Browser extensions improve the experience of Internet trawling. Just a few will save you time, money and sanity, and protect your security and privacy.
Everyone has their favorite add-ons. As you might expect, the preferences of PCWorld staff tend to overlap. For example, my colleague Mark Hachman’s list of the top 5 Edge extensions is a sneak peek of my own lineup.
But while you’ll see the same theme appear, my actual choice is different. There are plenty of options on the planet, which means you can tailor your experience to your needs and interests. My job revolves around staying safe online, finding deals, and not letting social media take my advantage. (Not my entry point here, but if you need to protect your traffic from prying eyes, check out our list of the best free VPNs for Chrome.)
Oh, and Edge users – you can join the party too. Most of these exist as native Edge plugins, but you can also install them from the Chrome Web Store.
uBlock Origin
By clicking the uBlock Origin icon in the toolbar, you can add sites to the allow list, check your stats, and more.
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Advertisements are an unfortunate carrier of internet diseases, namely viruses, malware and exploits. You can stay safer online by installing an ad blocker that cuts the path of malicious activity. Combine it with direct support for your favorite sites, like subscriptions or regular donations, and everyone ends up doing better.
Using an ad blocker can also enhance your browsing experience. Your computer may feel sluggish or slow due to how long it takes extra ads and scripts for a website to fully load. Without ads, the site appears quickly and looks sleek and polished.
You still retain a lot of flexibility for what to filter. Can’t donate cash to the site? You can add them to the allowed list so their ads can still show. You can also fine-tune the settings to allow certain tracking sites to load, which is necessary for newsletter links or search engine shopping suggestions to work.
The advantage of uBlock Origin is that compared to competitors like Adblock Plus, it actually blocks all advertise. (ABP allows some “non-intrusive” ads to pass through.) It also has less impact on your system resources. I switched from Adblock Plus a few years ago and haven’t looked back since.
(Note: If you’re searching for this extension, be sure to find the extension created by Raymond Hill for Chrome, and the extension created by Nik Rolls for Edge. Beware of similar options.)
social fixer
As you can see, Social Fixer offers tons of customization options. To speed up the process, you can choose from pre-made filters, such as those that hide posts with politics or spoilers.
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Facebook can drive a person crazy, especially when you’re only using the service because of certain people or commitments. Social Fixer makes the experience more bearable. You no longer have to wade through what the algorithm has to offer you – this extension gives you control over what appears on your feed. (yes!)
Want to hide posts based on keywords? Easy to do. Tired of seeing “people you may know” or “suggested posts”? It passed in an instant. Want to filter posts based on what’s in them, who wrote them, or something else? Absolutely possible.
You can also customize the interface to force Facebook to list posts in most recent order, make timestamps appear as exact dates, and remove all interactive fields so you can browse without accidentally commenting or liking posts — and more . The result is a properly curated feed without endless politics, spoilers for TV shows and movies, nonstop posts about significant others, or anything else that gets you in the way. You can also save yourself from the worst tendencies by not commenting on things you know will spark an argument. (I am purely hypothetical here.)
The best part? Developer Matt Kruse is constantly working to keep up with Facebook’s changes and is still adding more features. And it’s all done for free — when you first install, you’ll only see a small donation request.
Bit Warden
A browser extension for the password manager of your choice will greatly simplify using strong, unique passwords.
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I’m listing Bitwarden here because its free service is great and its premium features are only $10 a year, but really, you can replace any password manager. LastPass, Dashlane, 1Password, and other services also offer browser extensions. Heck, even KeePass has browser extensions.
Browser plugins play an important role in how a password manager fits seamlessly into your life. Once installed, you don’t need to log into the service’s website and look for the entry you need, or manually enter that information when viewing the mobile app. Instead, the extension recognizes the site you’re on and can autofill your credentials. You can also easily create new passwords or change existing passwords on the fly.
It’s also easy to protect your password vault. Simply set the extension to automatically lock after a period of time, requiring a password or your full password to regain access. This reduces the likelihood that someone borrowing your PC (or gaining remote access without your knowledge) will wreak havoc on your digital life.
phone meeting
By default, everyone can control playback in Teleparty, but you can also indulge potentially authoritarian tendencies by limiting control to yourself – as I’ve done here.
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Many excellent browser extensions exist to create viewing parties, including my previous pick of TwoSeven. But these days, I don’t go to watch parties very often, so I don’t have to subscribe to TwoSeven—especially after Netflix Party morphed into Teleparty.
Teleparty has partnered with Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max and Amazon Prime to fully cover the occasional movie night or highly anticipated episode. It also provides a simple interface for direct viewing and supports up to 1,000 users.You just need to log in to your streaming service childhood, like everyone else. Then to start the party, you click the extension’s red TP button next to the address bar and share the resulting link. (Don’t see the Teleparty icon? You may need to pin it to Chrome’s toolbar first.)
Extensions do have their limitations. Choosing who can control playback must be set before creating the party – you cannot change the settings after the room is created. Refreshing the page will also direct you out of the room, and you’ll need a direct link to get back in. (Sometimes I do miss TwoSeven’s reusable watch party room.) But it works so well that it’s a free service you can really ask for.
(Bonus tip: Want Netflix to output in 4K during a viewing party? Use Edge. Cross-browser parties are supported, so your friends can still use Chrome.)
Distill.io
Distill.io works like Keepa or CamelCamelCamel, but can be used on any website.
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This expansion is the latest addition to my lineup and a tip from PCWorld head Jon Phillips. Distill.io can be used to track any changes on the website – this is very useful for keeping abreast of price changes for hard to track items. (Its developers even advertise it on their website for this.)
Before this, my dip-hunting system had no direct tracking function. I turned to crowdsourcing sites like Slickdeals and /r/buildapcsales, followed my Twitter account and joined the Discord server, and waited for an alert to hit my phone. Distill.io reduces this work and also reduces the delay in closing deals. I don’t need to use it very often, but it adds a tool to my arsenal. Since inflation is currently wreaking havoc on prices, I don’t think I’m the only one who will use all the tips in the book to save money.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on April 19, but has been updated to include a link to our latest Best Free VPN for Chrome story.
