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

Transform your new tab into a distraction-free notepad with New Tab Notes. Offering rich text formatting, auto-sync, and customization, it's a handy tool for seamless note-taking.
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.
Key Features
  • Rich Text Formatting: Use markdown and shortcuts for easy text styling.
  • Auto-Sync: Notes are saved and synced across devices without an account.
  • Customization: Adjust fonts, zoom, and toggle between dark/light themes.
  • Export Options: Download notes as Markdown, HTML, or plain text.
  • 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.
Our Rating
8.6
8.2
Total users
1,232
13,006
Total ratings
16
1,176
Average rating
4.7 ⭐
4.7 ⭐
Entry Level PriceFreeFree
Chrome
Chrome Web Store logo
4.4
4.62
15 ratings
1.0K+Users
Chrome Web Store logo
4.8
4.44
1.2K+ ratings
9.0K+Users
Edge
Microsoft Edge Store logo
5.0
5.0
1 ratings
232Users
Microsoft Edge Store logo
4.6
4.53
16 ratings
4.0K+Users
Firefox
-
-
Safari
-
-
Features
8.7

New Tab Notes offers a range of functions for quickly and effectively storing information and ideas in a structured manner. Headings are generally used to achieve a clear structure of the notes so that you can return to the notes you are looking for on the note sheet, which is always updated.

Overview

The Markdown and shortcut support are particularly worth mentioning here, as they allow users to format the notes effectively and quickly. Anyone who already has experience with Notion, for example, will find it easy to use. However, new users may miss out on this function, as the markdowns are not described again in the extension itself and must be learned on the website. A small manual at the beginning should help new users to be able to use them as well. In addition to the headings, formats such as bullet lists, numbered lists, and codes can also be embedded.

Headings

Other functions such as highlighting notes or integrating links can also be very helpful. For advanced users, a few functions may still be missing here, for example, to highlight them visually using different font colors.

links

The automatic synchronization by the browser is used by the extension to synchronize data across devices. A big difference from other competitors is that the data is not stored on separate servers. Furthermore, the saved notes can be exported in various file formats so that they can be sorted and saved elsewhere later if necessary.

export

Overall, the extension offers all the essential functions for general users to create structured notes. For advanced users, however, additional organizational tools could be beneficial.

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.

Performance
8.8

In our tests, New Tab Notes works reliably and without any significant noticeable reduction in browser performance.
When opening a new tab, the extension loads quickly and smoothly. There may be short delays with large notes that need to be synchronized, but these are hardly noticeable.
Overall, the performance should be sufficient for most basic users without any performance problems, although there could still be room for improvement for advanced users.

8.5

The extension is fast and efficient, with minimal lag or performance issues.

Design
8.5

The design of New Tab Notes is clean and minimalistic. It creates a distraction-free environment where you can easily take structured notes without getting distracted.
Since the design is specifically meant to be distraction-free, this is good. However, there could be a few more customization options, especially when it comes to the color design, including the notes. Overall, the design fulfills its purpose, but it does not win a beauty award.

7.5

The design is simple and clean, with options for customization. However, it's not particularly aesthetic or modern.

Value for Money
8.7

As a free extension, New Tab Notes offers excellent value for money. For the basic user, the range of functions should be sufficient, considering that it is a free tool. For advanced users, there are still a few functions missing that other providers already have. If these were also added free of charge, the price-performance ratio would be unbeatable.

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.

Ease of Use
8.5

New Tab Notes was easy to install in the test and the learning curve was very fast. Even Basic users should have no problems finding and using most of the functions straight away. However, one suggestion for improvement would be a small tutorial for new users on advanced features such as markdowns and shortcuts. Everyone who installs but doesn't see the website with instructions may not know about these features.

9.0

The tool is very straightforward with a minimal learning curve. Its simplicity is both a strength and a limitation.

Security & Privacy
8.2

New Tab Notes is an extension that stores all data exclusively via the browser. This approach is ideal for the user, as it eliminates the need for an account and reduces the risk of data breaches associated with other external cloud storage. This was apparent to us in our tests, but it is not clear whether the basic user is aware of this, as we were unable to find a privacy policy from the provider either in the store or on the website.

This would be an important point of improvement to allow every user to read the extension's guidelines.

9.5

All notes are stored locally, ensuring high privacy. There are no concerns about data being uploaded to the cloud.

Conclusion

With New Tab Notes, ideas, and information can be quickly and easily noted and saved directly in the browser without distractions.

Text formatting features such as headings and the accompanying markdowns and shortcuts make it quick and easy to write them down in a structured way. The design is very user-friendly, but the extension could still benefit from additional export options and possibly more advanced functions.

Overall, it is the perfect choice for anyone looking for a simple and effective solution to quickly save notes.

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.


Our Recommendation

In our comparison between New Tab Notes and New Tab Draft, New Tab Notes came out on top, scoring 8.6.

New Tab Draft is the most widely used, with over 13k users and 1k+ reviews, but New Tab Notes outperformed it in our review. User reviews for New Tab Notes reflect our findings, while we rate New Tab Draft lower than users do.

Notably, New Tab Notes has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.70, 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.


  • Looking for the richest feature set? New Tab Notes stands out with a rating of 8.7. On the other hand, New Tab Draft lags behind in this area with a rating of 6.
  • Need top performance? New Tab Notes stands out with a rating of 8.8. On the other hand, New Tab Draft lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.5.
  • Design lovers, take note: New Tab Notes stands out with a rating of 8.5. 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 Notes stands out with a rating of 8.7. On the other hand, New Tab Draft lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.5.
  • If you hate complicated tools, New Tab Draft stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, New Tab Notes 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, New Tab Notes lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.2.

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