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 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. | 8.8 Winner in this category | 8.7 |
Total users Total active users across all major browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. | 3,173,195 Winner in this category | 1,602 |
Total ratings Total number of user ratings received across all supported browsers. | 16,550 Winner in this category | 52 |
Average rating Average user rating across all browsers, calculated from available store ratings. | 4.8 ⭐ Winner in this category | 4.3 ⭐ |
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. | ![]() 4.8 4.75 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 2.0M+Users | ![]() 4.9 4.94 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. | ![]() 4.8 4.62 Average Microsoft Edge Store rating from the last 100 reviews 801.3K+Users Winner in this category | ![]() 3.4 3.4 Average Microsoft Edge Store rating from the last 100 reviews 368Users |
Firefox User rating and stats for the extension on Firefox browser. | ![]() 4.7 4.58 Average Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store rating from the last 100 reviews 371.9K+Users Winner in this category | ![]() 4.6 4.65 Average Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store rating from the last 100 reviews 234Users |
Safari User rating and stats for the extension on Safari browser. | - | - |
Features Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Features' aspect of each extension. | 9.0 LanguageTool offers a comprehensive set of features that go beyond basic grammar and spelling checks. It supports over 20 languages, making it a versatile tool for multilingual users. The advanced grammar checks are particularly impressive, catching complex issues that many other tools miss. Compared to competitors like Grammarly, LanguageTool holds its own with unique features like custom dictionaries and plagiarism detection. Winner in this category | 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. ![]()
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Performance Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Performance' aspect of each extension. | 8.0 LanguageTool does a good job of spotting grammar and style issues. However, it can take a while to process longer texts, and sometimes, clicking on suggestions causes the page to jump to the top, which can be a bit frustrating. | 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. Winner in this category |
Design Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Design' aspect of each extension. | 8.0 The design is clean and intuitive, making it easy for users to navigate and utilize the tool effectively. The browser integration is seamless, and the user interface is straightforward. | 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. ![]() Winner in this category |
Value for Money Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Value for Money' aspect of each extension. | 9.5 The free version gives you the basics, but the premium version really shines with its advanced features. While Grammarly can be expensive, LanguageTool offers great value at a more affordable price. So, if you’re seeking a budget-friendly alternative to Grammarly, LanguageTool is a solid choice. Winner in this category | 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 Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Ease of Use' aspect of each extension. | 9.0 LanguageTool is very user-friendly, with a minimal learning curve. Most users will find it easy to get started and make the most of its features right out of the box. Winner in this category | 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. ![]() Overall, the existing functions and the setup are easy to use, but there is still room for improvement. |
Security & Privacy Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Security & Privacy' aspect of each extension. | 9.5 LanguageTool takes privacy seriously. No account is required for basic features, and the tool ensures that user data is not sold or made public. This focus on privacy is a significant plus. LanguageTool states that it is GDPR compliant which makes it especially interesting for users in Europe. Winner in this category | 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. Winner in this category |
Conclusion A summary of our findings and final thoughts for each extension. | LanguageTool is a reliable and efficient writing assistant that supports multiple languages. Its advanced grammar and style checks make it a valuable tool for writers and professionals. While the premium version offers excellent features, the free version is somewhat limited. Overall, LanguageTool is a solid choice for anyone looking to improve their writing. Compared to Grammarly, LanguageTool holds its own, especially if you need to write in multiple languages. When it comes to writing in different languages, LanguageTool is the way to go. But if you’re only writing in English, Grammarly still delivers better results. | 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 LanguageTool and A Fine Start, LanguageTool came out on top, scoring 8.8. LanguageTool is the most widely used, with over 3 million users and 17k+ reviews—and it also delivered the strongest performance in our tests. User reviews reflect our findings. Notably, LanguageTool has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.76, which supports its strong performance in our review. In the end, the differences between these extensions are minimal, so your choice may come down to personal preference or specific features.
If you want a quick recommendation, LanguageTool is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you. |