Compare Weava and Merlin AI: Which Extension is the Best?
Weava Highlighter was once a popular choice, but now it’s filled with ads and has a poor user experience. Better options like Web Highlights do the job better without the hassle. | ||
| 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. | 7.0 | 8.4 Winner in this category |
| Total users Total active users across all major browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. | 200,000 | 1,000,000 Winner in this category |
| Total ratings Total number of user ratings received across all supported browsers. | 2,728 | 8,802 Winner in this category |
| Average rating Average user rating across all browsers, calculated from available store ratings. | 4.1 ⭐ | 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. |  4.1 3.01 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 200.0K+Users | 4.8 3.24 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 1.0M+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. | - | - |
| Safari User rating and stats for the extension on Safari browser. | - | - |
| Features Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Features' aspect of each extension. | 8.5 Weava offers basic but functional features like web and PDF highlighting, annotations, and folder organization. The basic functionalities work great but the lack of innovative or advanced functionalities, especially compared to competitors, limits its appeal. Top 3 Features of Weava Highlighter1. Highlight Websites and PDFs  Similar to our favorite highlighter Web Highlights, you can highlight text on any website or PDF. Choose different colors to customize your highlights and make important information stand out. 2. Organize Research into Folders  Weava lets you save your highlights and organize them into folders, making it simple to keep your research organized and find what you need fast. 3. Collaborate with Your Team  Weava allows you to share folders with your team, making collaboration on research projects easy. Everyone can add and view highlights and notes all in one place. Winner in this category | 8.0 Merlin AI offers a variety of features including summarizing, writing, coding, diagramming and more. It supports multiple AI models such as GPT-4, Claude and Gemini and allows users to create custom AI chatbots and knowledge bases. The platform also integrates with the web and files in real time. However, some features, such as PDF summarization, are not as robust as those of specialized tools. It also lacks what we consider to be the important function of direct communication between AI and the current website. In addition, the function of direct communication between AI and the current website, which we consider important, is missing.  |
| Performance Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Performance' aspect of each extension. | 7.0 Weava performs adequately when it comes to basic highlighting and syncing. However, the overall performance is marred by the intrusive ads and occasional bugs that make the experience less smooth than it should be. | 7.5 Merlin is generally fast and responsive, but it can slow down browsers, especially on older hardware. There are occasional bugs and crashes, though the team releases frequent updates and improvements. Winner in this category |
| Design Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Design' aspect of each extension. | 6.0 The design is where Weava really struggles. The interface is cluttered with ads, making it not only visually unappealing but also frustrating to use. Here's a screenshot showing one of their ads taking up nearly half the height of their sidebar:  The overall design feels outdated and lacks the intuitive flow found in other tools. This poor design significantly hampers the user experience. | 9.1 The design has a modern look and feel, with handy keyboard shortcuts and sidebar integration that make navigation easier. That said, the user interface can feel cluttered and overwhelming, especially for new users, and there are inconsistencies between the extension, web, and mobile versions.  Winner in this category |
| Value for Money Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Value for Money' aspect of each extension. | 6.8 The free version of Weava offers basic features, and their premium plan at $3.99/month is priced similarly to competitors. However, given the ads in the free version and the overall user experience, you can find better value in alternatives that provide more features and a cleaner interface for the same or even lower cost. | 8.2 The free plan is generous for light users, offering a substantial daily quota and access to a wide range of basic features. The Pro plan is competitively priced, especially when compared to the cost of subscribing to multiple separate AI tools, and unlocks unlimited access to all models and advanced features. However, the absence of a free trial for premium features means users must commit before experiencing the full capabilities of Merlin AI. Additionally, some users report that the query system—where different models and features consume varying amounts of daily queries—can be confusing or feel restrictive, particularly for those trying to understand how far their usage will go on each plan. Winner in this category |
| Ease of Use Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Ease of Use' aspect of each extension. | 6.5 Weava’s basic highlighting functionality is straightforward, but the poor design and mandatory account creation add unnecessary friction. The ads make navigation cumbersome, and while it’s not difficult to learn, using the tool effectively can be a challenge due to these barriers. | 8.5 Getting started with Merlin AI is straightforward—installation is quick, and the onboarding process is simple enough for most users to begin using core features right away. However, the platform’s extensive feature set can be overwhelming at first, leading to a noticeable learning curve as users explore everything it offers. Some users have expressed confusion about how the daily query limits work, how different models are selected or switched, and which features are available on each plan. Occasional bugs and log-in issues can also disrupt the workflow, requiring users to troubleshoot or reach out to support. Overall, while Merlin AI is accessible, mastering its full capabilities may take some time and patience, especially for those new to AI tools. Winner in this category |
| Security & Privacy Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Security & Privacy' aspect of each extension. | 7.0 Weava does take steps to protect user data, and their privacy policy is clear about not selling personal information. However, the requirement to create an account and the potential for data collection through ads could be a concern for privacy-conscious users. | 9.3 Merlin does not sell user data to third parties and only uses data for core functionality. The privacy policy is transparent, but some users remain concerned about the amount of data collected and the permissions required. Winner in this category |
| Conclusion A summary of our findings and final thoughts for each extension. | Weava Highlighter may still be a popular choice, but its current state leaves much to be desired. The overwhelming presence of ads and a clunky design significantly detract from the user experience, making it hard to justify its use when other tools offer a more polished and ad-free environment. If you’re serious about your productivity, it’s worth exploring alternatives like Web Highlights, which delivers all the benefits of Weava without the downsides. | Merlin AI is a powerful and versatile tool that can really boost the productivity of a wide range of users. The integration of multiple AI models and functions into a single extension is ideal for this p However, Merlin is not completely perfect. We encountered occasional bugs, inconsistencies in the user interface and some performance issues. Pricing can also be confusing, and some features are locked behind a paywall.. Overall, Merlin AI is a good choice for anyone looking for an all-in-one AI assistant for the browser - especially if you value having multiple AI models and tools in one place. |
| Our Recommendation | In our comparison between Weava and Merlin AI, Merlin AI came out on top, scoring 8.4. Merlin AI is the most widely used, with over 1 million users and 9k+ reviews—and it also delivered the strongest performance in our tests. We rate Weava and Merlin AI lower than users do. Notably, Merlin AI has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.80, which is even higher than our rating of 8.4. 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, Merlin AI is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you. | |
