You open the browser to write one blog post. Forty minutes later you have 23 tabs open, three of them are social networks, and the post is still a title. The browser is where most blogging work happens, so it is also where most of the distraction happens, and the right extensions fix a surprising amount of it.
These are the 9 Chrome productivity extensions I actually keep installed, updated in October 2026. Several from the original list are gone: Pocket shut down in 2025, and Controlled Multi-tab Browsing and Strict Workflow were removed from the Chrome Web Store, so each has a current replacement below. Everything here is free or has a useful free plan.
Chrome Productivity Extensions Compared
| Extension | Solves | Users | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| OneTab | Tab overload | 2 million | Free |
| StayFocusd | Time-wasting sites, focus timer | 700,000 | Free |
| Raindrop.io | Read it later (Pocket replacement) | 500,000 | Free, Pro $28/yr |
| Todoist | Tasks | 500,000 | Free, Pro $4/mo |
| Grammarly | Writing errors | 41 million | Free, Pro from $12/mo |
| Bitwarden | Passwords | 8 million | Free, Premium $10/yr |
| Momentum | New tab focus | 2 million | Free, Plus $3.33/mo |
| Google Keep | Quick notes and clippings | 8 million | Free |
| Loom | Explaining things on video | 8 million | Free, Business $15/mo |
1. OneTab
The old Controlled Multi-tab Browsing extension stopped you opening more tabs; OneTab solves the same problem from the other end. One click collapses every open tab into a single list on one page, freeing up to 95 percent of the memory those tabs were using and getting them out of sight. Click any item to restore it, restore all at once, or share the list as a web page. I run it at the end of every research session so the next morning starts clean.
Key features:
- One click collapses all tabs to a list
- Restore tabs individually or all at once
- Big memory savings
- Export and share tab lists
- Free, no account
Pricing: Free.
2. StayFocusd
StayFocusd limits how long you can spend on the sites you choose each day, then blocks them once the time is up. Set 20 minutes for Facebook, X, Reddit, and YouTube and the extension enforces it, with active hours and days so it only runs while you work. It now also includes a Pomodoro-style focus timer and a YouTube Shorts blocker, which makes it the replacement for the discontinued Strict Workflow extension. The Nuclear Option blocks everything for a set period when you really need to ship something.
Key features:
- Daily time limits per site
- Built-in focus timer (Pomodoro)
- Blocks YouTube Shorts
- Active hours and days
- Nuclear option for deadline days
Pricing: Free.
3. Raindrop.io
Pocket shut down in July 2025, and Raindrop.io is the best replacement for saving articles, videos, and pages to read later. One click saves the page with a preview, you can tag it and file it in collections, and it syncs to the web app and iOS and Android apps. The free plan has unlimited bookmarks; Pro adds full-text search, permanent copies of pages, and reminders.
Key features:
- Save pages with one click
- Collections and tags
- Syncs to web and mobile apps
- Unlimited saves on the free plan
- Pro adds full-text search and backups
Pricing: Free. Pro $28 per year.
4. Todoist
Todoist is still the task manager I stick with, because it is everywhere: web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, email, and this extension. From any page you can add a task with the page linked, type dates in plain language (“every Monday 9am”), and see today\’s list in the side panel. For a blogger it doubles as an editorial calendar if you add projects for ideas, drafts, and published posts.
Key features:
- Add tasks from any web page
- Natural language dates
- Side panel with today\’s tasks
- Syncs across every device
- Projects, labels, and filters
Pricing: Free. Pro $4 per month billed yearly.
5. Grammarly
Grammarly checks spelling, grammar, and punctuation as you type in the WordPress editor, Gmail, Google Docs, X, and nearly every text box on the web, and suggests fixes inline. The free version catches the errors that make a post look careless; Pro adds tone, clarity, and rewriting suggestions, a plagiarism checker, and AI drafting. If you publish regularly it is worth it. See our comparison of grammar checker tools.
Key features:
- Real-time spelling and grammar checks
- Works in WordPress, Gmail, Docs, and more
- Tone and clarity suggestions (Pro)
- Plagiarism checker (Pro)
- 41 million users
Pricing: Free. Pro from $12 per month billed yearly.
6. Bitwarden
A password manager is a productivity tool as much as a security one: no more password resets, and one click fills every login. This post used to recommend LastPass; after its 2022 breach I moved to Bitwarden, which is open source, free for unlimited passwords and devices, and audited regularly. The extension generates strong passwords, autofills logins and cards, and stores two-factor codes on the Premium plan. 1Password is the polished paid alternative.
Key features:
- Unlimited passwords and devices for free
- Autofill logins, cards, and identities
- Strong password generator
- Open source and audited
- Premium adds 2FA code storage
Pricing: Free. Premium $10 per year.
7. Momentum
Momentum replaces the new tab page with a full-screen photo, the time, a greeting, and one question: what is your main focus for today? Type it and it stays at the center of every new tab you open, which is a small but effective nudge against drifting. It also has a simple to-do list, weather, and quick links. Plus adds Pomodoro timers, integrations with Todoist and Trello, and site blocking.
Key features:
- Daily focus shown on every new tab
- Simple to-do list and quick links
- Beautiful backgrounds and quotes
- Plus adds timers and integrations
- 2 million users
Pricing: Free. Plus $3.33 per month.
8. Google Keep
The Keep extension saves the current page, a selected quote, or an image to a Google Keep note with one click, with labels. It is the fastest way I know to capture a post idea, a statistic, or a quote while reading, and it is in the Gmail and Docs sidebars when you write. If you live in Notion or Evernote, their web clippers do the same job.
Key features:
- Save pages, text, and images to notes
- Labels and color coding
- Appears in the Gmail and Docs sidebar
- Syncs to the Keep mobile apps
- Completely free
Pricing: Free with a Google account.
9. Loom
Typing out instructions for a writer, a developer, or a client takes ten times longer than showing them. Loom records your screen and camera from the toolbar, uploads the video instantly, and gives you a link to paste; viewers can comment at a timestamp. The free plan allows 25 videos of up to 5 minutes, which covers most quick explanations, and AI titles and summaries come with paid plans.
Key features:
- Record screen and camera from the toolbar
- Instant shareable link
- Timestamped comments
- AI summaries and titles on paid plans
- Free plan: 25 videos, 5 minutes each
Pricing: Free. Business $15 per user per month.
A Note on Too Many Extensions
Every extension uses memory and some can read every page you visit, so install only what you will use, remove anything you have not clicked in a month, and check the permissions before adding one. Nine is a lot; most people are well served by OneTab, StayFocusd, a password manager, and Grammarly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What replaced Pocket?
Raindrop.io is the closest replacement, with free unlimited saves, tags, and apps. Instapaper is the other option if you mostly want a clean reading view.
Is there a Pomodoro extension that still works?
StayFocusd and Momentum Plus both include Pomodoro timers. Strict Workflow and Marinara were removed from the Chrome Web Store after the Manifest V3 change.
Do these work in Edge, Brave, and other Chromium browsers?
Yes. Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi, and Arc all install extensions from the Chrome Web Store.
Is LastPass still safe to use?
LastPass remains a working product, but after its 2022 breach most security reviewers recommend Bitwarden or 1Password instead. If you stay, enable 2FA and a long master password.
Comments
18 responses to “9 Chrome Extensions That Will Make You Insanely Productive”
It is such a common problem! Decide to ‘just check the net’ and before I know it; I have spent 4 hours of my life doing nothing but watching cute kitten videos on youtube or commenting on my friends’ pictures on Facebook :D This article is going to practically change the way I use my time! Mucho mucho thanks :)
Glad you found this post helpful.
Unfortunately, I am not a regular user of Chrome. I am using Firefox. However, there are so many useful extensions in both of these. But can you tell me- as an internet marketer which browser you like most?
I prefer Google Chrome. Most of the bloggers and internet marketers use Google Chrome.
Hello @istiak Rayhan thanks to information about chrome extensions.
After reading your post, I am very excited about Chrome.
Glad you found it useful.
Excellent article, Istiak. Great list you got there, these extensions will certainly help keep distractions at bay and supercharge your productivity. Thanks, Niraj (Founder at hiverhq.com)
Thanks, man. I will Hiver very soon.
Grammarly is truly awesome tool. It works in every application and everywhere. I liked it too much.
Regarding other plugins, the Pocket and ToDo looks interesting to me. However I didn’t find the much use of Controlling tabs and Stay Focused yet.
Thanks for the great information.