Best Chrome Extensions for Developers

How we separated the picks

Developer extensions earn their place by disappearing into the workflow. Every pick here is free, four of the five are open source, and all five disclose either no data collection or only the website content they need to function.

Best framework debugging

React Developer Tools

Component trees, props, state, and a profiler from Meta itself.

4.0 / 55,000,000 usersFree and open source

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Best stack identification

Wappalyzer

One-click detection of frameworks, CMSes, and analytics.

4.6 / 53,000,000 usersFree extension; paid plans add lookups and exports

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Best JSON reading

JSON Formatter

Collapsible, highlighted JSON with zero configuration.

4.3 / 52,000,000 usersFree and open source

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Best accessibility audits

WAVE Evaluation Tool

WebAIM's in-page evaluation, run locally in the browser.

4.1 / 5600,000 usersFree; WAVE's API and enterprise tooling are paid

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Best GitHub quality-of-life

Refined GitHub

Dozens of optional fixes for the site developers live in.

4.8 / 5100,000 usersFree and open source

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What to check before installing

1. Check whether a tool runs persistently or only when invoked.
2. Scope site access on tools that read page content.
3. Prefer open source for anything touching authenticated dev environments.

Sources

Rankings use current store records, feature coverage, and first-party developer documentation.

1. Chrome Web Store listing

   Store facts and privacy disclosure.

2. Chrome Web Store listing

   Store facts and data categories.

3. Chrome Web Store listing

   Store facts and privacy disclosure.

4. Chrome Web Store listing

   Store facts and privacy disclosure.

5. Chrome Web Store listing

   Store facts and privacy disclosure.