Session Buddy alternative
Session Buddy is a great safety net for your tabs. If you're after something else, like saving your work pages on purpose and having them in every browser, here are your options.
Session Buddy is a free extension that saves your open tabs and brings them back if Chrome suddenly closes. For years it has been a favorite for not losing anything.
We cover what it does well, why some people look for another option and how NexoPad is different. We're the NexoPad team, so we'll tell you plainly when you're better off sticking with Session Buddy.
The short answer
If you want to make sure nothing is lost when Chrome crashes or restarts, stick with Session Buddy or turn on Chrome's Continue where you left off option. NexoPad doesn't do that: it doesn't save your session automatically or recover tabs after a crash.
If you want to save a set of pages on purpose, such as everything for one client, give it a name, find it in seconds and have it in all your browsers, NexoPad is a better fit. You save it as a group and open it in one click, right next to your notes and text shortcuts.
What Session Buddy does
- Saves all your open tabs in one click and lets you restore them later.
- Recovers your tabs after a crash, a restart or an accidental close. It saves sessions automatically, without you doing anything.
- Shows the open tabs from all your windows in a single dashboard.
- Organizes what you save into collections, by topic or project.
- Searches all at once across your open tabs, your collections and your tab history.
- Imports and exports in more than 15 formats, such as text, JSON, CSV, Markdown or HTML.
- It's free and needs no account. Data stays on your device, with manual and automatic backups.
- It's still maintained: version 4.1.2 is from April 28, 2026, and its website lists a 4.2 as "coming soon".
Why some people look for another option
- It doesn't sync. Your sessions live only on the computer where you saved them. Its listing says optional cloud storage is coming and will be its only paid feature, but gives no date.
- The move to version 4 meant moving your data. In 2024, its website warned that version 3 would stop working because of Chrome changes and that you had to upgrade to avoid losing data. Anyone who upgraded late had to move it by hand with a tool. Chrome forced that change, but it's a good reminder: if everything lives only on your device, backups are up to you.
- It's in English only. Its Chrome Web Store listing shows English as the only language.
- It's not on Firefox. You install it from the Chrome Web Store, and we couldn't find it on Firefox Add-ons.
- It's built so you don't lose anything. Its strength is saving and restoring sessions. If you want your work pages next to your notes and quick replies, you need something else.
Session Buddy vs NexoPad
| Session Buddy | NexoPad | |
|---|---|---|
| Saves your session automatically | Yes | No |
| Recovers tabs after Chrome closes | Yes | No. Use Session Buddy or Continue where you left off |
| Save all tabs in one click | Yes | Yes, as a named group |
| When you open what you saved | Restores windows and tabs as they were | They open in a Chrome tab group with its name and color |
| How you organize | Collections | Folders, Tags and groups |
| Search | Open tabs, collections and history | Links and groups in the popup and side panel, plus Ctrl+K on any website |
| Syncs across browsers | No, it saves on your device | Yes, with your NexoPad account |
| Also includes | Import and export in 15+ formats | Notes, text shortcuts and clips |
| Browsers | Chrome Web Store | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Brave |
| Price | Free | Free plan with 20 links; Pro, up to 1,000 |
Saving tabs on purpose with NexoPad
NexoPad doesn't watch your tabs or save anything on its own. You decide what to save and when: open the popup, press + and choose Save all tabs. The pages in the window are saved together as a group, with the name and color you choose, for example "Brightline · Open all".
When you need them again, click the group and they all open at once, inside a Chrome tab group with that name and color. We walk you through it in how to save all open tabs.
Your groups live alongside the rest of your links, with folders and Tags. Find them in the Links tab of the popup or the side panel, or press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac) on any website, where your notes and shortcuts show up too. Since they're saved to your account, you have them in every browser where you sign in. To get everything in order, see our guide to organizing your links.
If Chrome suddenly closes
This isn't a job for NexoPad. You have two good options: let Session Buddy save your sessions in the background, or turn on Continue where you left off in Chrome's settings so your tabs from last time come back when you open it.
If you've already lost something, our guide to reopening closed tabs in Chrome has the shortcuts and menus to get them back.
And you don't have to choose: use Session Buddy as a safety net and NexoPad for the pages you open on purpose every day.
Which one suits you?
You just don't want to lose tabs
Turn on Continue where you left off in Chrome. It's free and there's nothing to install.
You want a complete safety net
Session Buddy saves your sessions on its own, recovers them after a crash and searches your tab history. Free, with no account.
You open the same pages every day
Save them as a NexoPad group, with a name and color, and open them in one click in any browser where you sign in.
You want to work by project or save memory
Check out our comparisons of tab managers and OneTab alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is Session Buddy free?
Yes. All its features are free and it needs no account. Its listing says optional cloud storage will come later and will be its only paid feature.
Does NexoPad save my tabs automatically, like Session Buddy?
No. NexoPad only saves what you choose with Save all tabs or when you save a link. For automatic saving, use Session Buddy or Chrome's Continue where you left off option.
Can I have my saved tabs on two computers?
With Session Buddy they don't move over on their own: it saves on your device, though you can export to a file and import it on the other one. With NexoPad they sync with your account; on the free plan, in one browser at a time.
How many groups can I save for free in NexoPad?
The free plan allows 20 links and Pro up to 1,000. Each group counts as a single link, even if it holds several pages.
Can I use Session Buddy and NexoPad together?
Yes, they don't get in each other's way. Session Buddy keeps your sessions as a safety net and NexoPad keeps your work groups next to your notes and shortcuts.
Published on October 21, 20266 min read
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