For what seems to be ages now, browser plug-ins and extensions have been improving the way we use browsers, and some go as far as to determine which browser we end up using as a default. These extensions not only improve the browser experience, but they also provide a way to interact with many other programs outside of your browser, rendering some applications less important.
Based on that fact, we have put together a great list of Safari Extensions that’ll make your web browsing experience more powerful, immersive, and incredibly social. Now, be aware that jamming too many plug-ins into your browser may make it run slower, or take more time to start up, so make sure to only install the ones you really want. With that said, have a look at some of the most useful Safari Extensions below.
Social
Twitter for Safari
Our first social extension comes in the form of Twitter browser integration. If you rather stay away from Twitter’s website and you don’t already have a separate Twitter app installed, this extension will aid you with your Tweeting needs.
Better Facebook
Better Facebook pledges to improve your Facebook experience by customizing your news feed with filters and different alerts. It also notifies you if you are “unfriended”, so if you really need to know that, Better Facebook is here for you.
Facebook Photo Zoom
Facebook Photo Zoom is for the people that want to see a picture in full size, but don’t want to deal with Facebook’s own heavy lightbox. Photo Zoom let’s you hover over an image on Facebook and it’ll zoom the image to full size.
GMail Counter
As the title says, this is a Gmail counter. It basically means that upon receiving an email on Gmail you will be notified about it on your browser. A badge will appear with how many unread items you have on your account.
Facebook Cleaner
Facebook Cleaner promises to clean your Facebook’s visual experience by removing sponsored ads, pokes and the Get Connected section. If you like going to Facebook but get distracted by a lot of nonsense, perhaps giving this a try might help.
SocialPlus!
SocialPlus, like Photo Zoom and Cleaner before it, aims to make your Facebook experience even better. Adding filters, zooms, emotions, and the ability to skin and customize the appearance of Facebook, you’ll be happy you got this one.
Reddit Comments
Reddit Comments is an interesting social plug-in that quickly lets you see Reddit comments of the page you’re currently navigating through. If however there are no comments for said page, the plug-in will start the submission process for you.
GooglePlus
For those out there who enjoy Google + over other social networks, GooglePlus plug-in brings G+ to your browser. It let’s you know when you have any unread Google+ notifications.
Browser Enhancing
AdBlock
Are you bothered by all these silly ads the websites you frequent? Are you tired of having to deal with ads that take too long to load and that you don’t even care about? AdBlock is just for you! But in all seriousness, AdBlock is probably the best plug-in out there. It will block mostly any ad so you don’t have to deal with any of it.
Exposer
The ability to preview a tab’s content has been part of Opera for a while, but now with Exposer, you can have the same ability. Exposer let’s you see a preview of open Safari tabs. That way you can find the tab you’re looking for.
Zoomintosafari
Zoom into Safari is a photo editor that let’s you zoom, edit, create, save, and share pictures online.
Awesome Screenshot
Awesome Screenshot is perhaps best for developers; however, anyone can find a use for it. It let’s you take a screenshot and edit it or share it with others.
clea.nr Videos for YouTube
As the name suggest, this plug-in cleans up Youtube so you can enjoy the video displayed before you without any annoying distractions – plus faster load time.
ClickToFlash
Much like AdBlock, this plug-in is a must have for Safari users. If you have problems with Flash on Safari, this handy plug-in will hide it and instead give you a white filler that you can click on to activate flash.
Turn Off the Lights
Turn Off the Lights is a simple plug-in that dims your browser so you can enjoy the video that is currently playing. That means that it will basically black out any part that isn’t a video. It is good if you like watching videos in a small size without the use of fullscreen.
Duplicate Tab Button
This plug-in enables you to duplicate the currently active tab into a new tab or window.
WOT
WOT is an interesting plug-in that will help you know what you’re getting yourself into. WOT tells you which websites you can trust. Powered by the community, WOT rater pages based on people’s experiences.
Ultimate Status Bar
Ultimate Status Bar is a nice extension that reviews what some links may be hiding from you. It makes a shorten URL bigger so you know what you’re about to click.
SafariRestore
This extension will eliminate many annoyances. If you are like me, Safari has quit for some reason or another before. This tool will help you to restore your previous browsing session so you don’t have to worry about what you lost before Safari went haywire.
Add to Amazon Wish List
This one is for the shopping and/or Amazon lover. If you are use to using your Amazon wish list for all your buying needs, this simple extension will help you adding anything to said list.
Translate
Translate is a handy tool if you are use to going to foreign websites that are not displayed in English. This extension is powered by Google Translate so expect some good results.
Right Exit
Right Exit fixes one small annoyance many might have. If you like to close a tab and be presented with the next tab (the one to the right), this extension will give you exactly that. Try it out.
Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
Created by Google, this Google Analytics extension provides us with choices about how our data is collated by Google Analytics. If you are really picky about these sort of things, this plug-in might just be the one for you.
Instapaper Greystyled
If you want an even better look for Instapaper, this extension will make it more “beautiful and easier to read.”
Support
My eBay Manager
Ebay Manager is for the absolute Ebay enthusiast. This extension let’s you manage your eBay activities while you browse the web. This extension will keep you securely signed in so you can check your progress wherever you are in the web.
MLB.com Toolbar
I’ll go right ahead and admit that I don’t follow baseball, but if you do, this extension is made for you. With this extension you can be up-to-date with all your ins and outs of MLB while browsing the web at will.
G-Bookmarks
G-Bookmarks is pretty simple, it let’s you have your Google bookmarks handy right in your browser so there is no need to hop on Google’s site. This way if you are a fan of Google bookmark service, you’ll have all of them ready to use.
Instapaper Beyond
Instapaper Beyond allows you to navigate your Instapaper items and folders right on your browser. You can also edit them as you please, so if you are into reading stuff later, this extension gives you great flexibility.
Pinbar
Pinbar, like Instapaper Beyond, let’s you take control of your Pinboard account. You are able to see unread, recent or popular posts from Pinboard. If you like the service, try this extension out.
Development
YSlow
Developers know their sites should be fast, and if you are having trouble, YSlow is there to help you out. Install this extension and it will analyze web pages for you and suggest you ways to enhance its performance.
Coda Notes
Coda Notes, from the makers of Coda, allows you to annotate the active web page to jot down web ideas in Safari, highlight areas, erase things, or place sticky notes. After you are done playing around, send it as a screenshot.
MeasureIt
MeasureIt is simple an to the point. It let’s you draw a ruler on any web page to check width or height, so any developer might find this quite useful. You know, padding, margins, it all can get a bit hectic sometimes.
Validator
Ready to launch that website? Let’s validate it first! Validator helps you with that and checks the validity of your code using W3C Validators. It also displays how many errors there are. Give it a try!
BuiltWith
This is probably not a development tool, but if you are about to start a project and don’t know exactly what to use, this could come in handy! BuiltWith is a website profiler tool that tells you all the technologies being used in that website. With it, you can discover new technologies and learn about them.
BetterSource
BetterSource shows you a document’s source in a new tab with line numbers and colored syntax highlighting. Useful for debugging and the like!
Firebug Lite for Safari
I don’t personally use this because I find Safari’s own web developer tools great, but if you are use to or you are a fan of Firebug, Firebug Lite for Safari is your best friend here.
Entertainment
Warcraft Reference
WoW gamers out there should check this one out. I’m not a WoW player, but for the ones out there who love this, check this plug-in out as it provides you with many Warcraft references.
WebRadio
WebRadio, as you may imagine, is a web radio streaming plug-in that streams five of your favorite stations. The toolbar is easy and customizable.
Glass
Glass is a fun extension that places a virtual sheet of glass over the entire internet. You can share your thoughts about anything on the web.
MTG Card
Now this is an different extension. MTG Card brings Magic: The Gathering to Safari. According to the description: “it automatically recognizes the names of Magic Cards on a web page and turns them into Gatherer links with card image pop-ups”
Conclusion
So there you have it, some of the most handy extensions for Safari out there all in one list. There’s many more awesome extensions out there, so if you have some favorite ones you always install, we’d love to hear about them in the comments below!