Opening a new tab is something most Chrome users do without thinking. You open one to search Google, check an email, launch a work app, or move on to the next task.
But the default Chrome New Tab page does not have to remain just a search box and a few shortcuts.
Chrome already allows you to change the background, theme, colors, and website shortcuts. However, if you use your browser for work, study, project management, communication, or dozens of web apps, you may want something more organized and useful.
That is where Chrome New Tab extensions come in.
A good New Tab extension can turn every new browser tab into a personalized dashboard, giving you faster access to websites, apps, tasks, and useful information.
We compared three of the best Chrome New Tab page extensions for different types of users in 2026:
- WebCatalog – Speed Dial New Tab — best overall for organizing web apps and productivity
- Momentum — best for focus and daily planning
- Bonjourr — best for a clean and minimalist New Tab page
Here is what makes each one worth considering.
Why Replace the Default Chrome New Tab Page?
Chrome's standard New Tab page is already customizable to a degree. Google lets users choose shortcuts or frequently visited websites, change themes and browser colors, and upload a custom background.
For light browsing, that may be all you need.
The limitations become more obvious when the browser is also your main workspace.
You may use Gmail for email, Slack for communication, Notion for notes, Google Drive for documents, Figma for design, GitHub for development, ChatGPT for AI tasks, and several other web apps throughout the day.
Keeping all of these tools in bookmarks or permanently open tabs can become difficult to manage.
A New Tab extension gives that frequently opened page a more practical purpose. Instead of starting from an almost empty screen, you can create a central place for the websites and tools you use most.
Best Chrome New Tab Extensions at a Glance
| Extension | Best for | Key strengths |
|---|---|---|
| WebCatalog – Speed Dial New Tab | Overall productivity and web app organization | Folders, pages, Spaces, widgets, wallpapers, cross-device sync |
| Momentum | Focus and daily planning | Daily focus, to-do lists, inspirational backgrounds, weather |
| Bonjourr | Minimalist browsing | Clean interface, dynamic backgrounds, quick links, Pomodoro, privacy-focused design |
If you want your New Tab page to work more like a home screen for everything you do online, WebCatalog is the most complete option of the three.
Let's look at it first.
1. WebCatalog – Speed Dial New Tab: Best Overall Chrome New Tab Extension
WebCatalog – Speed Dial New Tab is designed for people who want more than a beautiful background every time they open Chrome.
It turns the New Tab page into a visual home for your websites and web apps, combining a traditional speed dial with tools for organization and productivity.
Instead of navigating through bookmarks or searching for the same apps repeatedly, you can put the services you use every day directly on your New Tab page.
The extension currently supports folders, multiple pages, separate Spaces, wallpapers, productivity widgets, and synchronization across supported browsers and devices.
That combination makes WebCatalog particularly useful for people whose daily workflow already happens largely inside a browser.
Put Your Favorite Web Apps One Click Away
The main idea behind WebCatalog Speed Dial is simple: the websites you use most should be easy to reach.
You can add popular web apps from WebCatalog's app catalog or add virtually any website yourself.
That means your New Tab page could include:
- Gmail
- Google Calendar
- Google Drive
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Notion
- Trello
- Asana
- Figma
- Canva
- GitHub
- ChatGPT
Instead of typing URLs, opening a bookmarks folder, or searching through browser history, you simply open a new tab and select the app you need.
It is a small change, but it can make the browser feel much more organized when you switch between web apps throughout the day.
Organize Apps Into Folders
A speed dial becomes less useful if you fill it with dozens of unrelated icons.
WebCatalog solves this with folders.
For example, you could create a Communication folder containing Gmail, Slack, Teams, and Discord.
A Design folder might contain Figma, Canva, Adobe Express, and other creative tools.
Your Productivity folder could include Notion, Trello, Asana, Google Calendar, and Todoist.
This makes the New Tab page easier to scan because you are organizing websites according to their purpose instead of displaying everything in one large grid.
It is particularly helpful for users who depend on many SaaS and web-based tools.
Create Multiple Pages
Folders are useful for grouping related apps. Pages give you another way to control your workspace.
Your first page could contain only the services you use every day. Another could contain marketing tools, another research resources, and another personal websites.
For example:
Page 1: Daily
Gmail, Calendar, Slack, Notion, ChatGPT and Google Drive.
Page 2: Marketing
Google Analytics, Search Console, HubSpot, Mailchimp and social media tools.
Page 3: Personal
News, entertainment, shopping and travel websites.
Instead of trying to fit your entire online life onto one screen, you can create a structure that matches how you actually work.
Separate Work and Personal Browsing With Spaces
One of WebCatalog's more useful organizational features is Spaces.
Pages help organize apps inside a setup. Spaces allow you to create separate setups for different parts of your life or work.
You could have:
- Work
- Personal
- Study
- Client A
- Client B
- Side Project
For someone who uses the same browser for both professional and personal activity, this provides a cleaner separation between contexts.
A freelancer, for example, could create different Spaces for different clients. A student could keep university resources separate from personal websites. A small business owner could maintain one workspace for administration and another for marketing.
WebCatalog also allows spaces to be used for work, personal, and shared setups, giving users more flexibility as their browser workspace grows.
Add Productivity Widgets
WebCatalog is not limited to app shortcuts.
It also includes widgets that can bring frequently needed information directly onto the New Tab page.
Current options include tools for:
- To-do management
- Weather
- World clocks
- Currency rates
- Focus mode
These widgets can be especially helpful if the information is something you normally check several times during the day.
Someone working with an international team, for instance, could keep clocks for multiple cities on the dashboard. Someone dealing with international pricing could have currency information within reach.
The goal is not to turn your New Tab page into a complicated control center. It is to keep small, useful pieces of information available without requiring another website or browser tab.
Customize the Look of Your New Tab Page
A productivity dashboard does not need to look boring.
WebCatalog lets you choose from curated wallpapers or upload your own background. You can then adjust the layout to create a workspace that feels more personal.
A simple background works well for users who want a distraction-free interface, while photos or illustrations can create a more visually interesting start page.
This gives WebCatalog a useful balance between the two main types of New Tab extensions: visual customization and practical organization.
You do not have to choose between a good-looking New Tab page and a functional one.
Sync Your Workspace Across Browsers and Devices
Once you spend time arranging apps, folders, pages, widgets, and Spaces, rebuilding everything on another computer would be inconvenient.
WebCatalog allows signed-in users to synchronize apps, pages, widgets, Spaces, and settings across supported browsers and devices.
This is especially valuable if you switch between computers or use more than one supported browser.
Your New Tab setup becomes a persistent workspace rather than a layout tied to one installation.
Who Is WebCatalog Speed Dial Best For?
WebCatalog is a particularly strong choice if:
- You use many web apps every day.
- Your bookmarks are becoming difficult to manage.
- You want folders instead of a flat collection of shortcuts.
- You need different work and personal setups.
- You want multiple pages instead of one crowded dashboard.
- You would use widgets such as weather, clocks, currency rates, or to-dos.
- You work across more than one supported browser or device.
- You want productivity features without giving up visual customization.
For users who only want a large clock and an attractive photo, simpler extensions may make more sense.
But if you want your Chrome New Tab page to become an organized web app dashboard, WebCatalog is the most versatile choice in this list.
2. Momentum: Best Chrome New Tab Page for Focus
Momentum takes a different approach.
Rather than turning your New Tab page primarily into an app launcher, it tries to create a calmer space that helps you focus on what you need to accomplish.
Every new tab can display an attractive background alongside tools such as your main focus for the day, a to-do list, weather information, website shortcuts, and search.
Its free features currently include daily backgrounds and quotes, Focus Mode, to-do lists, website shortcuts, local weather, and customizable dashboard elements.
This makes Momentum a strong choice for people who want the New Tab page to feel less like an application dashboard and more like a personal productivity companion.
The interface is also one of its biggest strengths. Rather than putting a large number of controls on the screen, Momentum emphasizes photography, simple information, and a clear daily goal.
Momentum is best for:
- Users who want help staying focused
- People who like daily goals and to-do lists
- Users who prefer large photography backgrounds
- Anyone who wants a simpler productivity dashboard
- People who only need a small number of website shortcuts
The main difference from WebCatalog is organization.
Momentum can provide quick links to favorite websites, but WebCatalog is better suited to users who want to manage a larger collection of web apps using folders, pages, and separate Spaces.
If focus is your priority, choose Momentum. If organizing your online workspace is the bigger problem, WebCatalog provides more structure.
3. Bonjourr: Best Minimalist Chrome New Tab Extension
Bonjourr is another strong alternative, particularly if your priority is minimalism.
Its New Tab page takes inspiration from Apple's design language and puts visual simplicity at the center of the experience.
By default, you get a clean interface with changing backgrounds, but there are several productivity features available when you want them.
Bonjourr currently includes Quick Links for bookmarks, customizable search, Markdown notes and checklists, a Pomodoro timer, weather, quotes, customizable clocks, dark mode, and extensive appearance controls.
It is also open source, requires no account, and its Chrome Web Store listing states that the developer does not collect user data.
Bonjourr is best for:
- Users who prefer minimalist interfaces
- People who care about extensive visual customization
- Users looking for a simple start page
- Anyone who wants built-in Pomodoro and notes
- Privacy-conscious users who prefer an extension without an account
Bonjourr can certainly help with productivity, but its philosophy is different from WebCatalog.
WebCatalog puts your apps and workspace organization at the center of the New Tab page.
Bonjourr puts the New Tab experience itself at the center, with a strong emphasis on appearance and simplicity.
Which Chrome New Tab Extension Should You Choose?
The best option depends on what you want to improve.
Choose WebCatalog – Speed Dial New Tab if you want to organize apps, websites, folders, pages, different Spaces, and everyday widgets in one place.
Choose Momentum if you want a visually appealing page that encourages you to focus on your most important task.
Choose Bonjourr if you prefer a clean, minimalist interface with plenty of appearance controls.
For users who spend much of their day switching between web apps, however, WebCatalog offers the most complete approach.
Instead of simply making the New Tab page look different, it turns it into a practical home for your online workspace.
Can You Customize Chrome's New Tab Page Without an Extension?
Yes.
Chrome lets you customize shortcuts, themes, browser colors, and background images without installing an extension.
Those options are enough if you only want basic customization.
A New Tab extension becomes useful when you want additional features such as folders, advanced shortcuts, to-do lists, multiple pages, productivity widgets, or different workspaces.
Chrome itself handles the basics well. Extensions are for users who want the page to do more.
Conclusion
The Chrome New Tab page is one of the most frequently opened parts of the browser, so it makes sense to turn it into something useful.
Momentum is an excellent option for maintaining focus, while Bonjourr stands out for its clean and minimalist approach.
But for users who want to bring their web apps together and organize them more effectively, WebCatalog – Speed Dial New Tab is our top pick.
Folders keep related apps together. Pages prevent overcrowding. Spaces separate different areas of your browsing. Widgets put useful information within reach, while synchronization helps maintain the same setup across supported browsers and devices.
Rather than treating every new tab as an empty starting point, WebCatalog turns it into a home screen for the web.
If your browser is already where most of your work happens, that can make every new tab significantly more useful.