Browser extensions are a kind of enhancement tools that have the ability to extend the web browser’s capabilities. With extensions, as the name suggests, you can extend your browser’s features by integrating it with additional services and features for extra performance than it is likely to provide.

So, why are these essential?

One of the best benefits of browser extensions is they can help you add additional features to your browser for your requirements. Consider for example an extension for your Chrome browser that will automatically add your coupon code as you enjoy the shopping online.

You can integrate your browser with other services. For example, consider a website that is offering a Chrome extension to allow its users to easily clip websites and save them to their account.

Extensions can do a lot of things that you can just imagine. Yes, with extensions one can even change the websites as they appear on their screen. For example, consider there is an extension that adds information to shopping websites and thereby informs the user of any cheaper price is available on the competing retail websites other than the existing website, thereby helping a user to save his money.

Can they be customized?

Browsers usually have some limitations on what they can do but still, if you want to integrate an extra custom service or a customized feature to it, then you can do it with extensions. Not only predefined, but you can also even add customized extensions to your browser with the help of browser extension development services that are being offered by many software firms today.

What about Security – Are They Secure?

Just like any other software, extensions can also be good as well as harmful. So, always try to pick only trustworthy extensions for safer user experience. As these extensions are for your browser, you need to be a bit more careful with their selection as bad extensions can spy on your browsing methods and possibly hack your important information like your credit card details, passwords etc., which you might have entered sometime through your browser. However, these risks are minimum in case you use safer extensions developed by well-known developers or you can even get personalized extensions developed for your needs from a trustworthy browser extension development company.

Will Extensions Affect Your Browser’s Performance or Speed?

Actually, extensions are just like any other software running on your PC. So, just as overloading of software in your PC can reduce its performance, even overloading your browser with extensions will surely affect its performance. But this should not stop a user from using or installing extensions to his/her browser. The only thing to keep in mind is that go with extensions that can truly enhance your work with your browser while keeping out those which you may require rarely. Try to uninstall the unnecessary and unused extensions to reduce the clutter and speed your browser’s tasks.

Are Extensions same as Plugins?

No, extensions and plugins are not the same. There is a lot of difference between them. Explained in short, plugins are those things that add features to a browser which websites can use, while extensions are those enhancement features which only a user can use. For example, plugins like Java applets, PDFs etc., will allow websites to embed and render content. Websites can load your plugins and exploit them while they cannot use your extensions. Hence, extensions are safer browser enhancement tools than plugins.

Where to Get Extensions?

The first place to find browser extensions is at built-in extensions place or store supported by the browser. For example, all the extensions for your Chrome browser can found in Chrome web store while Firefox offers its extensions for the users at Add-ons site. Moreover, you can also get extensions customized for your needs, whatever they may be. All you need to do is to find a good browser extension development company that has extension developers experienced in custom extensions development. With the help of such companies, you can easily create customized extensions for your needs and that too within your budget.