Ready to feel old? Gmail made its debut 15 years ago, while Google Chrome recently turned 10.
As of this writing, Chrome is still the top browser on computers, with almost 68 percent of users, according to NetMarketshare. As of June 2018, Gmail had a 27 percent market share, according to Litmus—second only to the iPhone’s Mail app (29 percent) in overall email client use.
It stands to reason that using Google’s Gmail in Google’s Chrome browser would be like mixing chocolate and peanut butter, right? Actually, Gmail works fine with any browser, but several Chrome-specific extensions add amazing features and abilities to the everyday Gmail experience.
Here is a collection of our favorites, many of them free (we indicate the price, if not). All are worth a try if you’re a serious Gmail-er using Chrome on almost any platform, be it Windows, Mac, Linux, or a Chromebook.
Checker Plus for Gmail
The best extension for users of multiple Gmail accounts—I’ve got three!—is Checker Plus. It gives you fast access via a drop-down menu in Chrome, desktop notifications, color coding, even voice input for writing messages. A donation of any amount unlocks even more features. Developer Jason Savard also makes Checker Plus extensions for Google Calendar and Google Drive.