20 Extensions Every Google Chrome User Must Try

Every computer user has their own preferences when it comes to web browsers. Some might be in the favor of Firefox while others consider Google Chrome to be the best among them. If you ask me, Google Chrome is my favorite browser not just because it’s from Google, but because its simple, lightweight and easy to use with a gigantic library of web apps and extensions to improve the browsing experience.

However, all the extensions that are available in Chrome Web Store are definitely not be worth downloading. So, rather than wasting time looking for the perfect extensions for your browser, we have gathered a list of some of the best extensions available in Chrome App Store ranging from productivity to news to photography and more.

Let’s take a look.

News

The Huffington Post

The Huffington Post extension for Chrome allows users to catch the latest happening in the world right inside Google Chrome. You can check out minute reports, blogs entries, analysis and much more. Once installed, the extension icon will appear right next to your address bar. Clicking on it will show you the latest news on Huffington post. You can even browse other categories to check for news as well. Clicking on the More button in taskbar will display all the categories available on Huffington Post.

Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal is another useful website where uses can find out latest news. One good thing about the service is you can subscribe to your areas of interest from the extension options so that it displays only the news you want to read. Also, when there is a new item on Wall Street Journal, the extension will display the number of unread items as well.

The New York Times

This is one of my favourite news addon for Google Chrome. NYTimes Chrome App allows user to browse Nytimes in a clutter free and simple interface without any annoyance. You can even customize the layout and change the appearance settings that suit your needs. It’s like a more customizable version of their mobile apps.

The Guardian

The Guardian is yet another useful extension to read about the latest news. Its interface is somewhat similar to that of Wall Street Journal. The extension shows alerts in Chrome taskbar whenever there is a new article published on The Guardian. It also shows users how many of them are unread. If you want, you can even share the news on other Twitter and Facebook as well.

Photo Editors

Befunky Photo Editor

BeFunky Photo Editor allows users to add cool effects to their photos right inside Google Chrome. You do not have to visit any website or install third party software. You can do everything yourself without any advanced photo editing knowledge. The Chrome App presents users with wide range of effects to choose from. Users can upload any image from their computer or import them from Facebook and other image hosting websites.

Pixlr-O-Matic

Pixlr-O-Matic is one of the best and my favorite photo editing app for Google Chrome. You can upload images from your computer or capture using your webcam. With Pixlr-O-Matic, you can add number of effects to your images. Once applied, you can either save the image to your computer or imm.io online service so that you can share the image with your friends.

iPiccy Photo Editor

iPiccy Photo Editor is yet another Chrome tool that allows users to add numerous photo effects to their images. The editor offers variety of tools that can be used to edit images online. You cannot only add effects but also add text to your images as well.

Productivity

StayFocusd

Are you tired of wasting time on boring and useless websites, and want to make sure that you don’t waste anymore time while you are at work? If so, you should give Stayfocusd for Google Chrome a try. What this extension does is that it prevents you from visiting any blocked website after a specific time period, meaning that after you add a website to the block list, you must specify the maximum amount of time you can spend on that website. Once the time finishes, the extension will restrict you from visiting that website for specific amount of time.

PopChrome

With PopChrome, users can set up custom shortcut phrases so that you don’t have to type repetitive words. For example, you can set up “ty” with Thank You so that you do not have to type the complete thus saving you precious time at work or home. It’s TextExpander for Chrome, that’d work on any computer.

Evernote Web

Every internet user knows what Evernote is. Evernote is a must have extension for all Google Chrome users that allows them to take notes, clip web pages, links, image and much more with a single click. You can easily save them online so that you can access them anywhere you want. A good thing about Evernote is that its available on almost all mobile platforms as well so it becomes really easy to synchronize the notes on multiple devices you own. And the web app is nice enough that you could just use it instead of installing it on your computer, if you wanted to.

RescueTime

RescueTime is a very handy extension for Google Chrome that allows users to monitor how they spend their time online and know where they spend it. This way, they can track how much time is spent on social networks and other time wasting websites so that they can cut it back and focus more on their work in order to improve their productivity.

Producteev

Are you having trouble lately when it comes to manage your tasks and todos? If yes, you should give Producteev for Google Chrome a try. With Productive, you can easily manage your tasks and to-do lists which are saved online so that you can access them anywhere. The app is available for different operating systems including Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. You can share the task with any colleague or friend or assign them to complete the specific task if you are working in a group.

Education

Note Anywhere

 

As a student, its really important to take notes while working on any assignment or project. Notes Anywhere is a very useful extension that allows users to take notes on any web page. When you add notes to any website, it automatically saves the note and reloads them the next time you open that page. However, the only drawback I found with this extensions is that you cannot import/export notes as of now but the developers are working to introduce this feature and will be available in the next update, hopefully.

Google Dictionary

During research or while reading an article, you may come across words that  you don’t know about. This is where Google Dictionary comes in. With Google Dictionary, you can lookup meanings of words without opening any third party application or anything. Just highlight the word you want to find and it will display the meaning. You can even find meanings of custom words by clicking on Google Dictionary icon in your task bar.

Thesaurus

With Thesaurus, students can find synonyms and acronyms of different words in Google Chrome. The extension adds option in right click menu so that users can just highlight word and look for synonyms or acronyms.

GradeGuru Citation Manager

Referencing your source of information is very important when you are working on any assignment or project. GradeGuru Citation Manager helps you create citation and bibliography, and copy the list to your document.

Others

Panic Button

With Panic button, users can hide all opened tabs in Google Chrome with a single click. The number of hidden tabs will be shown in Chrome task bar with the extension icon. Re-clicking on them will restore the tabs. The extension even allows users to password protect the hidden tabs which is very useful especially if it’s a shared computer.

Photo Zoom For Facebook

Photo Zoom For Facebook is a very handy extension for Google Chrome that integrates with Facebook and allows users to zoom in the images by just hovering the mouse over them.

Awesome Screenshot

As the name suggest, the extensions allows users to capture screenshots and annotate them right inside Google Chrome. You can edit images, crop them, add shapes, blur information and much more without installing any third party software on your computer.

Chrome To Phone

If you an Android users, this is a must have extension for you. It allows users to send links and other information from Google Chrome to your Android device in few simple steps.

Conclusion

There you have it: these are some of the most handy Google Chrome extensions in my opinion. They’ll help you stay informed and productive, right from your favorite browser. And they work great, too.

Now, that’s only my favorite 20 Chrome extensions; you must have your own favorites as well. We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!