The 5 Best Extensions for your Web Browser

Published on October 31, 2013

Most people use apps to augment their cell phones. Google maps. Lyft. Words with friends.

Web browser extensions are similar - they're designed to make your online life a little easier. Here are our top 5 favorite browser extensions.

Lastpass

If you're anything like us, you have thousands upon thousands of login ID and password combinations. They're difficult to keep in your head. Thankfully, there is a highly secure browser extension that holds onto these for you, and plugs them into the websites that you need - it is known as LastPass.

LastPass is easy to use, secure, usable on multiple platforms, and free. Remember your password into your LastPass vault, and the app does the rest. All of your password data is encrypted directly on your PC, so only your LastPass password can unlock your data, and you are the only one who has it. Additionally, you can choose to share specific passwords with others that may need to have access to it.

The browser plugin is compatible with many browsers, including Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Learn more here.

Offline Chrome Apps, Google Docs and Drive

Chrome offers a nice array of apps that can be used even when you don't have access to the internet. There are games and services alike, but our favorites are the Google Docs and Google Drive offline apps. Enable "offline" capabilities with Google Docs, and you will be able to work on your documents even when you don't have any internet available to you. (You could also couple this with Pocket, and access articles and data offline).

The same goes with Google Drive. Use the offline app feature and be able to access your material even when you don't have the internet available to you.

Colorzilla

Photoshop users love this app. Colorzilla is, essentially, an extension of our favorite "eyedropper" tool - except you can use it all around the internet.

If you see a color you want to copy into your photoshop editing, just open up Colorzilla, and it will analyze or excerpt the color for you.

It can also work well as a gradient editor, and picture to CSS converter.

This extension is available for Chrome and Firefox.

Amazon Wish List

For online shoppers, the Amazon Wish List add-on is a huge favorite. With this multi-browser application, you can add items to your wish list, even if they aren't found on Amazon.

This is a great web browser extension to have as we are nearing the holiday season, to keep all of your holiday purchase ideas in one space. (Hey, I'd bet even the big man of the North Pole even uses it.)

Wishlist has solutions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer (and a bookmarklet for iPad.)

Invisible Hand

Another good item for online shoppers who are interested in bargains, Invisible Hand is the web browser extension that finds you the lowest price on shopping, flights, hotels & rental cars. The best part? It does it automatically. If you're looking for a flight to, say, New York, Invisible Hand will pop up and say - did you know there is this cheaper option out there?

This is a great bargain hunting tool for the holiday season, when you're looking to buy your Amazon Wish List items at the best price available to you online. Check it out, here for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Having trouble finding the right web browser for you and all your extensions? Here's a fun, if overly simple, description of web browsers available to you - Which Browser for Me.