Best new tab extensions in 2026: five picks and who each one suits

The best new tab extensions in 2026 are AyeTab for developers, Momentum for focus and daily goals, Bonjourr and Tabliss for a calm custom page, and daily.dev for a reading feed. If you write code, start with AyeTab: it turns every new tab in Chrome into a free toolbox that runs offline and never uploads what you paste.

How we picked

A new tab page is the screen you see most often in a browser, so the extension that owns it should earn the spot. We looked at four things: what the page does for you, what it costs, whether it needs an account, and where your data goes. Every detail comes from each project's own site or store listing, checked in October 2026.

The list at a glance

1. AyeTab

AyeTab replaces the new tab with a split screen: the tool list on the left, the tool you picked on the right. It covers the jobs developers repeat all day, such as formatting JSON, decoding a JWT, converting YAML, reading a Unix timestamp, testing a regex, comparing two texts and generating UUIDs. Press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac) to jump to any tool, or paste a JWT, JSON blob, Base64 string or URL and it suggests the right one.

Everything runs locally in the browser. There is no account, nothing is uploaded, and it keeps working without a network once installed. It also has a to-do list, a kanban board, a Pomodoro timer and quick notes, all saved on your machine, and the same tools open in Chrome's side panel when you would rather stay on the page you are reading. Prefer a normal tab? The web version of the tools works the same way.

Best for: developers who keep opening random websites to format or decode something.

2. Momentum

Momentum shows a daily photo, a quote, the weather, a to-do list and your main focus for the day. The free plan covers the basics. Momentum Plus costs $39.95 a year, billed annually, and its plans page lists focus tools such as a site blocker, a Pomodoro timer and soundscapes, plus calendar and task manager integrations.

Best for: people who want a gentle daily planner on every tab.

3. Bonjourr

Bonjourr is an open source, minimalist start page inspired by Apple's design. Backgrounds change with the time of day, and you can add quick links, notes, a Pomodoro timer and even your own CSS. It needs no account and is funded by donations.

Best for: a clean, good-looking tab with almost nothing on it.

4. Tabliss

Tabliss is a free, open source new tab page for Chrome, Firefox and Edge with widgets for weather, clocks, quotes, todos and quick links, plus backgrounds from Unsplash and GIPHY. Its GitHub repository has not had a push since August 2024, so expect few new features.

Best for: deep visual customization at no cost.

5. daily.dev

daily.dev turns the new tab into a developer news feed tuned to your stack, with comments on each article. It is free and open source.

Best for: developers who want reading, not tools, when they open a tab.

When another pick is better

If your new tab is mainly a place to plan the day, Momentum does that job with more polish than a toolbox. If you want articles, daily.dev is the better fit. AyeTab is the pick when the new tab should do work: decode, format, convert and get out of the way.

How to switch back

Chrome shows which extension controls your new tab in the footer of the New Tab page. To return to the default page, disable or remove the extension from chrome://extensions.