10 types of extensions that should be installed in any browser

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The most complete set for traveling on the Internet.

1. Ad blocker

This is the first extension that every sane person adds to a freshly installed browser. It is quite difficult to surf the Internet without an ad blocker: you cannot see the content behind the banners. One of the most popular extensions of this type is AdBlock Plus.

But he has alternatives that are in no way inferior. For example uBlock Origin.

Or AdBlock.

AdBlock - the best ad blocker getadblock.com

AdBlock for Firefox by AdBlock Developer

Application not found

AdBlock for Safari Adblock Inc.

Install one of them, and browsing the Internet will become much more enjoyable.

2. Password manager

Most browser built-in password managers are not very secure. Also, if you use Firefox on Windows, Safari on macOS, and Chrome on Android, passwords will not sync between them. So a third-party extension is a much more preferable option.

The most famous and easy-to-use password storage extension is LastPass.

LastPass: Free Password Manager Download »

LastPass Password Manager by LastPass Developer

LastPass lastpass

LastPass for Safari →

If you put more trust in open source applications, KeePass is undeniably your choice. But keep in mind that for it to work, you need to install not only the extension itself, but also the client:

KeePass for Windows →

MacPass for macOS →

KeePassXC for Linux →

You will also need extensions that are compatible with them:

Kee - Password Manager by Luckyrat Developer

KeePassHelper Password Manager joe-ertaba

Another worthy candidate is BitWarden.

BitWarden for Windows, macOS and Linux →

Bitwarden is a free password manager from Bitwarden Inc. The developer

Bitwarden - Free Password Manager bitwarden

BitWarden for Safari →

You can familiarize yourself with other quality password managers in our post.

3. Saving articles

This situation often happens: you find some interesting article on the Internet, you want to read it, but there is no time. You can, of course, pin it to the tab bar or add it to bookmarks, but this is not as convenient as using a special service for deferred reading.

Pocket is the best and most popular tool of its kind. Install it and you can easily read an unlimited number of saved articles in any browser and on any device.

Firefox has a Pocket button built in, so you don't have to install anything. For other browsers, there are special extensions:

Save to Pocket getpocket.com

Pocket (formerly Read It Later) readitlater

Save to Pocket Read It Later, Inc

Another similar extension is Raindrop. It has more options for sorting and organizing links than Pocket.

Raindrop.io raindrop.io

Raindrop.io by Rustem Mussabekov Developer

Raindrop.io - Smart Bookmarks exentrich

Other Pocket alternatives can be seen in this Lifehacker article.

4. Web clipper

Pocket is a good option if you need to save an article, read it and forget it. But if you want to copy information from the Internet, save it in notes and keep it close at hand, you need a web clipper.

The extension from Evernote enjoys a well-deserved popularity.

Evernote Web Clipper Evernote Web Clipper Developer

Evernote Web Clipper Evernote

If you are not a fan of Evernote and use OneNote, it also has clippers.

OneNote Web Clipper onenote.com

OneNote Web Clipper by Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft OneNote Developer

Notion users are also not deprived of the corresponding extensions.

Notion Web Clipper notion.so

Notion Web Clipper by Notion Developer

But those who use Google Keep are less fortunate. Google does not want to create extensions for any browser other than its Chrome.

Finally, if you prefer to take notes in Markdown format, the following extension for Chrome and Firefox comes in handy. In other browsers, it can be replaced with the Markdownifier bookmarklet.

markdown-clipper Report abuse

markdown-clipper by Enrico Kaack Developer

Download Markdownifier →

5. Reading mode

Even if you clear web pages of banners, they can still be uncomfortable to read. The fact is that fonts, indents and paragraph design differ on different sites. But this is not a problem: special extensions will help to unify the appearance of articles and make reading more comfortable.

Firefox, Safari and Edge don't need to install anything, however - they have a built-in reading mode. In Chrome and Opera, similar capabilities are added by the Reader View extension.

Reader View Website

Reader View rneomy

6. Security and privacy

There are plenty of viruses, phishing pages and other dangers on the Internet. Fortunately, now any self-respecting browser knows how to warn you when you go to a potentially unsafe site. But this is not enough. There are a couple of tools to help you worry less about online threats.

Web of Trust is a popular extension that marks decent sites with green icons and untrustworthy sites with red. It works based on user reviews of visited pages.

WOT: website security and online protection mywot.com

Web Of Trust, WOT: Website Security Rankings From WOT Services Developer

WOT weboftrust

Another extension designed to take care of your privacy is Ghostery. It blocks the tracking of search engines and websites so you won't be pestered with targeted ads.

Ghostery - Confidential Ad Blocker by Ghostery Developer

Ghostery ghostery

7. Search by images

Google Chrome has a built-in tool for finding similar images - just right-click on the desired image and click "Find Image (Google)". Other browsers add this useful feature through extensions.

Search by Image by Armin Sebastian Developer

Search by Image dessant

In addition, do not forget about such a tool for finding similar images like TinEye.

TinEye Reverse Image Search by TinEye Developer

TinEye Reverse Image Search (Context menu) ideeinc

8. Translator

Often times on the web we come across pages in languages that we do not know. Google Chrome, for example, has a built-in translator. But he translates entire pages and does not know how to process individual words and phrases. Firefox, Opera and other browsers do not have such a tool, and special extensions will fix the situation.

Google Translator for Firefox by nobzol Developer

Translator sailormax

9. Unblocking sites

If your favorite site is accidentally blocked, you can use VPN extensions to open it. For example, Hotspot VPN.

Hotspot Shield Free VPN Proxy - Unlimited VPN www.hotspotshield.com

Hotspot Shield Free VPN Proxy by Pango Inc. The developer

ZenMate VPN zenguard

There are quite a few VPN services. The best of them are in our article.

10. Saving RAM

If you have a bunch of tabs open and the browser starts to slow down, use One Tab. This extension will close all tabs, transfer links to them to a separate page, and save RAM.

OneTab one-tab.com

OneTab by OneTab Team Developer

All browsers without extensions are pretty dull. So right after the installation of the new web browser is complete, open this post in it and install all the necessary additions. By the way, Opera and Vivaldi users, don't forget that you can install extensions from Google Chrome. Vivaldi can do this without additional gestures, and in Opera, you first have to install Install Chrome Extensions.

Install Chrome Extensions Opera Software