Momentum alternatives: four new tab extensions that skip the quote

The best Momentum alternatives are AyeTab if you write code, Bonjourr if you want something calmer and open source, Tabliss for free widgets, and daily.dev if you would rather read on a new tab. AyeTab is our top pick for anyone who opens a tab to get something done: it is free, needs no account, and its tools run offline in the browser.

Why people look past Momentum

Momentum fills the new tab with a big photo, a quote, the weather, a to-do list and a goal for the day. It does that well. People start looking elsewhere for a few common reasons:

• Many features sit in Momentum Plus, which costs $39.95 a year, billed annually.
• A motivational quote does not help when you need to decode a token in the next ten seconds.
• Some people simply want fewer things on the screen.

Here is what to switch to, depending on which of those is yours.

1. AyeTab: for people who open a tab to fix something

AyeTab swaps the photo and quote for a working bench. Its free Chrome extension lists developer tools down the left and opens the one you pick on the right: JSON formatter, JWT decoder, Base64, URL encoding, hash generator, regex tester, diff checker, cron parser, image tools and more.

The fast part is getting there. Hit Ctrl+K or Cmd+K and type, or paste something and let smart paste guess the tool. Everything runs locally, so production JSON or a real token never travels to a third-party site, and it works without a network once installed.

If you liked Momentum for planning, AyeTab covers the basics too: a to-do list, a kanban board, a Pomodoro timer and quick notes, all saved on your machine instead of an account. There is no paid tier to think about. Want the tools without changing your new tab? Use AyeTab in a regular browser tab instead.

2. Bonjourr: for the photo without the pressure

Bonjourr keeps the nice background and loses the to-do guilt. It is an open source, minimalist start page with backgrounds that change through the day, plus optional quick links, notes, quotes and a Pomodoro timer. It needs no account, says it does not collect personal data, and lists "no generative AI" as a feature.

3. Tabliss: for widget fans on a zero budget

Tabliss is free and open source, with no ads or subscriptions. It has weather, clocks, greetings, quotes, todos and quick links, and pulls backgrounds from Unsplash and GIPHY. Note that its GitHub repository has been quiet since August 2024.

4. daily.dev: for reading instead of resolving

daily.dev fills the new tab with a developer news feed matched to your stack, with discussion under each post. It is free and open source. Good for learning, less good if the tab is supposed to be a two-second stop.

Quick comparison

When to stay with Momentum

If you use its calendar and task manager integrations every day, or the daily focus ritual genuinely keeps you on track, Momentum still does that better than any of these. If your new tab is mostly a launch pad for small developer jobs, AyeTab is the Momentum alternative that pays off every time you open it.