One extension instead of five: shortcuts, notes, links, tabs and AI in Chrome
If your Chrome toolbar is full of icons, this guide is for you: what you gain by combining tools, where each specialist extension is better and how to try the switch without losing anything.
First you install a text expander so you stop typing the same things. Then a notes extension, a bookmark manager, a tab manager and, lately, an AI sidebar. Each one makes sense on its own. Together, they're five icons, five accounts and five places to search.
Here's what you gain by cutting them down, what NexoPad covers in a single extension and, above all, when you're better off keeping the specialist tool. We're the NexoPad team, so we'll tell you about its limits too.
The five extensions almost everyone ends up installing
If you work in your browser, you probably have something like this:
A text expander, to type the replies, signatures and emails you repeat every day with a shortcut. We compare the options in the best text expanders for Chrome.
A notes extension, to jot down a detail during a call or save a bit of text from a website. You'll find several in the best note-taking extensions.
A bookmark manager, because Chrome's bookmarks bar filled up long ago. The alternatives are in the best bookmark and link managers.
A tab manager, to save the pages for a project and reopen them another day. We cover them in the best tab managers.
An AI sidebar, to summarize, translate or rewrite without opening another site. We compare them in the best AI extensions for Chrome.
Each one does its job well. What wears you out is the total: you can't remember where you saved something, you switch tools several times an hour and you lose track of what each one can do on your pages.
What you gain with fewer extensions
Less clutter. Fewer icons in the toolbar, fewer options in the right-click menu and fewer "what's new" notices from each tool.
One place to search. No more "did I save this as a note, a bookmark or a shortcut?". When everything lives in the same place, one search finds it.
Less memory. Chrome's own help recommends it: if you're not using all your extensions, you can turn them off to speed up Chrome. We won't give you a number, because it depends on each extension. Check it yourself: open ⋮ > More tools > Task manager and click Memory to sort the list.
Fewer accounts. Each tool usually has its own account and, sometimes, its own paid plan. With just one, you have a single sign-in and, at most, one subscription.
Fewer extensions, fewer permissions to watch
Many extensions need to read and change the pages you visit to do their job. A text expander, for example, has to see the field you're typing in to put your reply there. That's why Chrome tells you when you install them if they need special permissions.
Every extension with that permission is one more you're trusting: who makes it, how it's updated and what it does with what it sees. That doesn't mean they're dangerous, but the math is simple: the fewer you have, the fewer programs can read your pages.
NexoPad is no exception. It also needs access to websites to insert your shortcuts where you type and to open the Ctrl+K search, and it stores your notes, shortcuts and links in your NexoPad account to sync them. The difference is that you give that access to one extension instead of five.
You can also limit what each one does. Open chrome://extensions, click Details on the extension and choose whether it can read and change site data only when you click it, on specific sites or on all sites. Keep in mind: if you limit an extension that works while you type, like a text expander, it won't work automatically on the sites you haven't allowed.
chrome://extensions and turn off the extensions you haven't used in the last month. If you don't miss them after a while, remove them.What each extension does, what NexoPad covers and when to keep the specialist
| Typical extension | What NexoPad covers | Keep the specialist if… |
|---|---|---|
| Text expander: inserts replies with a shortcut | Shortcuts with variables and a form to fill them in, shortcuts limited to certain sites, and import from Text Blaze, TextExpander and other apps | Your shortcuts use formulas, conditions or scripts, or you need them to work outside the browser |
| Notes: jot down and save text | Notes in the popup (Alt+S), the side panel and the Notebook (Alt+Q), floating Post-it, reminders and text clips with Alt+C | You want your notes in a mobile app or to save full pages and PDFs |
| Bookmarks: save and organize links | Links with folders and tags, sys + a word in the address bar, and import of your Chrome bookmarks | You save thousands of links, want a visual library or read them later on your phone |
| Tabs: save and reopen groups of pages | Save all tabs turns the window into a named group that opens as a tab group | You want your session saved automatically, tabs put to sleep to save memory or workspaces per project |
| AI: summarizes, translates and rewrites | AI actions on the text you select and a chat in the side panel, with your own key from 11 providers (5 with a free option) | You don't want to create your own key, or you already pay for an AI that has its own extension |
How it all looks together in NexoPad
In the side panel, the All tab shows your notes, links and shortcuts in a single list. It sits next to the page while you work, so you don't have to switch tabs.
From any website, press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac) to search everything at once. Press Enter and the shortcut is inserted where you're typing, the note is copied or the link opens in a new tab.
For everyday use there are keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+Shift+Space opens your text shortcuts, Alt+S your notes and Alt+Q the Notebook. And in the address bar, type sys and a word to open a saved link.
How to switch without losing anything
Install NexoPad and leave the rest as it is
There's no need to uninstall anything on day one. If you use another text expander, turn it off while you try NexoPad or use different shortcuts, so the same shortcut doesn't expand twice.
Bring your text shortcuts
In the web dashboard, go to My account → Backup → Import from another app. It reads the file you export from Text Blaze, TextExpander, Espanso, Zendesk and ten other apps, converts the variables and shows you a preview before saving. If your app isn't listed, use the importer's CSV template.
Bring your bookmarks
In the popup, open the menu and go to Settings > Import Bookmarks. Your Chrome folders become NexoPad folders. Your bookmarks are copied, not moved: they stay where they were in Chrome.
Save your groups of tabs
Open the pages you use together, like your morning tools or the pages for a client, and click Save all tabs. They become a named group you can open all at once with one click.
Try it for a week, then turn off instead of deleting
Work for a week with your real day-to-day tasks. Then, in chrome://extensions, turn off the extensions you no longer open. If you don't miss them after a month, remove them. And if you miss one, just turn it back on.
When you're better off keeping the specialist
A tool that does only one thing usually does it in more depth, and combining the others doesn't change that. These are the cases where we recommend keeping it:
You need your notes or links on your phone. NexoPad has no mobile app: it works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Brave on your computer.
You save full pages or PDFs. NexoPad saves the text you select with Alt+C, along with the site's link, but not a copy of the whole page.
You want your tabs saved automatically. NexoPad doesn't save your session on its own or put tabs to sleep. You decide what to save with Save all tabs.
You don't want to create an AI key. NexoPad's AI works with your own key. Five of its providers have a free option, but you have to create the key yourself. If you already pay for an AI that has its own extension, it may be worth sticking with it.
Your shortcuts use formulas, conditions or scripts, or you need them to work outside the browser. There, a more advanced text expander is still the better choice.
And it's fine if you end up with two extensions instead of one: NexoPad for everyday work and the specialist for what really needs it. That's still a lot fewer than five.
Keep getting organized
To get more out of each part, we have two complete guides: how to organize your links in Chrome and how to take and organize notes in your browser. And for AI, we explain how to get a free AI key step by step.
FAQ
Do lots of extensions slow Chrome down?
They can. Chrome's help recommends turning off the extensions you don't use to speed it up. To see how much memory each one uses, open ⋮ > More tools > Task manager and sort by Memory.
Is it safer to have fewer extensions?
Every extension that can read your pages is one more you're trusting. With fewer, fewer programs have that access. Even so, check the permissions of the ones you have and only install well-known, recently updated extensions.
Does NexoPad replace all my extensions?
Not all of them. It covers text shortcuts, notes, links, tab groups and AI for everyday work. If you need a mobile app, full-page saving, automatic tab saving or AI without your own key, keep the specialist.
Can I bring my shortcuts and bookmarks?
Yes. Shortcuts are imported from the web dashboard (Text Blaze, TextExpander, Espanso and other apps, or with a CSV template) and bookmarks from Settings > Import Bookmarks in the popup. Your Chrome bookmarks aren't deleted.
Is NexoPad free?
Yes, there's a free plan with up to 15 shortcuts, 15 notes and 20 links. The Pro plan costs $7 a month or $49 a year and goes up to 1,000 items. AI uses your own key: you pay your provider for it or get it free from some of them.
Published on October 20, 20267 min read
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