As a frontend developer, I’m always looking for tools that help me work faster, debug smarter, and design more efficiently. Chrome extensions are one of the most underrated ways to improve your workflow. Many of them save me minutes (or even hours) every single week.
Here are the Chrome extensions I personally use and recommend, along with how I use them:
⚛️ React Developer Tools
React Developer Tools Chrome Web Store
An absolute must-have if you’re working with React. It lets you inspect the React component tree, see props and state at a glance, and even track changes. Super useful for debugging and understanding how everything fits together in a React app.
🧠 Redux DevTools
Redux DevTools Chrome Web Store
If your app uses Redux, this extension is gold. You can see every action, state change, and even time-travel through your app’s history. I use it regularly to spot logic issues or confirm my state is updating correctly.
🎨 Eye Dropper
Eye Dropper Chrome Web Store
Sometimes, I just need to grab a specific color from a webpage and this does exactly that. Whether it’s for matching a button or pulling a shade into Figma, this tool is quick and accurate.
📏 Page Ruler
Page Ruler Chrome Web Store
Helps me measure pixel-perfect distances between elements right on the page. Perfect when aligning things visually or double-checking spacing that feels “off” but you can’t explain why.
🔍 JSON Viewer
JSON Viewer Chrome Web Store
Neatly formats JSON responses in your browser. I use this a lot when testing APIs or looking at complex response structures.
Working with APIs means you see a lot of JSON. This extension makes raw JSON readable collapsible, color-coded, and easy to scan. A simple tool that removes friction from everyday development.
🔍 Wappalyzer
Wappalyzer Chrome Web Store
I use this out of curiosity and research. Wappalyzer shows what tech stack a site uses frontend frameworks, analytics, CMS, fonts, and more. It’s great when you stumble upon a cool site and wonder, “What are they using?”
🚦 Lighthouse
Lighthouse Chrome Web Store
Technically it’s in DevTools already, but the extension lets you run audits even faster. I use Lighthouse to check my app’s performance, SEO score, accessibility, and best practices. It’s a great way to get a health check before deploying.
🧠 Final Thoughts
These extensions are part of my daily workflow. You don’t need to install them all at once but if any of the problems above sound familiar, give the related extension a shot.
Got any favorite Chrome extensions of your own? Drop a comment, I’m always open to trying something new.
Let me know if you’d like a custom thumbnail, intro line for Medium, or suggested hashtags/topics for this post!
Illustration by unDraw
Top comments (2)
Good list of extensions. Thanks for sharing.
I would like to add the below to the list. They made my life much productive:
VisBug
Edit and inspect styles visually right on the page — no need to dive into DevTools. VisBug lets you nudge layouts, tweak padding, and test designs with a designer-friendly UI.
🔗 VisBug
Load Time
Load Time offers an instant view of page load duration directly in your toolbar, plus a visual timeline of key navigation events. It’s especially helpful for web performance auditing and benchmarking.
🔗 Load Time
ColorZilla
Eyedrop any color from a webpage, generate gradients, and explore advanced color tools.
🔗 ColorZilla
Lighthouse
Though built into Chrome DevTools, this extension gives one-click access to full audits. Lighthouse evaluates performance, accessibility, SEO, and best practices.
🔗 Lighthouse
WhatFont
Hover over any text to find out what font is being used — simple and effective.
🔗 WhatFont
Thanks for adding these great extensions! I’m definitely going to try these out, appreciate you sharing!