Browser extensions are a great way to customize your internet experience and enhance your day-to-day life. Extensions can save you money, keep track of time, and streamline your activities to make you more efficient. We found some browser extensions to help you get started.
Keep in mind most of these extensions are for Chrome and FireFox – the two most popular browsers for extensions. You can read more about picking the right browser for you here.
1. Money Saving Extensions
Coupons at Checkout is a browser extension that automatically checks what coupons are available any time you checkout on a site, and is available on Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. Honey is a similar service offered on Chrome and FireFox. Join both to make sure you always have the right coupons.
InvisibleHand on the other hand (haha, get it?) tracks prices as you shop, and will inform you if there are better deals elsewhere. For example, if you’re buying some new headphones on Amazon, the extension will pop up and inform you of a sale currently going on at Best Buy for a lower price. InvisibleHand also functions beyond retail – it also provides information on flights and hotel prices. The extension is available on FireFox, Chrome, and Safari.
2. Tabs
We’ve all been there before. First we look up Abraham Lincoln on Wikipedia. We notice that there’s a movie about him called Lincoln directed by Steven Spielberg. We check out what other movies Steven Spielberg has directed, and before you know it we have 15 tabs open scoping the entire movie industry. Tab hoarding is a serious drain of productivity, but there are extensions here to help.
The Great Suspender for Chrome delays the opening of tabs so that they only open when you need them. The plug-in stores the link for you and will be available for access whenever you decide you want it. Better yet, thanks to this suspension, your computer speeds up because it isn’t working as hard to maintain all of these tabs. TooManyTabs does something similar for Firefox, or try Sessions for Safari.
3. Self Control
The average person now spends 55 minutes a day on Facebook, and that number is growing fast. Facebook is incredibly addicting, and before you know it your study session has turned into a stalking session. StayFocusd for Chrome stops this stalking in its tracks and lets you get back to work by putting timers on time wasting sites. Once time is up, you can’t go back to the site. These settings can be adjusted at any time, so if you REALLY need to see a photo of what your friend had for lunch, you always can. Also try Leechblock for Firefox or HeyFocus for Safari.
4. Kami PDF Editor
Have you ever downloaded a PDF for a class and wanted to take notes on it, but didn’t want to spend the time or money to print it out? Kami PDF Editor lets you annotate PDF files at your leisure and even lets you collaborate with others and sign the document if it’s a contract. Check out their video for a quick introduction. Kami PDF Editor is available on Chrome. If you don’t use Chrome here’s a list of Kami alternatives.
5. Momentum
Momentum is a personalized dashboard that replaces the dull, blank tab when you open a new tab on your browser. This extension provides a new motivational quote and image each day, and also keeps track of the weather. You can also add a to-do list as well as a personal goal for a day to keep you motivated and on task. Download here for Chrome. Alternatively you can try start.me, which is available on all major browsers, though it does not offer all services for free. Premium services include no advertisements, faster customer support, live RSS feeds, and the automatic backup of data. Users can unlock all features for $20 a year, or a one time fee of $45. Check it out here.
6. Adblocker
Ads can be relentless on some sites. Adblocker stops the ads and gets you where you want to be with no hassle. Tired of seeing the same ad on YouTube 50 times? Adblocker. Can’t read an article because of ads covering the page? Adblocker. Sites have taken notice of this extension though, and will block you from entering their site unless you disable Adblocker from working on their site, most notably Forbes.com and BusinessInsider.com. Keep in mind that ads are the main source of revenue for multiple sites, so if you support the site and want to make sure it sticks around, you can whitelist the site to permit ads on the page. Money for the site, and content for you. Download for Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.
What extensions do you like to use? Questions or comments? Chat with us.
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