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The Keyword

Our favorite Chrome extensions of 2021

Dec 07, 2021

[[read-time]] min read

Sarem Gizaw
Product Manager, Chrome Web Store
Dark blue background with several outlined shapes in blue, red, orange and green. In the center is a gold abstract trophy with a heart and Chrome logo outline overlaid.

All year, developers from around the world build Chrome extensions that make browsing easier, more productive and more personalized — whether you’re on the web to work, learn, play or all of the above. Today, we’re sharing our favorite extensions of the year that help people continue to virtually stay connected, get things done and have some fun along the way. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Communicate and collaborate

Whether you’re working from the office, your couch or a bit of both, extensions can help keep you connected with your teammates. Loom makes it easier to capture and share videos with others, while Mote allows you to give quick feedback through voice commenting and transcripts. Wordtune also helps you clearly communicate by rephrasing sentences and catching typos in emails and documents.

Three icons for Loom, Mote and Wordtune side by side. The leftmost icon has a blue, square background with a white starburst in the center, and underneath it’s labeled “Loom.” The middle icon has a purple, circular background with a cursive “M” in the center and underneath it’s labeled “Mote.” The rightmost icon has a dark purple, circular background with a cursive “W” and underneath it’s labeled "Wordtune.”

Stay productive

Other extensions offer new ways to stay focused and efficient. Forest gamifies productivity through virtual tree planting and rewards, and Dark Reader protects your eyes (and sleep schedule) during long workdays. Tab Manager Plus also saves you from drowning in a sea of never-ending tabs, and Nimbus Screenshot & Screen Video Recorder makes it easier to quickly screenshot and record content to share across platforms.

Four icons for Forest, Dark Reader, Tab Manager Plus and Nimbus Screenshot & Screen Video Recorder side by side. The leftmost icon has a green background with a soil and leaf in the foreground, and underneath it’s labeled “Forest.” The icon to its right has a transparent background with a dark head with glowing glasses in the foreground, and underneath it’s labeled “Dark Reader.” The icon to its right has a transparent background with three browser windows overlapping, colored yellow, green and orange, and underneath it’s labeled “Tab Manager Plus.” The rightmost icon has a transparent background with a dashed square blue outline, a blue “N” in the center and a blue plus sign in the bottom right corner. Underneath, it’s labeled “Nimbus Screenshot & Screen Video Recorder.”

Learn virtually

With education happening online more than ever before, students and teachers need helpful virtual classroom tools. Kami creates an interactive online learning space for students and teachers, and InsertLearning helps you easily take notes and integrates with Google Classroom. Meanwhile, Toucan makes learning a new language fun and immersive, and Rememberry organizes vocabulary words into flashcard decks for quick studying throughout the day.

Four icons for Kami, InsertLearning, Toucan and Rememberry side by side. The leftmost icon has a circular blue background with a white bold ‘K’ centered, and underneath it’s labeled “Kami.” The icon to its right has a dark purple, square background with a bold “IL” in the center and underneath it’s labeled “InsertLearning.” The icon to its right has a green background with a Toucan bird in the foreground, and underneath it’s labeled “Toucan.” The rightmost icon has a transparent background with a human head silhouette facing left and a circle with an arrow on one end pointing counterclockwise overlayed. Underneath, it’s labeled “Rememberry.”

Make (and save) some change

To give your browsing experience a personal twist, Stylus helps you build and install custom themes and skins for your favorite sites. And Rakuten puts cash back in your pocket by automatically finding coupons and deals across the web — particularly helpful during one of the busiest years for online shopping.

Two icons for Stylus and Rakuten side by side. The left icon has a dark blue, square background with a light blue outline and a light blue “S” in the center, and underneath it’s labeled “Stylus.” The right icon has a transparent background with a purple "R" in the center and underlined, and underneath it’s labeled “Rakuten.”

To install and learn more about these extensions, visit our Chrome Web Store Favorites of 2021 collection. And if you’re a developer looking for tips to design a high-quality Chrome extension, check out our best practices.

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