Compare A Fine Start and Text Blaze: Which Extension is the Best?

A Fine Start is a minimalistic new tab page extension for Chrome, offering a clean list of links, customizable themes, and optional syncing for a streamlined browsing experience.
Text Blaze is a powerful text expander tool that saves you time by automating repetitive typing tasks. Loved by over 400,000 users, it's perfect for professionals across various fields.
Key Features
  • Minimal Text Links: Presents links in a clean, simple list.
  • Groups: Organize links into customizable groups.
  • Drag-and-Drop Sorting: Easily rearrange links and groups.
  • Group Folding: Collapse groups to save space.
  • Dark Mode: Switch to a darker theme for low-light environments.
  • Multiple Themes: Choose from various themes to suit your style.
  • Restore Points: Save and restore your setup.
  • Optional Syncing Account: Sync bookmarks across devices with a premium account.
  • Automate Repetitive Typing: Insert standard greetings, commonly used phrases, and more.
  • Works Anywhere: Compatible with text fields on any website.
  • Placeholders: Use text fields, dropdown menus, dates, toggles, and more.
  • Dynamic Templates: Automatically insert the current date, perform date calculations, and more.
  • Team Collaboration: Share and collaborate on snippets with your team.
  • AutoPilot: Automate form filling with simulated key presses.
  • Search Templates: Quickly search templates from any web page.
Our Rating
8.7
9.3
Total users
1,602
617,650
Total ratings
52
1,615
Average rating
4.3 ⭐
4.7 ⭐
Entry Level PriceFreeFree
Chrome
Chrome Web Store logo
4.9
4.94
19 ratings
1.0K+Users
Chrome Web Store logo
4.9
4.85
1.6K+ ratings
600.0K+Users
Edge
Microsoft Edge Store logo
3.4
3.4
5 ratings
368Users
Microsoft Edge Store logo
4.5
4.40
6 ratings
17.6K+Users
Firefox
Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store logo
4.6
4.65
28 ratings
234Users
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Safari
-
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Features
8.0

A Fine Start offers features for users looking for a minimalist approach to managing their new tab. Organizing links into groups and sorting them via drag-and-drop allows for a tidy and efficient workspace to stay focused. Some functions must first be activated in the settings. For example, groups can be collapsed to hide sections that are not needed at the moment. In addition, all pages from an entire group can be opened simultaneously with one click.

New Tab


The optional sync account, available with the premium subscription, is a valuable addition for users working with multiple devices and ensures that their bookmarks are always up to date. Overall, the feature set is designed for minimalism. However, we still see potential here for a few more minimalist functions, such as a simple note-taking option.

9.8

Text Blaze stands out because its features are unmatched by other tools. It excels at what it’s designed to do: generating text from shortcuts. The possibilities for creating your text snippets are practically limitless. You can:

  • Insert clipboard content
  • Add text fields
  • Add dropdowns
  • Create dynamic formulas
  • And so much more...

Performance
9.7

In terms of performance, we did not notice any problems during the test. No slow loading times or anything similar were detected, even when opening groups with a high number of bookmarks, these were always opened immediately. Overall, A Fine Start offered impressive performance here.

9.7

Text Blaze performs exceptionally well. There is no need to save, so that updating your shortcuts is straightforward. The snippets load quickly, and the AutoPilot feature works seamlessly.

Design
8.2

The design of A Fine Start is characterized by a clean and minimalist aesthetic that emphasizes focused work. The design is very intuitive and you can choose from basic themes, including dark mode. From our point of view, even though the design is meant to be minimalistic, it could be a little more customizable for the user. For example, it would be handy if you could move the groups around the website flexibly, as they can currently only be moved to certain predefined positions. A very rarely seen and positive aspect is a function in the settings. The extension offers the option of hiding the button for premium advertising and the footer on the New Tab page.

premium hide
9.5

The user interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy to navigate and organize snippets.

Value for Money
8.7

A Fine Start offers all functions in the free version, only the cross-device synchronization is an added value of the premium subscription. For most users, the price-performance ratio of the free version is therefore perfect. However, users for whom synchronization is important may wonder whether just this one function is worth the cost of the premium model. There is still potential here to include other minimalist functions such as those offered by competitors to offer even more added value.

9.5

The free version is quite powerful, and there was no need to upgrade for us when using it.

The premium version offers good value for money, especially for teams. It's worth the investment as it will save you a lot of time.

Ease of Use
8.3

A Fine Start offers a straightforward setup process. The drag-and-drop functionality for organizing links is intuitive, allowing users to quickly rearrange their bookmarks to suit their needs. Setting up the required bookmarks initially takes a little time, and a function for transferring bookmarks already in the browser could simplify the whole process. The additional functions that are initially somewhat hidden in the settings may also not be found directly by all users.

settings features

Overall, the existing functions and the setup are easy to use, but there is still room for improvement.

8.5

Setting up and using Text Blaze is straightforward. The web interface is user-friendly, and the snippets are easy to create and manage. The only minor downside is the initial account creation process.

Basic tasks like adding text fields are super simple, but some of the more advanced features might take a bit of time to master. That said, it's definitely worth the effort because they'll save you tons of time in the long run.

Security & Privacy
9.5

A Fine Start attaches great importance to security and data protection. The extension collects only minimal personal data and focuses only on what is necessary for the core functions. The privacy policy is transparent and makes it clear that data is not sold to third parties. The optional premium subscription requires an account, otherwise, not even an account is needed.

9.0

An account is required, but Text Blaze ensures that your data is secure and not sold or made public. The privacy policy is transparent and trustworthy. However, as with any online tool, it's essential to stay updated on their privacy policy.

Conclusion

A Fine Start is a well-designed tool for anyone who just wants to have their bookmarks sorted on their new tab page. Its focus on privacy and user-friendly features makes it a perfect choice in this area. While the free version offers a wealth of features, the premium subscription adds little value. Overall, A Fine Start is a good choice for users who want to stay focused and have a New Tab page without a lot of distractions.

Text Blaze is a must-have tool for anyone looking to save time on repetitive typing tasks. Its powerful features, ease of use, and versatility make it an excellent choice for professionals across various fields. While some advanced features require a premium subscription, the value it offers is well worth the investment.

Our Recommendation

In our comparison between A Fine Start and Text Blaze, Text Blaze came out on top, scoring 9.3.

Text Blaze is the most widely used, with over 618k users and 2k+ reviews—and it also delivered the strongest performance in our tests. User reviews reflect our findings.

Notably, Text Blaze has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.71, which supports its strong performance in our review.

There are some noticeable differences between these extensions, so it's worth considering your priorities and the details below.


  • Looking for the richest feature set? Text Blaze stands out with a rating of 9.8. On the other hand, A Fine Start lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.
  • Performance-wise, both deliver: A Fine Start and Text Blaze. In the Performance category, A Fine Start has scored an exceptional 9.7. It delivers top-notch performance, consistently exceeding benchmarks.
  • Design lovers, take note: Text Blaze stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, A Fine Start lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.2.
  • Want to get the most for your money? Text Blaze stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, A Fine Start lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.7.
  • If you hate complicated tools, Text Blaze stands out with a rating of 8.5. On the other hand, A Fine Start lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.3.
  • With privacy and security becoming ever more important, A Fine Start stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, Text Blaze lags behind in this area with a rating of 9.

If you want a quick recommendation, Text Blaze is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you.