Best Chrome Extensions for Developers in 2026
Our curated list of the most essential Chrome extensions every web developer needs in 2026. From debugging to performance auditing, these tools will supercharge your workflow.
Every developer has a toolkit of essential Chrome extensions that make their daily workflow smoother, faster, and more productive. After testing hundreds of extensions, we've narrowed it down to the absolute best Chrome extensions for developers in 2026.
1. React Developer Tools
If you work with React (and in 2026, most frontend developers do), React Developer Tools is non-negotiable. Built by Meta, this extension adds React debugging tools to Chrome DevTools. You can inspect component hierarchies, view props and state, and profile performance.
Why it's essential: With 5M+ users, it's the most popular developer extension on the Chrome Web Store. The profiler alone can save you hours of performance debugging.
Rating: 4.8/5 · Users: 5M+ · Price: Free
2. Wappalyzer — Technology Profiler
Ever wondered what tech stack a website is using? Wappalyzer instantly identifies the CMS, frameworks, analytics tools, CDNs, and other technologies any website runs on. Perfect for competitive analysis or just satisfying your curiosity.
Why it's essential: Understanding what technologies successful sites use helps you make better technical decisions. With 3M+ users, it's trusted by developers worldwide.
Rating: 4.2/5 · Users: 3M+ · Price: Freemium
3. JSON Viewer
If you work with APIs, you're constantly looking at JSON. The default browser rendering is unreadable. JSON Viewer transforms raw JSON into a beautifully formatted, collapsible, syntax-highlighted tree. It also handles JSONP.
Why it's essential: Small tool, massive time saver. You'll wonder how you ever worked without it.
Rating: 4.5/5 · Users: 600K+ · Price: Free
4. Lighthouse
Google's own tool for auditing web page quality. Lighthouse runs audits for performance, accessibility, progressive web apps, SEO, and best practices. Get an instant report card for any page.
Why it's essential: It's the standard for web quality auditing. If your Lighthouse scores are bad, your users are having a bad time.
Rating: 4.0/5 · Users: 1M+ · Price: Free
5. Refined GitHub
If you spend significant time on GitHub (and who doesn't?), Refined GitHub adds over 300 improvements to the interface. From useful features to UX fixes, it makes GitHub feel like how it should've been built.
Why it's essential: Built by Sindre Sorhus (one of the most prolific open source contributors), it has a 4.7 rating — the highest of any GitHub-related extension.
Rating: 4.7/5 · Users: 100K+ · Price: Free
6. daily.dev
Replace your new tab page with a curated feed of developer news. daily.dev aggregates the best articles from top tech blogs, so you're always in the loop without doom-scrolling Twitter.
Why it's essential: Passive learning while you browse. Every new tab is a chance to learn something.
Rating: 4.7/5 · Users: 500K+ · Price: Free
7. Octotree — GitHub Code Tree
Navigate GitHub repositories with a proper file tree sidebar. Search files, switch branches, and explore code without constantly clicking back and forth.
Why it's essential: GitHub's built-in navigation works for small repos. For large codebases, you need Octotree.
Rating: 4.5/5 · Users: 400K+ · Price: Freemium
Honorable Mentions
The Bottom Line
These extensions are the foundation of a modern developer's browser toolkit. They're all either free or have generous free tiers, so there's no reason not to install them today.
Want to discover more? Browse our full Developer Tools category →