Compare New Tab Draft and Screencastify: Which Extension is the Best?

	New Tab Draft	Screencastify
	New Tab Draft transforms your new tab into a distraction-free writing space, perfect for quick notes and to-dos. It's simple, effective, and completely free, but lacks advanced features. New Tab Writing	Screencastify is a popular Chrome extension for screen recording. It offers a range of features but has shifted many basic functionalities behind a paywall, affecting its overall value. Productivity
Key Features	Simple Note-Taking: Create, pin, and lock multiple notes directly on your new tab page. Local Storage: Ensures privacy by saving notes locally, not on the cloud. Customization: Options to customize font and background. Additional Tools: Includes calculations, auto-backup, and more. Privacy Protection: No data is uploaded to any server.	Record Desktop, Browser Tab, and Webcam: Capture any part of your screen. Edit Video: Trim, merge, and add text directly from your browser. Share Easily: Export as MP4, GIF, or MP3, and share via Google Drive or Classroom. Interactive Questions: Add questions to videos to engage viewers. Annotations: Draw on your screen in real-time to highlight key points. Captions: Add captions in multiple languages to make videos accessible.
Our Rating	8.2	7.8
Total users	13,006	6,000,000
Total ratings	1,176	11,733
Average rating	4.7 ⭐	4.0 ⭐
Entry Level Price	Free	Free
Chrome	4.8 1.2K+ ratings 9.0K+Users	4.0 11.7K+ ratings 6.0M+Users
Edge	4.6 16 ratings 4.0K+Users	-
Firefox	-	-
Safari	-	-
Features	6.0 New Tab Draft offers basic note-taking functionality, local storage for privacy, and some customization options. However, it lacks advanced features like rich text formatting and cloud sync.	8.8 Screencastify offers a robust set of features, including screen and webcam recording, video editing and interactive questions. Leaving aside the fact that many features are only available for a fee, it's fair to say that it offers a lot of features. While recording, you can easily add spotlights and draw on the screen. The drawing tools offer a nice range of options, so you should have everything you need: The subsequent editor also offers many functions where you can cut the video to your needs. Here is what the basic editor looks like: It recently also added an AI feature that automatically adds captions, transcripts, titles, and descriptions. Furthermore, Screencastify offers another video editor when clicking "Edit Video" in the top right corner. This will open up another editor where you can do some more video editing. Here is how it looks like: In our opinion, this editor isn’t necessary if you already have your own video editing software, but it could be useful for some people. We’re not entirely sure if this is just an older version of the original editor. However, we did discover that you can export videos to MP4 for free, thanks to an "Export" button that lets you do so without any limitations. We’re not certain if this is intentional, but at least it works for us.
Performance	8.5 The extension is fast and efficient, with minimal lag or performance issues.	7.5 The speed has deteriorated considerably with the latest updates. This is probably because more and more functions, such as the AI function, are being added. The tool has become slower, and creating links or accessing older videos takes longer than before. Many users have also complained about the performance in the reviews.
Design	7.5 The design is simple and clean, with options for customization. However, it's not particularly aesthetic or modern.	9.0 The design is intuitive and user-friendly. We think that navigation is very intuitive despite the many functions.
Value for Money	8.5 As a completely free tool, it offers good value for those who need basic note-taking features. However, even though it's free, we don't see too much value in this tool. As there are similar free New Tab extensions out there, we can not give the highest rating.	5.0 As already mentioned, we are somewhat shocked by the limitations of the free version. Especially if you have used the app in the past and can export videos for free. In addition, even with the starter package for $7, you are limited to 10 exports. We find that many other providers offer much more for the money.
Ease of Use	9.0 The tool is very straightforward with a minimal learning curve. Its simplicity is both a strength and a limitation.	8.5 Screencastify is easy to use, with a minimal learning curve. Even beginners can quickly get the hang of it. However, we find that recent updates have introduced some complexities that are not absolutely necessary for a screen recorder.
Security & Privacy	9.5 All notes are stored locally, ensuring high privacy. There are no concerns about data being uploaded to the cloud.	8.0 Unfortunately, an account is required, which in our opinion is not necessary for Screen recorder. However, Screencastify's privacy policy is very comprehensive and complies with standard data protection practices, including compliance with the GDPR and PCI-DSS certification for payment data. Screencastify takes reasonable security measures but, like all online services, cannot guarantee absolute protection.
Conclusion	New Tab Draft is great for those who prefer a simple, no-frills note-taking tool. While it may not offer much beyond basic note-taking, its privacy features and ease of use make it a solid choice, especially since it's free. User reviews are very good with an average of 4.8 stars in the Chrome Web Store. Many users love its simplicity and effectiveness. However, it might not provide enough value for those looking for more advanced features. In our tests, we weren't fully convinced and found ourselves leaning toward more aesthetically pleasing New Tab Extensions that offer a few basic features.	Screencastify was a fantastic tool in the past, and we used to use it daily. Unfortunately, recent updates have made it less user-friendly by hiding key features behind a paywall. For people who need a wide range of features, the tool is still an option. For others who just want to make a recording every now and then to export a video, Screencastify is unfortunately no longer an option.
	Install New Tab Draft	Install Screencastify
Our Recommendation	In our comparison between New Tab Draft and Screencastify, New Tab Draft came out on top, scoring 8.2. Screencastify is the most widely used, with over 6 million users and 12k+ reviews, but New Tab Draft outperformed it in our review. User reviews for Screencastify reflect our findings, while we rate New Tab Draft lower than users do. Notably, New Tab Draft has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.68, which is even higher than our rating of 8.2. In the end, the differences between these extensions are minimal, so your choice may come down to personal preference or specific features. Looking for the richest feature set? Screencastify stands out with a rating of 8.8. On the other hand, New Tab Draft lags behind in this area with a rating of 6. Need top performance? New Tab Draft stands out with a rating of 8.5. On the other hand, Screencastify lags behind in this area with a rating of 7.5. Design lovers, take note: Screencastify stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, New Tab Draft lags behind in this area with a rating of 7.5. Want to get the most for your money? New Tab Draft stands out with a rating of 8.5. On the other hand, Screencastify lags behind in this area with a rating of 5. If you hate complicated tools, New Tab Draft stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, Screencastify lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.5. With privacy and security becoming ever more important, New Tab Draft stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, Screencastify lags behind in this area with a rating of 8. If you want a quick recommendation, New Tab Draft is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you.