Compare GPT Reader and Tab Notes: Which Extension is the Best?
Tab Notes lets you jot down notes right in your browser tabs. It's got an easy-to-use interface and works smoothly, making it a great tool for anyone looking to boost their productivity. | ||
| Key Features A summary of the most important features offered by each extension. |
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| Our Rating Tooltivity's expert review score for each extension, based on hands-on testing and research. | 9.0 Winner in this category | 7.9 |
| Total users Total active users across all major browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. | 9,543 Winner in this category | 1,459 |
| Total ratings Total number of user ratings received across all supported browsers. | 86 Winner in this category | 40 |
| Average rating Average user rating across all browsers, calculated from available store ratings. | 4.2 ⭐ | 4.8 ⭐ Winner in this category |
| Entry Level Price The minimum price required to start using the extension. "Free" means a free tier is available. | Free | Free |
| Chrome User rating and stats for the extension on Chrome browser. |  4.5 4.45 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 8.0K+Users | 5.0 5.0 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 1.0K+Users Winner in this category |
| Edge User rating and stats for the extension on Edge browser. | - | - |
| Firefox User rating and stats for the extension on Firefox browser. |  3.9 3.83 Average Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store rating from the last 100 reviews 1.5K+Users | 4.6 4.64 Average Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store rating from the last 100 reviews 459Users Winner in this category |
| Safari User rating and stats for the extension on Safari browser. | - | - |
| Features Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Features' aspect of each extension. | 9.2 The functional scope of GPT Reader is designed for a wide range of users and demonstrated many useful functions in the test. The voice quality is surprisingly good and offers a natural-sounding output. We particularly liked the comprehensive format support, which seamlessly processes everything from PDFs to web content. The control of the playback is also well implemented, making it easy to adjust the speed directly and individually. However, the function for downloading audio files stood out the most in the test. In theory, entire books can be converted and then downloaded as audio books. However, this was the only area where we had to make deductions, as the free ChatGPT version had limitations when processing longer texts or documents. Winner in this category | 7.0 In our tests, the functions of Tab Notes proved to be ideal for quickly creating notes directly in the browser. If you need to develop ideas or jot down information quickly while browsing, you don't have to jump back and forth between apps.  Notes can be synchronized across different devices with GitHub gists to keep everything in one place. There is a dark and light mode function, but we would like to see more customization options here. The option to access your notes offline can also be an advantage. This also includes the export function, where the notes are exported as a text file.  Functions such as “Customize: Edit font, font size and more” and “Styled text: Make your text bold, italicized or underlined.” are listed as features on Github. These were not found in our tests in the extension on Chrome and Firefox. We feel that this function is important to be able to structure the notes a little, which would further improve the extension. |
| Performance Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Performance' aspect of each extension. | 8.3 The performance tests showed a mixed picture. For shorter texts and paragraphs, GPT Reader processes content quickly and delivers a smooth rendering. The application is fast and reliable for typical use cases such as articles or short documents. Here we tested self-written summaries for learning purposes. However, we encountered significant limitations with larger files, as it is not possible to complete processing due to the limited number of requests. The option of pausing and then resuming would help here. In addition, the process takes a very long time for larger files; the extension needed around 40 minutes for around 75 pages of a PDF. The limitations of the ChatGPT API particularly affect the processing of longer documents such as entire books. This is currently only possible with a premium version of ChatGPT. Winner in this category | 7.5 In terms of performance, Tab Notes is fast and responsive. It doesn't take up any resources, so your browser runs smoothly. Only the settings selection page didn't work for us. Selected options could not be saved here. |
| Design Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Design' aspect of each extension. | 9.0 The design of GPT Reader is clean and professional, with an intuitive layout that makes navigation effortless. The fact that there is even a dark as well as a light mode shows that the different user preferences have been taken into account. The controls are logically arranged and easily accessible. Even though the extension is designed for functionality, the design is not forgotten. Winner in this category | 8.0 The user interface is very clear and easy to use. We had no problems finding my way around and using the tool. In our test, we noticed that we would like to see a few more themes and color options. The layout is intentionally simple to minimize distractions, but it would be important to have different layout options for the font. |
| Value for Money Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Value for Money' aspect of each extension. | 8.9 Currently, GPT Reader offers a very good price-performance ratio, as all functions are available completely free of charge. We found no hidden costs or unexpected limitations in the free version.  At the moment, however, it is a very good offer in the text-to-speech sector. Winner in this category | 8.0 The price-performance ratio of Tab Notes is fine. The extension is completely free. Compared to other free tools, however, the functions and customization options are somewhat limited. However, if you are looking for a simple extension for short notes without any frills, you will find it here. |
| Ease of Use Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Ease of Use' aspect of each extension. | 8.7 In terms of user-friendliness, GPT Reader scores very well. Users of all technical levels should have little problem simply converting text to audio. The user interface is self-explanatory, and all functions are displayed immediately. Winner in this category | 8.2 We found Tab Notes to be super easy to use. Installation and subsequent navigation is a breeze, and you can get started straight away without needing a manual. Due to the small number of functions, it is suitable for anyone, no matter how tech-savvy they are, to take simple notes. Only the non-functioning of the settings page can confuse new users. |
| Security & Privacy Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Security & Privacy' aspect of each extension. | 9.7 In our security analysis, GPT Reader showed a strong commitment to protecting user privacy. The extension only collects data from user-reported bugs and feedback. We appreciated the transparent privacy policy, where the user can read specific points. Winner in this category | 8.5 Tab Notes uses standard encryption to protect your data. Advanced security options are not available. The privacy policy is also kept very simple and does not provide detailed information about data management. In general, the basic security and data protection guidelines are adhered to, but in our opinion they could be presented in more detail. |
| Conclusion A summary of our findings and final thoughts for each extension. | GPT Reader is a promising text-to-speech extension based on ChatGPT voices. The easy-to-understand voices, combined with the fact that it is completely free, set it apart from conventional TTS tools. The extension can process various document formats. Both PDFs and copied web articles can be converted, but it has its limitations with longer texts. For example, a 300-page PDF was only partially converted in the text due to ChatGPT's limitations, which still resulted in about 2 hours of audio. The tool is very user-friendly and supports multiple languages. This extension is a must for anyone who wants to listen to texts. | Tab Notes is a good tool for anyone who wants to write down ideas as a note as quickly as possible without having to sort them out too much. Its intuitive and simple design increases productivity by reducing distractions when you just want to make a quick note. It could still be improved in areas such as customization and the number of features. Overall, it's worth considering for anyone who wants to quickly collect notes and possibly sort them into another application later. |
| Our Recommendation | In our comparison between GPT Reader and Tab Notes, GPT Reader came out on top, scoring 9. GPT Reader is the most widely used, with over 10k users and 86+ reviews—and it also delivered the strongest performance in our tests. User reviews for GPT Reader reflect our findings, while we rate Tab Notes lower than users do. Notably, Tab Notes has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.80, which is even higher than our rating of 7.9. There are some noticeable differences between these extensions, so it's worth considering your priorities and the details below.
If you want a quick recommendation, GPT Reader is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you. | |
