’s compose window, allowing you to easily access and insert tables. The table is fully customizable.
36. The Great Suspender
There’s no denying that Chrome is a memory hog, and if you have multiple tabs open in Chrome, they massively impact your RAM usage and battery efficiency. That’s where The Great Suspender comes in. This Chrome extension basically puts unused tabs to sleep, or you can say, it suspends tabs that aren’t being used by you. This way, it helps in freeing up memory on your computer. When you navigate to a suspended tab, it is reloaded and you can continue browsing.
Install: The Great Suspender
37. Start.me
If you are someone who likes to see all the web information on a single dashboard, then this is the extension for you. Start.me turns your Chrome New Tab Page into a beautiful personal dashboard. With this, you get instant access to all your bookmarks, your favorite webpages, news feeds, notes, web apps, and more.
Infinity New Tab (Pro) is a very useful Chrome extension for anyone looking to make the most out of their new tabs on the browser. The extension shows up a handful of frequently visited websites right up on your new tab page, making it easier to navigate to websites you often visit. You can customise these shortcuts if needed, and the extension will even let you add a to do list to your new tabs to make it easier for you to keep a track of things you need to do.
Install: Infinity New Tab (Pro)
39. Awesome Screenshot & Screen Recorder
One of my favorite features of Firefox Quantum, is the built-in screenshot tool that comes with it. It makes taking and sharing screenshots of your browser a really easy task. While Chrome has no such feature, if you really need it, download the Awesome Screenshots extension. It not only lets you capture a screenshot on your web but also lets you record videos if you need to.
Loom is an easy to use screen recorder software for Chrome. The extension allows you to record your Chrome’s window with just a single click and also gives you an easy to share link once you finish recording. It’s the best way to record Chrome and share the recording with others without having to upload the file somewhere.
Other than that, I would strongly recommend Screenity which does everything that Loom offers and adds some new enhancements too. You can add your facecam to screen recording, create GIFs from screen recording, edit videos, annotate while recording the screen, and much more. Simply put, if you have to pick one screen recorder for Chrome, let it be Screenity.
If you deal with lots of PDFs then Smallpdf is simply one of the best Chrome extensions out there. You can edit, convert, merge, split and compress PDFs right in your Chrome browser. The best part is that you can convert a PDF file to MS Office documents and vice versa. Not to mention, the service is mostly free which is great.
42. Teleparty / Scener
Covid-19 mainstreamed watching movies and TV shows together with friends digitally. Teleparty (Previously known as Teleparty) is a great Chrome extension to watch movies remotely with friends. The extension currently supports Netflix, YouTube, Disney Plus, Hulu, Prime Video and HBO. Playback is synced during Teleparty and you can also chat with your friends while watching movies together
While Teleparty is limited to text chat, you can try Scener if you want to be on video call with your friends while watching videos together. However, accessing the video calling feature on Scener requires premium subscription.
44. ImageAssistant Batch Image Downloader
Downloading multiple images from a webpage is a painstaking task as you need to click on Save Image button again and again. But, this Chrome extension is here to make it easy for you. ImageAssistant Batch Image Downloader can detect images automatically on a webpage and you can download them in a batch by selecting the desired images. The extension also offers customisation options if you want to download high resolution images or save them in a particular folder.
I think all of us have been click-baited into clicking a video on YouTube based on the thumbnail. And it’s not our fault. You can’t win against the human mind. That’s why I use this simple extension that removes the video thumbnail and replaces it with a frame inside the video.
46. Volume Master
If you watch a ton of media on Google Chrome, this is a must-have Chrome extension for you. Volume Master is a powerful extension that lets you control the volume of the current tab with a simple slider and lets you boost the volume by 600%. If multiple tabs are playing audio, you can use it to quickly jump between those tabs and mute the ones you don’t want to listen to. This is the perfect extension for managing volume on Chrome.
Not every extension has to be useful, some can be there just for fun, and Custom Cursor for Chrome is one such extension. As the name suggests, it lets you customize the cursor on Chrome. From Thanos’s Infinity Gauntlet to lightsabers to Minecraft-themed cursors, there are hundreds of options to choose from. If you don’t like any of them, you can upload custom photos and create a cursor design that you like.
This extension is for those users who want to autosave values in a data field in case the browser crashes or the computer shuts down. There are also other use cases. If you enter the same data values in an entry field then you don’t need to copy and paste them manually.The extension remembers those data values and you can simply paste the data right from the browser. This extension has helped me a lot of times and I think you should try it if you want to autosave general data like name, address, email, and more.
Install: Typio Form Recovery
We all know that blue light affects our eyes and working on a browser for a long time can lead to serious eye-related issues. So to protect our eyes from further strain, you can use the Screen Shader extension which puts a shade of orange color over Chrome. You can also customize the color profile based on your need. In a way, it’s among the must-have Chrome extensions and you should definitely check it out.
As the name suggests, Google Dictionary is a simple Chrome extension that allows you to check the definition of words with just a double click. So go ahead and install the app for a hassle-free learning experience while surfing the web.
51. Return YouTube Dislike
YouTube recently started hiding the dislike counter on videos. Regardless of the reasoning YouTube gave behind the change, the dislike counter was a solid way of getting an idea of whether a video has been deemed useful by users or not. If that’s an indicator you used to depend on as well, the Return YouTube Dislike Chrome extension is one that you should definitely install.
Shazam is one of the best tools to identify songs easily, and now you can use it on your browser as well. Simply install the Shazam extension, and enable it when you want to identify the music playing within your browser. It’s a solid way to find out what music you’re hearing in a YouTube video or on a TikTok clip.
Having Coffeelings is like having a personalized journal in your browser where you can scribe notes and register your feelings. The aesthetically pleasing Chrome extension is quite relaxing and calming. After a hectic day, opening Coffeelings and recording your feelings is a true bliss.
Install: Coffeelings
Sometimes to become productive all you need is a constant reminder and motivation that you need to work. Momentum is an extension that helps in creating a configurable new tab, which gives you a moment of calm and inspires you to be more productive. The extension automatically updates the new tab’s background with a new soothing picture and an inspiring quote every day. It also allows you to add your daily focus and to-dos which are also visible on the new tab. It’s the best way to remind you of what needs to be done.
