The Best Chrome Browser Add-ons for 2019
These add-ons will change the way you work
Most people know how to add and organize bookmarks on a browser. But when you start to think of a browser, like Google Chrome, as an expandable customizable software application, your work on line can become infinitely easier. Browser add-ons come in the form of extensions, small programs that add capabilities in different areas to assist with everything from writing and marketing to organization and security.
With so many extensions available for Google’s Chrome browser, figuring out which ones to use are a chore. The following list includes some of the top extensions for 2019, both popular newer ones and those that have withstood the test of time, separated by category. Unless noted, extensions are free to use (though some may have advanced features available for purchase.)
All suggested extensions are available in the Chrome Webstore.
WEB-BROWSING/RESEARCH
Wayback Machine
Users: 61,000
If you’ve clicked a link and arrived at a dead-end 404 page (or other error code), the Internet Archive’s official Wayback Machine can fix it. As the name indicates, you can go back in time and view a page via a link before it was broken. It’s also really fun to look at old websites that don’t exist anymore.
SECURITY
Click&Clean
Users: 3.4 million
If you search and download work material during the day, or are a content manager checking a website for new updates, it can be a pain to continually clear your browser history. Instead of continually pulling up your history page and manually clearing your cache or download log, use the Click&Clean extension instead. With a single click, clear your cache, URL searches, website cookies and download history. Click&Clean also scans for viruses and unused applications, helping speed up browsing sessions.
Ghostery
Users: 2.7 million
Ghostery one of the best ad-blocking extensions available. It will remove distracting ads that distract you while viewing specific website content. It also hides your browsing data so ad-tracking tools are can’t swipe your private information. Without ads, webpage load times increase. Many websites, however, will ask you to turn off add blockers to view the full content of their site. You can choose to add the website to the trusted list, or adjust settings for that particular site.
Avast Online Security
Users: 10+ million
Avast Online Security is a popular free tool to help you browse safely. The extension will examine each individual website you visit for suspicious information. It also warns you if the site you’re visiting has a bad reputation and stops phishing attacks. You can add to Avast data by rating the websites you visit with a simple thumbs up or down.
SOCIAL MEDIA
bitly
Users: 447,000
Have you ever gone to share a link that is painfully long? Bitly lets you create a shorter, custom link to share on social media directly from your browser. It’s amazingly simple and creates a memorable URL.
Save to Facebook
Users: 2.4 million
The Save to Facebook button makes it easy to save things you discover not only on Facebook, but also from around the web so you can easily get back to them to later. Only you can see the things you save.
RiteTag
Users: 22.000
RiteTag shows which hashtags are the most effective before you post them for images or texts on any site, including Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Buffer and Hootsuite.
Once you type in a hashtag, the extension displays a simple color-coding system:GREEN = use this hashtag to get seen nowBLUE = use this hashtag to get seen over timeRED = do not use this hashtag, your posts will disappear in the crowdGRAY = do not use this hashtag, very few people are following it
Giphy for Chrome
Users: 176,000
Animated GIFs are not only fun, they make emails and social media more engaging. Giphy has a huge database and a wide range of topics, so you can add a relevant GIF to your content without navigating away.
TABS/PRODUCTIVITY/ORGANIZATION
Join
Join is a Chrome extension that connects multiple computers along with Android devices in some tremendously helpful ways. For example, you can: Receive notifications from Android and interact with them on any device; Send SMS messages from any browser; Share clipboard messages between devices; Write a message on your computer and have it appear on your phone; Open web pages remotely; Send files from any device to any other device, and many other tasks.
Join was developed as an alternative to the popular Pushbullet extension. Join does have a nominal one-time user fee for the browser extension and a fee for the Android extension, but it is far cheaper than Pushbullet’s ongoing subscription scheme. For those who live on multiple devices, you will wonder why you didn’t connect with Join sooner.
Start.me
Users: 73,000
If you like Windows 10 icon layout, you will love Start.me. With this extension, you can turn a new tab in Chrome into a personal dashboard, including bookmarks, widgets, newsfeeds, photos and videos. It’s a creative space to keep your daily online schedule.
New Tab URL Redirect Changer Plus
Users: 9,000
Do you have websites you access daily? New Tab URL Redirect Changer Plus automatically opens a page of your choice when clicking on a new tab. You can also assign a specific file in Google Drive to the tab.
Extensions Manager
Users: 97,000
With the hordes of new extensions you’ll be adding, you might want to add this tool to keep them all organized. Extensions Manager shows you what extensions you have operating on Google Chrome and gives you the option to hide some of the icons to keep your browser less cluttered.
COMMUNICATION
Text Blaze
Custom text replacement macros are common in desktop apps. Text Blaze brings that same shortcut convenience to your browser. Not only is the extension a huge time saver, you can use it seamlessly across websites and webs apps such as Gmail and Google Docs.
Save time and get more done by using snippets of text to replace common typing tasks. Tired of typing the same letter? Just type in a shortcut and the letter appears, complete with editable fields.
Rapportive
Users: 382,000
Have a contact name at a business but not their email address? Rapportive uses LinkedIn account information to provide details about the recipient of an email you’re drafting. The extension also provides other basic details about the person, which is helpful when establishing new connections.
Though this article focused on Chrome, many of these extensions are available for other browsers. If your job involves any measure of web-based work, these tools turn an ordinary browser into a powerful toolbox.
Related Posts
