Tested 10 Chrome Extensions to Boost Productivity — Here Are My Favorites

I’ll be honest: I have a love-hate relationship with my browser. As a freelancer, Google Chrome is where I work, research, and communicate with clients. But it’s also where I get distracted — hello, endless tabs, YouTube rabbit holes, and social media “just for five minutes.”

A few months ago, I realized I was losing way too much time switching between apps, searching for tools, or simply procrastinating. That’s when I decided to experiment with Chrome extensions for productivity.

Over several weeks, I tested more than ten different ones. Some didn’t stick, but others genuinely transformed how I work. In this post, I’ll share the 10 Chrome extensions I personally tested and now recommend — with the pros, cons, and real-life ways I use them every day.

If you want to save time, stay focused, and get more done without working longer hours, this list is for you.

1. Todoist – Keep Tasks Front and Center

I’ve tried dozens of to-do list apps, but nothing beats having my tasks built right into my browser.

Best For: Task management.
Why I Love It: The Todoist Chrome extension sits neatly in my toolbar. Whenever a new task comes up (like replying to a client email), I can add it instantly without opening a separate app.
Personal Experience: This extension reduced my sticky-note chaos. Now, instead of scribbling reminders on paper, I keep everything organized digitally — and it actually syncs across devices.

SEO Tip: If you’re searching for the best Chrome extension for task management, Todoist is hard to beat.

2. Grammarly – Your Built-In Proofreader

I write emails, proposals, and blog posts every day, and typos can cost you credibility. Grammarly has been a lifesaver.

Best For: Writing assistance.
Why I Love It: The extension automatically checks my grammar, spelling, and tone in real time — even inside Gmail or LinkedIn.
Personal Touch: Once, Grammarly caught a mistake in an important client proposal. Fixing it before hitting “send” probably saved me from embarrassment (and maybe even losing the project).

3. Clockify – Track Time Without Thinking About It

As freelancers, our time is literally money. Clockify helps me know exactly where mine goes.

Best For: Time tracking and productivity insights.
Why I Love It: With a single click in Chrome, I can start or stop timers tied to specific projects. It integrates seamlessly with my workflow.
Personal Experience: I used to underestimate how long client emails took. After using Clockify, I realized I was spending hours per week writing “quick replies.” Now, I account for that time when billing.

4. StayFocusd – Beat the Distraction Trap

Confession: I used to “just check Twitter for a minute” and lose an hour. StayFocusd fixed that.

Best For: Limiting distractions.
Why I Love It: You can set daily time limits for distracting websites. Once you’ve used up your minutes, the site is blocked for the rest of the day. Brutal but effective.
Personal Experience: The first week I used StayFocusd, I was shocked to see how often I visited social media unconsciously. Now, I actually get work done before lunchtime.

5. LastPass – Never Forget a Password Again

Password resets used to be my weekly nightmare. Then I found LastPass.

Best For: Secure password management.
Why I Love It: LastPass generates strong passwords and stores them safely. One master password unlocks everything.
Personal Touch: I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve wasted trying to remember “which variation of this password I used.” LastPass freed up my brain space — and improved my security.

6. Notion Web Clipper – Save Inspiration Instantly

I’m always collecting ideas — articles, design inspiration, research for blogs. Notion Web Clipper makes it painless.

Best For: Saving and organizing content.
Why I Love It: With one click, I can send any webpage into my Notion workspace. No messy bookmarks folder.
Personal Experience: I used it while researching this very blog post. Every extension I tested got clipped into a “Productivity Tools” database. Talk about meta!

7. Momentum – A Calmer New Tab

Opening a new tab used to overwhelm me with icons and distractions. Momentum turned it into a productivity boost.

Best For: Mindful focus.
Why I Love It: Each new tab greets me with a calming background, an inspiring quote, and a single focus task for the day.
Personal Experience: It sounds small, but Momentum has been surprisingly grounding. Seeing “What’s your main focus today?” helps me reset every time I open a new tab.

8. Loom – Explain Faster with Video

Sometimes typing out instructions takes forever. Loom lets me record quick screen-share videos right from Chrome.

Best For: Video communication.
Why I Love It: With one click, I can record my screen, voice, and even my face. Perfect for walking a client through feedback.
Personal Experience: A client once told me my Loom video saved them “ten back-and-forth emails.” It made me realize how much clearer communication can be when you show instead of tell.

9. OneTab – Cure for Tab Overload

If you’re like me and keep 20+ tabs open at once, OneTab is a sanity saver.

Best For: Managing multiple tabs.
Why I Love It: With one click, it collapses all your open tabs into a single list. You can restore them later without killing your computer’s memory.
Personal Experience: My laptop used to sound like it was preparing for takeoff. Since using OneTab, I get the same info without the fan noise.

10. Pocket – Save Articles for Later

Not every interesting article needs to be read right now. Pocket helps me save them for downtime.

Best For: Curating and organizing reading material.
Why I Love It: A single click saves any webpage to my Pocket list. Later, I can read them distraction-free — even offline.
Personal Touch: I use Pocket during commutes or waiting in line. Instead of scrolling aimlessly on social media, I catch up on insightful articles I actually care about.

The Ones That Didn’t Stick

Not every extension worked for me. A couple felt redundant (since I already had similar tools) or slowed down my browser. For example:

Evernote Web Clipper – Great if you’re deep into Evernote, but I prefer Notion.
Forest – Fun concept (grow virtual trees while staying focused), but I found StayFocusd stricter and more effective.

The point is, productivity isn’t one-size-fits-all. The best extensions are the ones that fit your workflow. Learn more at Tech Support Solutions

My Top 3 Favorites

If I had to pick just three Chrome extensions to recommend to every freelancer or professional, they’d be:

Todoist – because without task management, everything else falls apart.
StayFocusd – because distractions are productivity’s biggest enemy.
Grammarly – because clear, mistake-free writing is non-negotiable.

These three alone improved my focus, organization, and professionalism.

Testing these Chrome extensions was eye-opening. At first, I thought adding more tools would slow me down, but the right ones actually did the opposite — they streamlined my workflow and saved me hours every week.

The truth is, productivity isn’t about cramming more into your day. It’s about removing friction, reducing distractions, and making your tools work for you instead of against you.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, start small. Install one or two of these extensions, see how they impact your workflow, and build from there.

For me, Chrome went from being a distraction hub to a productivity powerhouse — and I didn’t have to overhaul my entire system. Just a few smart tweaks made all the difference.

🚀 Ready to supercharge your workday? Try one of these Chrome extensions today and see the difference for yourself. And if you’ve discovered a productivity tool that changed your workflow, share it in the comments — I’d love to hear what’s worked for you!