Chrome's own new tab page gives you a search box and a row of shortcuts. An extension can replace it with something you would rather look at many times a day: a photo and a clock, a to-do list, your bookmarks, a focus timer. This article ranks the best new tab extensions for Chrome by how much of the page is yours to arrange, and then sets out what you can check for yourself: what each one costs, whether it wants an account, how many people have rated it and when it was last updated.
The short version. Backs, which we make, is our pick: you choose what is on the page and where it goes, and the colours follow your photo. It is also the newest here, with only a handful of ratings so far. Bonjourr is the one to start with if you want a calm page that costs nothing and whose code is public. Momentum is the most established, with extras if you will pay. Tabliss asks for no permissions at all.
How we picked
We took the names that come up whenever people compare new tab pages. First place goes on the thing we care about most, and the reason Backs exists: how much of the page is yours to arrange, meaning what is on it, where each thing sits and how it looks. The other seven are in order on four things you can check. What you get without paying or signing up. How much evidence there is: 4.9 from 24,000 ratings says more than 4.7 from three. Upkeep, meaning when the Chrome listing was last updated. And how open the maker is about money and data: public code, adverts, affiliate links, and what the privacy section of the store page declares.
Why is Backs first? Because arranging the page is what it is built for: every Backon goes where you put it, separate Spaces hold separate setups, and the colours are taken from your own photo. We think that makes the best new tab. It is also ours, so weigh that. What Backs does not have yet is a record. Bonjourr, Momentum and Tabliss have years of ratings behind them, Bonjourr and Tabliss are open source and free in full, Momentum connects to task managers, and all three run in more browsers than Chrome. If any of that matters more to you than arranging the page, start with them. The four at the bottom are each built around one job: a grid of site icons, a start page for bookmarks, a tab manager, a way to give to charity. If one of those jobs is yours, the fit matters more than the number.
The best new tab extensions, ranked
Backs
Free, Premium €3.99 a month or €39.99 a yearOurs, and our pick. A new tab you arrange yourself: Backons for tasks, notes, a focus timer, clocks, weather, bookmarks and search go where you put them on a grid, and their colours follow your photo.
Bonjourr
Free, donations welcomeA calm page in the style of iOS: photos whose mood changes with the time of day, a clock, quick links, notes, weather and a Pomodoro timer. Free, open source, no account, and 4.9 from 24.1K ratings.
Momentum
Free, Plus $39.95 a yearThe best known of the eight: a daily photo, a quote, one goal for the day and a to-do list, on the store since 2013. Two million users, 4.5 from 13.7K ratings, updated in September 2026.
Tabliss
FreeFree, open source and, by its own store listing, in need of no permissions at all. Unsplash photos or your own, a clock, weather, to-dos, notes, quick links and custom CSS.
Infinity New Tab
No price listedA grid of site icons with wallpapers, weather, to-dos and notes. It has two store listings: Infinity New Tab, 4.6 from 11.8K ratings, and Infinity New Tab (Pro), 4.9 from 24.8K.
start.me
Free with adverts, Pro $25 a yearA start page that lives on the web and loads in each new tab: bookmarks, RSS feeds, notes, to-dos and many other widgets, the same in every browser you log in to.
Toby
Free to 60 tabs, then from $4.50 a monthLess a dashboard than a tab manager that lives on the new tab: save open tabs into collections, reopen a whole session with one click, and find any of it again with search.
Tab for a Cause
Free, shows advertsA new tab with photos, notes and to-do lists that also carries a couple of banner adverts. The money goes to the charity you choose.
Side by side
Ratings are the Chrome Web Store's figures on 21 September 2026, and prices are as each maker lists them. 'None found' means none of the maker's pages we read says the code is public.
| Extension | Price | Account | Open source | Chrome rating | Last updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backs | Free, Premium €3.99 a month | Not needed | No | 4.7 from 3 | September 2026 |
| Bonjourr | Free, donations welcome | Not needed | Yes | 4.9 from 24.1K | July 2026 |
| Momentum | Free, Plus $39.95 a year | Optional | None found | 4.5 from 13.7K | September 2026 |
| Tabliss | Free | Not needed | Yes | 4.7 from 386 | April 2022 |
| Infinity New Tab | No price listed | Optional, for backup | None found | 4.6 from 11.8K, Pro 4.9 from 24.8K | August 2026, Pro July 2026 |
| start.me | Free with adverts, Pro $25 a year | Needed | None found | 4.3 from 1.4K | January 2024 |
| Toby | Free to 60 tabs, then from $4.50 a month | Needed | None found | 4.2 from 3.3K | September 2026 |
| Tab for a Cause | Free, shows adverts | Asks you to log in | Yes | 4.4 from 1.3K | October 2022 |
Which one for whom
- You want to decide what goes where. Backs. Start with a clock and a task list, and add Backons as you need them.
- You want a nicer new tab and nothing more. Bonjourr. If permissions are what you care about most, Tabliss.
- You want your new tab tied to your task manager. Momentum with Plus.
- Your bookmarks are the point. Infinity if you want a speed dial inside Chrome. start.me if you want the same page in several browsers, or one to share with a team or a class.
- Your trouble is open tabs, not the new tab. Toby.
- You would like your tabs to do some good. Tab for a Cause, if adverts on the page do not bother you.
Questions and answers
- What is the best new tab extension for Chrome?
- We make Backs and we think it is the best for anyone who wants to decide what is on the page and where: tasks, notes, a focus timer, clocks, weather and bookmarks, placed where you like, in colours taken from your photo. It is new, so if you would rather choose by track record, Bonjourr is free and open source, needs no account and holds 4.9 from more than 24,000 ratings. Momentum is the stronger choice if you will pay for a site blocker and task manager integrations, and Tabliss if you want an extension that asks for no permissions.
- Which new tab extensions are free?
- Bonjourr and Tabliss have no paid plan at all; Bonjourr runs on donations. Momentum, Backs, start.me and Toby each have a plan that costs nothing and a paid one above it. Tab for a Cause pays its way with adverts. Infinity lists no price on its store pages or its site.
- Are new tab extensions safe?
- An extension can do only what its permissions allow, and the privacy section of its Chrome Web Store page says what data it handles, so read both before you install. Tabliss says it needs no permissions, and the listings for Bonjourr, Tabliss and Infinity declare that no data is collected. Bonjourr, Tabliss and Tab for a Cause publish their code, so anyone can check it.
- Do new tab extensions work in Incognito windows?
- No. Chrome's documentation for developers says extensions cannot replace the new tab page there, so you will see Chrome's own page whichever extension you choose.
- How do I go back to Chrome's own new tab page?
- Remove the extension. Right-click its icon beside the address bar and choose Remove from Chrome. If the icon is not there, open the menu at the top right, choose Extensions, then Manage extensions, and select Remove on the extension.
Photo via Unsplash