New Tab Widgets vs Momentum Dash: A Customizable Alternative
Momentum does a great job of turning your new tab into a calm, focused space. If you're looking for something with more widgets and a fully freeform layout — where you control exactly what goes where — New Tab Widgets is a solid alternative.
Where Momentum works well
- Beautiful out of the box. Daily photos, greeting messages, and weather give you a polished new tab with zero setup.
- Focus-oriented. The daily focus prompt and to-do list are designed for people who want a clean, minimal dashboard.
- Integrations for teams. Momentum Plus connects to Asana, Todoist, Trello, and other project management tools.
- Large user base. Millions of installs and a mature, well-supported product.
Where New Tab Widgets differs
- 50+ specialized widgets. Beyond to-dos and weather, you get a Spotify player, Google Calendar, world clocks, Philips Hue controls, currency converters, countdown timers, and embedded apps like ChatGPT, Discord, and WhatsApp.
- True freeform layout. Drag any widget anywhere on the canvas. No fixed grid, no locked positions — you design the layout from scratch.
- Multiple pages. Create separate dashboard pages for different contexts (work, personal, media) with their own wallpapers and widget sets.
- Smart home controls. The Philips Hue widget lets you control lights directly from your new tab — something Momentum doesn't offer.
- No ads on the free tier. The free version includes most widgets with no banner ads or sponsored content.
- Embedded web apps. Pin ChatGPT, Gmail, Google Keep, or any web app as a widget using iframes — no need to switch tabs.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Momentum | New Tab Widgets |
|---|---|---|
| Daily photo backgrounds | ✓ (core feature) | ✓ (custom wallpapers) |
| To-do list | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weather | ✓ | ✓ |
| Widget count | ~10–15 | 50+ |
| Freeform layout | ✗ (fixed positions) | ✓ |
| Multiple pages | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spotify integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Google Calendar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Smart home (Philips Hue) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Embedded web apps (iframes) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team integrations (Asana, Trello) | ✓ (Plus plan) | ✗ |
| Custom CSS | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ads on free tier | ✗ | ✗ |
| Account required | Yes | No |
Who should switch?
- People who've outgrown Momentum's fixed layout and want full control over what their new tab looks like.
- Users who want media and smart home widgets — Spotify, Hue, embedded apps — not just a photo and a to-do list.
- Anyone who wants multiple dashboard pages for different parts of their day without paying for a Plus subscription.
Give it a try from the Chrome Web Store — it's free, no account needed.