According to the latest statistics from w3counter.com and Statcounter.com (August 2020), more than 60% of users globally use Google Chrome to surf the Internet. And the chances are, you are reading this article using Google Chrome as well. Year by year, Google Chrome proves to be the fastest and the most convenient web browser that has ever been made.
The good news is, that you can make it even more convenient and useful by adding extensions to it. If you take a look at the extensions offered for Google Chrome, you`ll see thousands (18,620 to be exact!) of all kinds of extensions – from extensions that make web surfing safer and easier to entertaining ones that help you unwind after using too much of the Internet!
Although there might be many Chrome extensions that would look great to have, each extension that you install on your web browser slows it down. So the more extensions you`ll have, the slower your Google Chrome will work, and the more memory it will consume.
Which Chrome extensions are essential to your web browsing experience? What extensions to install to avoid slowing down the system too much? Which are the best Google Chrome extensions?
You`ll find the answers to all these questions in this article. Keep reading to find out about the top Google Chrome extensions you MUST have to make your experience on the internet enjoyable and safe as well as experience maximum productivity!
These extensions are available even for other browsers that are based on Chromium platforms such as Brave and Slimjet browsers.
Best Google Chrome Extensions That are Free for Use
1. Web Developer Checklist
Analyses any web page for violations of best practices. This extension helps web developers easily discover problem areas on websites.
It evaluates several areas including best practices such as spelling and broken links, mobile-friendliness, performance, and SEO among others. Learn more about best on-page SEO practices
2. Check My Links
Check My Links is an extension developed mainly for web designers, developers and content editors. When you’re editing a web page that has lots of links, it comes in handy to be able to quickly check that all the links on the page are working ok. That’s where Check My Links comes in. Check My Links quickly finds all the links on a web page and checks each one for you. It highlights which ones are valid using a green colour code and green for the broken links.
You may also want to compare with Broken Link Checker, use this link to get the version that I found to be effective since there are two versions. The broken link checker has the option that allows you to check all the pages of a specific site for free for 2000 site links.
3. Ubersuggest – Traffic Analyzer
Ubersuggest is a free Chrome extension that shows you the most actionable SEO metrics such as related keywords to the search terms, monthly searches, and cost per click and estimated completion, all this is made available directly in Google search results, YouTube search results, and in your Amazon search suggested terms.
It can also allow you to analyse traffic on any site and get metrics such as domain score, and backlinks among others.
4. Grammarly for Chrome
This is a must-have tool for all writers and developers. Grammarly, as the name suggests, identifies errors such as grammar and spelling to style and tone, and helps you to eliminate writing errors and find the perfect words to express yourself. You’ll get suggestions from Grammarly as you write on Gmail, Twitter, LinkedIn, and nearly any other editor you find yourself writing.
You can get more tools in their premium version such as a plagiarism checker and multiple word choice among others. However, even the free tool is a good companion for everyday writing.
5. Adblock Plus – Free ad blocker
The Internet has turned into a huge marketplace during the past years – website developers monetize their sites by adding tons of annoying ads, pop-up windows, and auto-playing videos – sometimes you just get lost when you open a website! What`s more, the constantly loading ads and videos slow down your web browsing experience and consume a lot of traffic. But Adblock Plus is there to solve this problem for you!
Besides blocking unwanted ads and pop-up windows, it fights malware hidden in ads, doesn`t let websites track your activity without your consent and improves your web browsing experience in general. Also, if there is a website you trust and don`t mind showing you ads, you can add it to the white list. With Adblock-Plus you control everything.
The Internet world hasn`t seen a safer and more effective extension yet. Adblock Plus is probably the most popular Adblocker ever – it has been downloaded more than 500 million times and had over 10 million users in 2020! Moreover, it is also available for other web browsers as well – from Edge and Firefox to Safari.
However, some browsers under Chromium support come with their preinstalled Adblocker.
You can disable the extension for a specific trusted site in case it’s preventing it to load correctly or access some features like captcha and login forms. Some sponsored sites will ask you to disable the Adblocker for you to continue accessing the site.
You may also want to compare with another adblocker called Ghostery Adblocker which improves your privacy by stopping trackers and protects you from websites that gather information about you and your web browsing data.
6. LastPass – Free Password Manager
If you have more than one password and they are not “1234567” or “password”, you might need this Chrome extension. Previously, I had always struggled with remembering my passwords and remembering which goes for which website, until I started using LastPass.
Not only does LastPass keep all passwords in one place, but it also helps you generate new hard-to-crack passwords to protect your accounts from hacking. Be sure – LastPass will make your life much, much easier. You can automatically add the username and password for a given site if LastPass is active for a smooth login.
LastPass allows you to keep your notes, addresses, payment cards and bank accounts in a safe vault. It will also monitor your passwords that are at risk due to multiple usages in several accounts as well as dark web monitoring to get a proactive alert if any site from your vault is breached.
Make sure you don’t forget the master password since LastPass does not store it anywhere else. Consider adding recovery phones, sharing some folders or adding someone else to emergency access. You can also upgrade to premium and start using the “manage family option” to allow more than one family member to manage your LastPass account. Otherwise, it will be too painful to forget your master password and lose access to all your sites.
Other password managers that you might find effective include; Bitwarden, 1Password, and MYKI Password Manager, among others. Which is your best
Also, it’s advisable not to store your passwords in a browser since that would be the most insecure way to secure your accounts.
7. Tab Wrangler
You open your browser to Google something, and then one website links you to another and in an hour you realize that you have a dozen of open tabs. Sounds familiar to you? Then, you may need Tab Wrangler, this Chrome extension closes tabs that you haven`t used for long but keeps them at hand so that you can easily access them whenever you need them. It helps your web browser load new websites faster.
You may want to compare it with another similar and great extension called The Tree Style Tab which frees up memory and prevents the browser from slowing down by suspending the tabs that haven`t been used for a certain period.
8. Evernote Web Clipper
Evernote extension offers another way to fight multiple open tabs. Most of the time, we keep a tab open to get back and read the article later. (Of course, often, we then realize we don`t have time to read it and just close the tab losing it forever.) So, Evernote allows you to take the information you need from a website and save it for a later date when you have time for it.
Consider comparing this extension with a lighter option Save To Pocket or Onenote Web Clipper. Whichever works best for you.
9. Web of Trust
10. Print-Friendly & PDF
Although we consume most of the content right from the screen, sometimes we need to print out a webpage containing information that is useful for us. There is a Google Chrome extension that takes away all the ads, buttons and other unnecessary information and leaves only what matters in your PDF or ready-to-print page – Print Friendly & PDF. So if you prefer to print out the content you need, then Print Friendly & PDF is a great catch for you.
11. Click&Clean
If you are using a shared computer, you might not want other people to find out what you search and read. Click&Clean is a very useful Chrome extension that will protect your privacy. Of course, Chrome developers have thought this through too and provided an option inside the browser that cleans all your cookies and web history, but there are so many options that you might lose a lot of time figuring out what to delete.
Click&Clean, on the other hand, keeps the most useful options in one place, which saves you time and eases up the whole process.
12. Free VPN for Chrome
Although many imagine the Internet as a place with no borders and limitations, there are still countries in the world that block certain websites, and the only way one can go to these websites is by using a VPN. Safer VPN Proxy is a free VPN extension that lifts all limitations for you, and no one will be able to track your IP.
However, Opera browser and several other modern browsers contain an inbuilt free VPN and users are only required to activate it in the browser settings.
12+1. Chrome Remote Desktop
Do you get phone calls from your parents or friends to help them out with their computers? If so, you might appreciate the Chrome Remote Desktop extension! It allows you to see and use the desktop and programs on another computer and solve whatever problem it has.
On top of that, you can access not only a computer but any device that has Google Chrome installed on it, even a smartphone!
Final Thoughts on Best Google Chrome Extensions
I truly hope that this list of best Google Chrome extensions was useful for you! What`s your favourite Chrome extension? Is there an extension I haven`t mentioned but you would consider it a must-have? Share your ideas with us in the comments right below!
