Compare New Tab Notes and PresentBoard: 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.
PresentBoard is a customizable dashboard with widgets like calendars, to-dos, and weather. It's very user-friendly and regularly updated but still has a few initial bugs.
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.
  • Customizable Widgets: Choose from various widgets like calendars, weather updates, and to-do lists.
  • Dynamic Backgrounds: Personalize your dashboard with calming and dynamic backgrounds.
  • Search Google & ChatGPT: Search for information using Google and ChatGPT right from your dashboard
  • Enhanced Bookmarks: Improved bookmarks widget for easy access to your favorite sites.
  • Calendar Integration: Seamless integration with iCalendar and Google Caneder for better event management.
Our Rating
8.6
8.9
Total users
1,196
1,000
Total ratings
15
18
Average rating
4.7 ⭐
4.5 ⭐
Entry Level PriceFreeFree
Chrome
Chrome Web Store logo
4.4
4.58
14 ratings
1.0K+Users
Chrome Web Store logo
4.5
4.25
18 ratings
1.0K+Users
Edge
Microsoft Edge Store logo
5.0
5.0
1 ratings
196Users
-
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.

9.3

PresentBoard is characterized by its extensive range of functions and offers a variety of widgets to different requirements.
The customizable widgets allow users to create their own dashboards. Starting with the home weather, personal backgrounds, the stock market prices of your shares, or simply your bookmarks. Everything can be individually arranged and visually customized.

my Dashboard

The iCalendar and Google Calendar integration worked perfectly in the test so that you can always keep track of your appointments immediately when you open a new tab.

It is also worth taking a look at future updates, where PresentBoard has created a list of additional functions that users can vote on themselves to prioritize for future development. In our opinion, a decisive function that competitors have already partially integrated is the integration of ChatGPT directly as a widget in the dashboard.

future widgets
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.

8.0

PresentBoard works reliably once it has been set up. Only when customizing the dashboard can minor problems occur. For example, occasionally clicking on the + symbol did not work, which is annoying when setting up.

bug +

Occasional bugs reported by users in the reviews were actively fixed by the developers in regular updates.

Overall, the extension delivers a good performance.

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.

9.0

When selecting the design of PresentBoard, importance was placed on both the visual and the functional. Users have almost no limits when it comes to customizing the dashboard. Whether different backgrounds of the dashboard, colors and backgrounds of the texts of widgets or ready-made templates. With a little time, everyone can find the right design.
In our opinion, the design only could only be a little clearer and more intuitive when it comes to adjusting widgets.

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.

9.5

PresentBoard offers extensive features for being free. Many features are offered for a fee by competitors, the ones here are free, making it a valuable tool for users who want to increase their productivity at no cost.

Only the lack of some functions such as a directly integrated AI model is still decisive here compared to competitors. This is usually offered for a fee, but if it were also offered free of charge here, users would have an unbeatable price-performance ratio.

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.

8.3

There were no problems with the installation process of PresentBoard during the test. After installation, a new tab appears on which users are immediately shown the tutorial video and various sample templates. Great importance was attached to user-friendliness here. This also shows that you do not have to register to use the functions. You only need to log in if you want to save the self-created dashboard in the cloud to avoid losing it.

Installation Dashboard


When creating your own New Tab with the various widgets, can be overwhelming at first. Without the tutorial, not all of the diverse number of configurations are immediately self-explanatory. There are also small bugs, such as occasionally being unable to click on the + because the cursor does not accept it or when enlarging/reducing widgets that sometimes require several attempts.

In summary, the extension is easy and intuitive to use with the help of the tutorial. However, anyone who wants to set up their dashboard without using the ready-made templates should be aware of the high initial time expenditure.

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.

9.0

PresentBoard takes user privacy seriously and ensures that data is not sold to third parties. The data protection regulations are described transparently so that users who value data security are in the right place.

The only negative aspect is a security warning from Google when setting up Google Analytics. The application should still be checked here, if you continue to click that you trust PresentBoard, this has no influence on the later use, but this does not inspire good confidence for the user.

google analytics security warning
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.

PresentBoard is a new tab extension that offers a variety of widgets and individual customization options. This is exactly the strength of the extension that sets it apart from its competitors and should help everyone in everyday life. Small bugs are still present, but functional errors are quickly responded to and updates quickly fix the errors described by users. The announced updates, including the integration of AI, also give hope for further useful functions that competitors already have.
Overall, PresentBoard is a good choice for anyone looking for a personalized and efficient browsing experience.

Our Recommendation

In our comparison between New Tab Notes and PresentBoard, PresentBoard came out on top, scoring 8.9.

New Tab Notes is the most widely used, with over 1k users and 15+ reviews, but PresentBoard outperformed it in our review. User reviews reflect our findings.

Notably, New Tab Notes has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.68, 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? PresentBoard stands out with a rating of 9.3. On the other hand, New Tab Notes lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.7.
  • Need top performance? New Tab Notes stands out with a rating of 8.8. On the other hand, PresentBoard lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.
  • Design lovers, take note: PresentBoard 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.
  • Want to get the most for your money? PresentBoard stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, New Tab Notes lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.7.
  • If you hate complicated tools, New Tab Notes stands out with a rating of 8.5. On the other hand, PresentBoard lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.3.
  • With privacy and security becoming ever more important, PresentBoard stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, New Tab Notes lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.2.

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