7 Best Alternatives to The Great Suspender for Google Chrome

Google recently removed The Great Suspender Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store due to allegations of malware and password grabbing. If you're looking for alternatives to fill the void left by The Great Suspender, here are some options for you.

The Great Suspender Fiasco

Before we dive into the alternatives, let's quickly recap the whole fiasco. The Great Suspender was a popular open-source Chrome extension known for reducing Chrome's RAM usage. However, after the extension was sold to new developers, changes were made to the code that raised concerns about its malicious intent. As a result, Google had to remove The Great Suspender from the Chrome Web Store.

How to Get Back Your Tabs?

If you had tabs suspended by The Great Suspender before it was removed, you can still retrieve them. Simply copy the latter part of the suspended tab's URL and paste it into Chrome's Omnibox. Hit Enter to restore the suspended page. You can also find the tab URL in your Chrome History.

Now, let's explore the alternatives.

1. The Great Suspender No Tracking

If you want the old functionality of The Great Suspender without the tracking, you're in luck. There are forks of The Great Suspender on GitHub that have removed the malware code. However, these forks are not available on the Chrome Web Store, so you'll need to sideload the extension. It's a straightforward process of downloading the zip file from the GitHub repository, enabling Developer mode in Chrome, and loading the unpacked extension.

2. Tabby

Tabby is a minimal tab suspender extension that automatically suspends and closes older tabs when you open new ones in Chrome. It has three different modes: Focus, Relax, and Customize, which determine the number of tabs allowed. Tabby maintains the state of closed tabs, and you can restore them from the extension's popup.

3. The Great Discarder

Similar to Tabby, The Great Discarder is a minimal tab suspender extension. It closes any tab that has not been used for an hour. Unlike Tabby, it does not provide a list of closed tabs, so you'll need to restore them from the Chrome history page.

4. Tiny Suspender

Tiny Suspender is similar to The Great Discarder but offers the option to use Chrome's native Tab Discard API. This means that the state of the tab is maintained even when it's suspended, and all suspended tabs are safely restored if Chrome crashes or the tab is forced closed.

5. Auto Tab Discard

Auto Tab Discard is the closest alternative to The Great Suspender. It automatically discards tabs that haven't been used for a specified amount of time. It uses Chrome's native “Tab Discard” feature and maintains the state of discarded tabs, including scroll position and form data.

6. Workona Tab Manager

Workona Tab Manager takes a more productive approach to tab management. Instead of suspending individual tabs, it suspends the entire Chrome window when the tab count exceeds a certain limit. This approach helps categorize important tabs and keeps work and entertainment separate. Workona also provides features for organizing bookmarks and creating tab groups.

7. OneTab

OneTab offers a different approach to tab management. With a single click, it collapses all tabs into a list, allowing you to restore them individually or all at once. OneTab does not use Chrome's native tab discard API, so the state of the discarded tabs is not maintained.

In conclusion, there are several alternatives to The Great Suspender that offer different features and approaches to tab management. Auto Tab Discard, Tabby, and Workona Tab Manager are among the top choices. Choose the one that suits your needs and enhances your browsing experience.

Also Read: 20 Best Chrome Flags for PC and Mobile Users in 2021