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

Decentraleyes enhances browsing by locally emulating CDN resources, boosting privacy and speed. Our detailed review reveals its features, pros, and cons.
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.
Key Features
  • Local CDN Emulation: Reduces reliance on third-party servers by serving local copies of CDN resources.
  • Privacy Protection: Prevents tracking by major CDN providers.
  • Speed Enhancement: Improves page load times by using local resources.
  • Open Source: Transparent and community-driven development.
  • 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.
Our Rating
9.3
8.7
Total users
639,463
1,602
Total ratings
3,318
52
Average rating
4.8 ⭐
4.3 ⭐
Entry Level PriceFreeFree
Chrome
Chrome Web Store logo
4.8
4.53
236 ratings
100.0K+Users
Chrome Web Store logo
4.9
4.94
19 ratings
1.0K+Users
Edge
Microsoft Edge Store logo
4.8
4.71
32 ratings
55.8K+Users
Microsoft Edge Store logo
3.4
3.4
5 ratings
368Users
Firefox
Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store logo
4.8
4.54
1.5K+ ratings
241.8K+Users
Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store logo
4.6
4.65
28 ratings
234Users
Safari
-
-
Features
8.5

Nowadays, websites request data through third parties. The local CDN emulation offered by Decentraleyes is a unique and effective feature that blocker competitors currently lack. This means that the same locally stored data is always sent directly to the websites before they can even request relevant private data.

CDN


The extension is aware that this function is only an additional function and advertises it as being used in addition to regular ad blockers. The extension could be expanded here and offer these additional functions directly so that you have them all in one extension.

Another advantage of the extension is that the code is completely open source and can be found on GitLab. This ensures transparency and trust.

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.

Performance
9.3

The extension offers a noticeable improvement in page load times. We did not find any problems in our tests, but according to user reviews, there are occasional compatibility problems with certain websites. However, according to Decentraleyes, these are constantly being fixed by updates.

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.

Design
9.5

The design is intuitive and simple. This also includes the settings menu.

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
Value for Money
9.5

The extension is completely free to use with optional donations. The price-performance ratio is therefore perfect, as functions that are not offered by other providers are made available here free of charge. Only the lack of further functions in the area of ad blocking results in deductions.

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.

Ease of Use
9.9

The extension is characterized by its user-friendliness. Installation is very simple and you have the option of testing the function immediately on the website. When you open the website https://decentraleyes.org/test/, you are shown whether the function works and an example of what it looks like in the icon when data is blocked.

icon

The settings are also very well described so that even beginners should have no problems here. Advanced users can also read the complete documentation or the code on GitLab.

settings
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.

Security & Privacy
9.2

The extension offers strong features in the area of data protection, so it goes without saying that it scores well in this area. The open-source code allows anyone to review the extension in detail. Only the lack of a proper privacy policy detracts from this for beginners, who can do little with the code. There is a privacy policy that states in one sentence that no data is collected. However, this should be a little more detailed.

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.

Conclusion

Decentraleyes is a valuable tool for anyone who wants more privacy and faster browsing. With local CDN emulation, Decentraleyes has features that bring both security and performance benefits. While it currently excels in this one area, you need to be aware that websites also make adjustments and it won't always work 100% of the time, especially without further updates.
Overall, Decentraleyes is a recommended choice for privacy-conscious users as an addition to the usual ad blockers.

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.

Our Recommendation

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

Decentraleyes is the most widely used, with over 639k users and 3k+ reviews—and it also delivered the strongest performance in our tests. User reviews reflect our findings.

Notably, Decentraleyes has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.78, 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? Decentraleyes 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.
  • Need top performance? A Fine Start stands out with a rating of 9.7. On the other hand, Decentraleyes lags behind in this area with a rating of 9.3.
  • Design lovers, take note: Decentraleyes 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? Decentraleyes 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, Decentraleyes stands out with a rating of 9.9. 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, Decentraleyes lags behind in this area with a rating of 9.2.

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