Best New Tab Extensions for Chrome in 2025
Looking for the best new tab extensions for Chrome in 2025? We’ve rounded up the top picks to personalize your start page with productivity tools, widgets, and smart dashboards.
Best New Tab Extensions for Chrome in 2025
When you open a new tab in Chrome, you’re greeted by the same blank search page. Useful? Sure. Inspiring? Not really. That’s where new tab extensions come in. They turn your start page into something far more practical—a dashboard, a notepad, or even a little slice of calm in your browser.
Here are some of the best Chrome new tab extensions in 2025 worth checking out.
1. New Tab Widgets
If you want flexibility, New Tab Widgets is the all-in-one option. It lets you build a personal dashboard with widgets like sticky notes, Google Calendar, Gmail, weather, RSS feeds, Spotify, and even smart lighting controls for Philips Hue. You can drag, resize, and arrange widgets however you like — minimalist or packed with tools.
Free users get plenty of basics, but the Pro plan removes the Gmail widget’s two-message limitation, lets you combine multiple RSS feeds with faster refresh times, and unlocks deeper customization across widgets. It’s one of the most powerful options out there for productivity-focused users.
- Install New Tab Widgets from the Chrome Web Store
- View available widgets for New Tab Widgets
- Read our full guide on turning your new tab into a productivity dashboard
2. Momentum
Momentum has been around for years, and it’s still a favorite in 2025. Each new tab shows a calming background photo, an inspirational quote, and a simple to-do list. It’s clean, minimal, and designed to give you a moment of focus before diving into work.
If you like your new tab page to feel more like a mindfulness tool than a dashboard, this one’s a great fit.
3. Speed Dial 2 New Tab
Speed Dial 2 New Tab is perfect for people who want fast access to their favorite sites. It replaces your blank new tab with a grid of visual bookmarks and quick links. You can organize websites into groups, customize the layout, and even track your browsing stats. It’s a solid choice if speed and convenience are your top priorities.
4. Bonjourr
Bonjourr is a clean and elegant new tab extension that greets you with the time, weather, and quick access to your favorite links. It focuses on simplicity and aesthetics, making it a great choice if you want useful at-a-glance info without the clutter of heavier dashboards.
5. NightTab
NightTab is a sleek, highly customizable start page with a focus on design. You can create a beautiful grid of bookmarks, adjust themes, fonts, and colors, and even set up minimalist layouts. It’s lightweight, stylish, and perfect if you want your new tab page to feel polished without being overloaded.
6. Tabliss
If you want a polished and open-source option, Tabliss is worth mentioning. It offers beautiful backgrounds, custom widgets, and integrations like quotes, clocks, and search engines. Developers and open-source fans tend to prefer it since it’s free and community-driven.
How to Choose the Right New Tab Extension
Each extension here has its strengths, and the best one depends on what you’re looking for.
- For a dedicated focus tool, Momentum or Tabliss are excellent at keeping things calm and uncluttered.
- If you care most about speed and quick access, Speed Dial 2, NightTab, or Bonjour are strong contenders.
- For those who want a fast and flexible all-rounder, New Tab Widgets edges ahead. With its wide library of widgets covering Gmail, Calendar, Weather, Notes, RSS, Spotify, and even custom iFrame embeds; it adapts to any style, whether you prefer minimal or fully loaded.
In short, the others specialize, but New Tab Widgets offers the broadest balance of features and customization, making it the most versatile option in 2025.
✅ Tip: Start with one extension, use it for a week, and pay attention to how often you interact with it. If it makes you faster, more organized, or even just happier when you open a tab, then it’s doing its job.
Quick Comparison Table
| Extension | Best For | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| New Tab Widgets | Productivity dashboard | 40 available Widgets including Gmail, Calendar, Weather, Notes, RSS, Spotify, and an iFrame widget to embed any website content |
| Momentum | Focus & mindfulness | Daily photo, inspirational quote, simple to-do list |
| Speed Dial 2 | Quick access bookmarks | Visual speed dials, categories, browsing stats |
| Bonjour | Minimalist utility | Time, weather, and customizable quick links |
| NightTab | Custom design | Beautiful bookmark grids, themes, fonts, lightweight customization |
| Tabliss | Open-source simplicity | Backgrounds, clocks, quotes, search integrations |
Final Thoughts
Each of these extensions shines in its own way. Some keep things calm and minimal, others give you quick shortcuts, and a few turn your browser into a serious productivity hub.
- If you want a dedicated mindfulness tool, Momentum or Tabliss are excellent.
- If fast access and design are your priority, Speed Dial 2, NightTab, or Bonjour deliver.
But if you want something that does it all, New Tab Widgets is in a league of its own. It can be a lightweight space for focus, a polished dashboard for speed, or a fully loaded productivity powerhouse with a rich library of customizable widgets. The flexibility is unmatched; you decide whether your new tab feels like a calm retreat, a streamlined control panel, or a blend of both.
Since you open your new tab page dozens (or even hundreds) of times every day, making it work exactly how you want is one of the smartest upgrades you can make in 2025 — and New Tab Widgets gives you that freedom.