Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers around, but it doesn’t have a lot of the features that some power users crave. To help remedy this situation, Google created extensions. These are mini-programs that add extra functionality to Google Chrome. An extension is like a bookmark on steroids. You might use a bookmark to go back to a certain website every day, but an extension will allow you to do much more (and sometimes less) than that.
The great thing about extensions is that they give you so much more power and make things easier for you when browsing the web. A word of caution: Be careful installing extensions as they can have access to your data on all websites. In this article, I will show you the 10 best Chrome extensions that you just can’t live without. Let’s get to it.
Wayback Machine – Best Extensions for Google Chrome
First on the list is the Wayback Machine. This extension shows you what a website used to look like in the past even though the site no longer exists. I will use YouTube as an example. After opening YouTube, when you click the Way Back Machine extension icon, it will show you some options.
You can see the previous versions’ look and surprisingly, the first look of YouTube. I will select the first version to see what it looked like when YouTube started. Most people might be surprised to learn that YouTube was a dating site in its earlier days. Using the timeline at the top, you can select a time to see what YouTube looked like at that time.
Mercury Reader – Best Extensions for Google Chrome
Number Two Mercury Reader This extension strips out all the ads with only the text and images remaining to make it easier to read on just about every website. To make the website more readable at first I will go to my favorite website and then just click the Mercury Reader extension icon.
It will show the article in the simplest way. You can also change the text, size, topography, and theme.
The Camelizer – Best Extensions for Google Chrome
This extension lets you see the historical pricing data of a product on Amazon to ensure that you are getting a great deal. To use this extension, click any product on Amazon, then click on the extension icon. It will show you a price chart. It will also show you the lowest and highest price over time. You can submit your mail and create a price watch to get a notification when the price is within your budget.
Midnight Lizard – Best Extensions for Google Chrome
It’s a basic extension for creating a highly customizable color theme with several dark themes included. When you click the Midnight Lizard icon, it will give you an introduction to how to use it. You will find a toggle in the top to turn on or off for all websites. There are dozen of built-in themes. You can select one and click Apply. It will change the theme. You will get a lot of menus on the left side. Using it, you can customize it as you like.
All Netflix Categories
All Netflix Categories is one of the best google chrome extensions out there. A lot of us love to watch shows on Netflix. This extension is only for Netflix users. You can find your favorite categories using this extension easily. To use this extension, go to Netflix, then click the extension icon. You will get a list of categories. You can choose your favorite one.
Screen Recorder & Screenshot Master
Sometimes you find something interesting and want to take a screenshot or record it. This extension can help you do that without installing any software. To capture your screen, click on the extension icon for the screenshot. Select screenshot. You can take a screenshot of the full page, visible part, or selected area. You can edit the screenshot and also can save the screenshot as a PDF or image for recording. Click the extension icon and select a record. You can record your entire screen or also can select a specific window when doing a reverse image search.
TinEye Reverse Image Search
One of the best google chrome extensions makes it easy to find out where the picture came from other websites using the same image or high-resolution image. Once the extension is installed, just right-click the image you want to search and select search image on tonight it will show you the best match in the new tab. From the drop-down menu Select a Bigger image for better quality and the oldest for tracking down the original source.
Grammarly
Grammarly is a great extension that will improve your spelling and grammar. You can use it in your mail, Facebook, Twitter, or any other site where you write. Grammarly may assist you in avoiding frequent writing errors and locating the appropriate words to express yourself in a variety of ways, including grammar, spelling, style, and tone. In Gmail, Google Docs, Twitter, LinkedIn, and almost anywhere else, Grammarly will provide you with real-time feedback on your writing. Grammarly is a writing tool that provides you with specific suggestions to help you improve your writing — and it’s not just about grammar. To keep track of your work and find areas for growth, sign up for a weekly personalized writing report.
Ublock Origin – Best Extensions for Google Chrome
Ublock Origin is the absolute best blocker you can get. Here’s why it’s open-source and does a great job blocking ads, trackers, and malware sites. When you click the block icon the power button lets you enable or disable the extension. You will need to reload the page for changes to take effect.
Project Naptha
Number ten is my favorite project Naptha. Using this extension you can copy text from an image and the fun fact is you can also remove the text from an image. After installing the extension you have to just select text from an image like you normally do. If you want to remove the text then select translate then erase text.
Some Additional Extensions are:
Web Developer Checklist
This Chrome extension gives developers a checklist of tasks when they’re creating websites, such as ensuring your site has a proper title and description, favicon support, and more.
HTTPS Everywhere
This forces HTTPS encryption on sites that support it, ensuring more secure connections and preventing ISPs from spying on you or injecting ads into pages you visit.
1Password
One of the most popular password managers available, 1Password is easy to use, works on practically any platform (including mobile), and allows you to create incredibly complex passwords that you don’t even need to remember.
LastPass
A worthy competitor to 1Password, LastPass is also a great password manager, and it’s free! With the premium version, you can sync across all devices, which is a nice bonus. Plus, like 1Password, it will auto-fill your passwords for you when necessary. You can also generate secure passwords with a click of a button.
StayFocused
If you find that there are certain websites that can be distracting during your workday (like Reddit), StayFocusd allows you to block those websites.
Conclusion
When it comes to your choice of the best Google Chrome extensions, there is a multitude out there for you to choose from. Some of them are great; some of them are horrible. We’ve done our best to identify some of the top ten that we’ve come across and think that they’re worth taking a closer look at. In the end, we’re not saying that you’ll love all or even any of these Google Chrome extensions, but if you haven’t already found one that strikes your fancy, they’re sure worth giving a shot!
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