Google Chrome is the most used web browser in the world. To take full advantage of Chrome, there exist plenty of useful extensions that are sure to make your browsing experience more enjoyable. As some of you may know, Chrome extension can also be used on other Chromium based browsers, like Opera and Vivaldi.
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Here are just ten Chrome extensions that are a mixture of both well and lesser known add ons that are amazingly useful in helping you to increase your security, save you money and improve your overall browsing experience.
Adblock Plus
Adblock Plus, one of the most popular Google Chrome extensions, lets you clean your web pages, by removing those clumsy advertisements from sidebars and everywhere else. The free plugin can block various kinds of ads, such as animated ads, pop-ups & pop-unders, Facebook ads etc. Also, there is an impressive level of protection from tracking and malware. It is to be noted that Adblock Plus does not put end to web advertisements; on the other hand, there’s a set of acceptable ads that do not interrupt your web browsing. Plus, this open-source extension is customizable as well.
Hola Better Internet
This free Google Chrome extension brings a completely free yet effective VPN (Virtual Private Network) into your Chrome, so that you can browse without revealing your identity to anyone who is waiting there to track. Of course, you have an option to access websites that are actually not available in your geographical area — due to censorship and other stuff. In addition, Hola Better Internet is known for providing a relatively quicker internet connection that is stable & less data-consuming as well. And, using Hola is a simple task, for that matter.
Click&Clean
Click&Clean is a privacy-protection chrome plugin that lets you analyze your web browsing activities to find whether your data is vulnerable to surveillance and other sorts of compromises. There are some tasks that Click&Clean will help you; for instance, it can set an option to automatically clear browsing history data when you close Google Chrome window and to scan your PC for malware. So, Click&Clean will be more or less a complete online protection solution that can do well for active internet users out there.
Save to Pocket
I hope you’re familiar with Pocket — the service that lets you save articles and web content for offline access! This extension lets you save a website or such content to your Pocket so that you can read it later, in your Smartphone or Tablet PC. Save to Pocket is truly usable in the sense that it can be integrated to the Chrome context menu, ability to add different tags and you can even create a keyboard shortcut to save web pages to Pocket, along with the toolbar button for instant access.
Turn Off the Lights
Turn Off the Lights is for those who watch videos online, frequently. In short, Turn Off the Lights brings atmosphere lightning when you are watching videos from YouTube and the experience is truly impressive, the truth be told. It is a matter of seconds that you can make interrupting parts of a web page fade and thus have the utmost concentration put on the video viewing experience. There are a number of features such as wide support of video players, shortcut keys for easier management, additional transition effects etc.
StayFocused
StayFocused, as its name says, lets you stay focused when you’re working! Self-restriction is often the best way to be more productive and StayFocused lets you be so by restricting time you spend on addictive sites such as Facebook and others. This highly-configurable Chrome extension can be used to set limits on time you spend. You have option to set individual site-based limits too. For instance, if you have accessed a particular site for the maximum time, the site will not accessible thereafter — so you should be careful when you get addicted. It will prove very productive, it can be assured.
Google Dictionary
For those who find hard to understand words while browsing web, Google Dictionary is a must-have extension for Chrome. Google Dictionary as an extension is truly intuitive, because you can double click on a word to see meaning of the word in a pop-up. Not only English, there is support for various languages and you can depend upon Google Dictionary plugin when you’re reading a jargon-filled or ornamentally-written article. There is also an option to hear the word pronounced, right away.
Google Calendar
Google Calendar extension brings a simple Google Chrome toolbar button, using which you can create or add events as you browse the web. Suppose there are details of an event in a web page you visit and you want to create an event-based reminder about it. If you have Google Calendar extension installed in Chrome, you can do that in a second or two. There is also an option to view events that you have added to the calendar. In short, when you need an all-time companion for your Google Calendar experience, this extension is a must-have one, I guarantee.
Chrome Remote Desktop
What do you think about using your Smartphone to control your PC — just like you’d done using TeamViewer? If it’s affirmative, you should install this productive Google Chrome extension to get things done. You have to install the Remote Desktop application in your Android Smartphone and the extension in Chrome. Once you have created the bond and fixed some installation stuff, you can start controlling your computer using Smartphone screen of yours. Its cross-platform availability is so impressive, given that Chrome needs to be installed in the device. Of course, when its resource consumption does not bother you, Chrome Remote Desktop is a sense-making productive extension.
HTTPS Everywhere
As you all know, HTTPS is a sign of trust and security, especially when it comes to confidential data such as credential for payments and all. The plugin, in effect, switches thousands of sites to HTTPS from the non-secure HTTP. So, it can protect you from a lot of threats such as privacy hijacking, frauds and some kinds of surveillance that is present, almost everywhere. If you’re concerned about security and privacy of your online browsing, HTTPS Everywhere is an extremely useful Chrome extension, I bet.
Which extensions do you use to enhance your browsing experience? Share in the section below. Thank you for visiting Base64!