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Best New Tab Extensions for Chrome in 2026: An Honest Shortlist

, maker of BirdTabX
Published

The best new tab extension for Chrome depends on what you want a new tab to do. For a calm page with something worth seeing, our pick is BirdTab: a wild bird photograph and its call on every tab. For a private, customisable all-rounder, Bonjourr; for a planner, Momentum; for a wall of shortcuts, Infinity New Tab. We compared six of the best-known new tab extensions on ratings, upkeep, price and privacy.

We make BirdTab. We ranked it first for people who want their new tab to be a pause rather than a to-do list; if you want a dashboard, the others below are better, and we say which.

Mostly care about looks? See the aesthetic shortlist →

Key takeaways

  1. 1New tab extensions fall into two kinds: calm pages built around a photograph, and dashboards built around tasks and links. Choose the kind first; the best of each are very different.
  2. 2BirdTab is our pick for a calm page: a different bird with its recorded call on every tab, a 5.0 rating from 138 ratings, no account and no data collected.
  3. 3Bonjourr is the best all-rounder: free, open source, a 4.9 rating from 24,400 ratings, and optional notes, to-dos and a Pomodoro timer.
  4. 4Momentum, with 2 million users, is the best planner; its free version has to-do lists and focus mode, and Momentum Plus costs $39.95 a year. Infinity New Tab is the best speed-dial grid.
  5. 5start.me and Tabliss are still listed but have not been updated since January 2024 and April 2022. Check the last update date before you install any new tab extension.

What a new tab extension actually is (and what it is not)

A new tab extension replaces the page Chrome shows when you open a new tab. Chrome’s own page has a search box and a row of shortcuts; an extension can put anything there, from a single photograph to a full dashboard of tasks, bookmarks, weather and news. Chrome lets one extension own the new tab at a time and asks you once to confirm the change.

It is not a homepage. Your homepage is what Chrome opens at start-up or when you press the home button; a new tab extension only changes new tabs. It is not a theme either: a Chrome theme changes the colour of the toolbar, not what is on the page.

Because you see it dozens of times a day, a new tab is the most-seen page in your browser. That is why the choice matters. A dashboard puts your work in front of you every time; a calm page gives you a few seconds away from it. Neither is wrong. Many people try a dashboard and find that a to-do list on every tab adds pressure rather than focus.

It also runs with access to every new tab you open, so upkeep and privacy matter. An extension left unmaintained can break with a Chrome update, and one that requires an account holds data about you. We compared both.

How we ranked these new tab extensions

We took the most-installed and most-recommended new tab extensions on the Chrome Web Store, kept one of each kind, and compared them on five things you can check yourself:

  1. 1. Rating and number of ratings

    The Chrome Web Store average and how many people rated it.

  2. 2. Last updated

    The latest version’s date. Older than a year counts against it.

  3. 3. Price

    What the free version includes, and the cost of any paid plan.

  4. 4. Account and data

    Whether you must sign in, and what the listing says it collects.

  5. 5. Kind

    Calm page or dashboard: what is on screen by default.

Figures were read on 15 October 2026. Sources are linked under each product.

The best new tab extensions in 2026

Six new tab extensions, two calm pages and four dashboards, each the best at something. Pick the one whose “best for” matches how you want to feel when you open a tab.

1. BirdTab, best for a calm page with something to discover

  • Free
  • 5.0 rating (138)
  • Featured
  • Updated Oct 2026
  • No account
  • Works offline

BirdTab shows a different bird on every new tab: a high-resolution photograph, the bird’s name and a recording of its call. Open the bird’s card for facts about its behaviour, habitat and conservation status. Choose the birds of your own country, from more than 250 countries and regions, or the World’s 500 most common birds.

It is a calm page first, but not an empty one. A search box, your shortcuts, a clock and a countdown timer can each be turned on, and Google Apps shortcuts are a click away. Sound has a volume control and quiet hours. There is a short identification quiz and a history of every bird you have seen.

It works offline once your birds have loaded, needs no account, shows no ads and its listing says it collects no personal data. It is translated into 10 languages and available for Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

BirdTab has 2,000 users, a 5.0 average from 138 ratings and the Featured badge. Version 2.1.1 was released on 15 October 2026.

Best suited for

Anyone who wants each new tab to be a short pause, and nature lovers and birders in particular. Not for people who want their tasks on every tab.

Sources: BirdTab on the Chrome Web Store

Add BirdTab to Chrome

2. Bonjourr, best for a private, customisable all-rounder

  • Free
  • 4.9 rating (24.4K)
  • Featured
  • 400,000 users
  • Open source (GPL-3.0)

Bonjourr is a minimalist new tab page by two independent developers in France, Victor Azevedo and Tahoe Beetschen. Its background is a 4K photograph or video from a hand-curated Unsplash collection that follows the time of day.

Everything else is optional and configurable: quick links, a search bar for any engine, Markdown notes and to-dos, a Pomodoro timer, weather, quotes, an analogue or digital clock, custom fonts and CSS, and a dark mode. It is in 43 languages.

It is free, funded by donations, open source under the GPL-3.0, and its listing says it “collects no data, requires no account or sign-in”. It runs on Chrome, Firefox and Edge, on the web, or self-hosted.

With 400,000 users and a 4.9 average from 24,400 ratings, it is the best-rated extension in this list, and it was one of Google Chrome’s Favorites of 2023. Version 22.3.0 was released in July 2026.

Best suited for

Most people who want a good-looking, private new tab with a few useful tools. Especially good if you like to fine-tune the design.

Sources: Bonjourr on the Chrome Web Store, bonjourr.fr

3. Momentum, best for planning your day on every tab

  • Free + Plus $39.95/yr
  • 4.2 rating (13.7K)
  • Featured
  • 2,000,000 users

Momentum is the best-known new tab dashboard. Its free version gives you a daily photograph from its own collection, a mantra and a quote, a focus mode, to-do lists, website shortcuts, local weather and search.

Momentum Plus, at $39.95 a year, adds unlimited focus mode, a vision board, Tab Stash, notes and AI features, soundscapes, integrations with ClickUp, Todoist and Asana, habit metrics, countdowns and world clocks.

It runs on Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. It has accounts, and its listing discloses personally identifiable and authentication information while saying “we don’t share or sell your data”.

It has 2 million users on the Chrome Web Store and a 4.2 average from 13,700 ratings. Version 2.27.8 was released on 6 October 2026.

Best suited for

People who want their new tab to keep them on task, with their to-do list and focus in view. Less suited to anyone who finds a to-do list on every tab stressful.

Sources: Momentum on the Chrome Web Store, Momentum Plus pricing

4. Infinity New Tab, best for a speed-dial grid of shortcuts

  • 4.5 rating (11.8K)
  • 400,000 users
  • Updated Aug 2026
  • Optional sign-in

Infinity New Tab turns the new tab into a speed dial: a grid of website icons, with 200 or more to choose from, over a background from its 365 HD wallpapers or your own. It adds weather, a to-do list, a notepad, Gmail notifications, a choice of search engine and history and extension management.

Sign in with Google, Facebook or other accounts and it syncs across devices. Its listing discloses that partner shortcuts such as eBay may be included by default and that it earns from them as an affiliate; they can be removed.

The main listing has 400,000 users and a 4.5 average from 11,800 ratings, last updated in August 2026. A separate “Infinity New Tab (Pro)” listing has 300,000 users and a 4.7 average.

Best suited for

People who open the same dozen sites all day and want them one click away. Less suited to anyone who wants a quiet page.

Sources: Infinity New Tab on the Chrome Web Store

5. start.me, best for bookmarks, feeds and widgets for work

  • 4.4 rating (1.4K)
  • 100,000 users
  • Updated Jan 2024
  • Account

start.me, from start.me BV in the Netherlands, is a start page built around bookmarks: organised lists of links, RSS feeds, notes and to-dos, and what its listing calls “+3,500 widgets”, such as calendars, stock prices and weather. Pages can be shared with others.

It is account-based, and its listing says more than 850,000 people use start.me in total. The Chrome extension has 100,000 users and a 4.4 average from 1,400 ratings.

The extension’s last update, version 7.3.0, was in January 2024. start.me itself is still available, but the extension has not changed in well over a year.

Best suited for

Teams, teachers and researchers who keep large, shared collections of links. Overkill if you only need a few shortcuts.

Sources: start.me on the Chrome Web Store

6. Tabliss, best for an open-source page, if you accept no updates

  • Free
  • 4.6 rating (389)
  • 100,000 users
  • Updated Apr 2022
  • Open source (GPL-3.0)

Tabliss is a free, open-source new tab with backgrounds from Unsplash, GIPHY, colours, gradients or your own photos, and widgets for a clock, greeting, weather, quotes, to-dos, notes, quick links, search and more. Its listing says it is “private, secure, and requires no permissions”.

It has 100,000 users and a 4.6 average from 389 ratings. Its last Chrome Web Store update, version 2.6.0, was on 25 April 2022, more than four years ago. It may keep working, but nothing is being fixed.

Bonjourr describes itself as a modern alternative to Tabliss and Momentum, and is the natural place to go if you liked Tabliss.

Best suited for

People already happy with it. New users should start with Bonjourr, which covers the same ground and is maintained.

Sources: Tabliss on the Chrome Web Store, Tabliss on GitHub

Side-by-side comparison

The criteria from our method, side by side. Figures are from each Chrome Web Store listing and the makers’ own sites, read on 15 October 2026.

new tab extensions compared
ExtensionKindRating (ratings)UsersLast updatedPriceAccount / data
BirdTabCalm page5.0 (138)2,000Oct 2026FreeNo account, no data
BonjourrCalm page + widgets4.9 (24.4K)400,000Jul 2026FreeNo account, no data
MomentumDashboard4.2 (13.7K)2,000,000Oct 2026Free; Plus $39.95/yrAccount
Infinity New TabSpeed dial4.5 (11.8K)400,000Aug 2026Not statedOptional sign-in
start.meBookmarks4.4 (1.4K)100,000Jan 2024Not statedAccount
TablissCalm page + widgets4.6 (389)100,000Apr 2022FreeNo permissions

Which new tab extension fits your use case

Which to choose
If you want…Who it suitsPick
A pause, with natureNature lovers, birders, anyone tired of dashboardsBirdTab
Private and customisableMost peopleBonjourr
My tasks and focusPlanners, remote workersMomentum
My sites one click awayHeavy shortcut usersInfinity New Tab
Shared link collectionsTeams, teachers, researchersstart.me

What BirdTab users say

BirdTab is small next to the big new tab extensions, and its reviews are what it has to show. These are the figures on its Chrome Web Store listing, and a few of the reviews behind them.

5.0

average rating on the Chrome Web Store

138

ratings

Featured

badge on the Chrome Web Store

“The reason I love opening up a new tab. As an ornithologist and birder, this is my favorite extension.”
Joel Slade, Chrome Web Store review, Nov 6, 2025
“So nice to open the browser and have a gorgeous singing/calling bird instead of the same old google search page!”
John Cavitt, Chrome Web Store review, Jan 10, 2026
“I am obsessed with birds, and I love this extension so much that it's hard to put into words. I love discovering a new bird species with every tab I open. Thank you for making this extension for bird lovers like myself.”
Casey Mayo, Chrome Web Store review, Oct 21, 2025

Frequently asked questions

What is the best new tab extension for Chrome?

For a calm page, BirdTab; for a private all-rounder, Bonjourr; for productivity, Momentum. Decide whether you want a pause or a dashboard first, then pick from that kind.

How do I change my new tab page in Chrome?

Install a new tab extension from the Chrome Web Store and open a new tab. Chrome asks whether to keep the change; choose Keep it.

How do I get the default Chrome new tab back?

Open chrome://extensions and turn off the new tab extension. Chrome’s own new tab returns straight away.

Are new tab extensions safe?

Choose one that is maintained, well rated and clear about the data it collects. BirdTab and Bonjourr both say they collect no personal data and need no account.

What is a free alternative to Momentum?

Bonjourr is free and open source, with notes, to-dos and a Pomodoro timer. BirdTab is free too, if you would rather have a calm nature page than a dashboard.

Can I use two new tab extensions at once?

No. Chrome gives the new tab to one extension at a time. You can keep several installed and switch between them in chrome://extensions.

Do new tab extensions slow down Chrome?

They run only when a new tab opens, so the effect is small. Lighter extensions open faster: BirdTab is about 1 MB and Momentum about 18 MB, according to their listings.

Add BirdTab to Chrome

Your new tab is the page you see most. It might as well be one you are glad to see.

BirdTab gives you a different bird every time, with its call and a few facts, and keeps search and your shortcuts close by.

It takes a minute to install. If it is not for you, turning it off brings Chrome’s own page straight back.

Try it for a day: add BirdTab to Chrome and see how many birds you meet.