Compare Web Activity Tracker and New Tab Draft: Which Extension is the Best?

Web Activity Time Tracker is an open-source extension that tracks time on websites, providing insights and customizable alerts to help manage online activities.
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
  • Activity Monitoring: Tracks time spent on different websites.
  • Detailed Reports: Provides insights into daily, weekly, and monthly activity.
  • Limit and Block Distracting Websites: Set daily time limits for specific websites
  • Custom Alerts: Set alerts for excessive time on specific sites.
  • Pomodoro Mode: Use the Pomodoro technique for focus work
  • Export: Export your Data to CSV.
  • 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
9.2
8.2
Total users
37,399
13,006
Total ratings
814
1,176
Average rating
4.7 ⭐
4.7 ⭐
Entry Level PriceFreeFree
Chrome
Chrome Web Store logo
4.8
4.66
789 ratings
30.0K+Users
Chrome Web Store logo
4.8
4.44
1.2K+ ratings
9.0K+Users
Edge
Microsoft Edge Store logo
4.6
4.41
25 ratings
7.4K+Users
Microsoft Edge Store logo
4.6
4.53
16 ratings
4.0K+Users
Firefox
-
-
Safari
-
-
Features
8.7

The tool offers the option of independently tracking your time on different websites. Compared to its competitors, it stands out because it has thought about which functions are important for effective tracking.

featured

This can be seen, for example, in the function that automatically stops tracking if there is no activity on the website within a certain period. This avoids the problem faced by competitors: if several tabs are open, they all continue to be tracked simultaneously.

settings

The reports are also very clearly presented, but there is still some room for improvement in the evaluation, for example by classifying the websites directly into categories such as social media or similar, so that they can be evaluated later.

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
9.7

The tool works reliably, there were no crashes or errors during testing. It tracks and reports data efficiently without you noticing any performance issues during use. A few users wrote in reviews that there were inaccuracies in the tracked time, which we could not reproduce in the test.

8.5

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

Design
9.0

The Design is clear and intuitive. Some design changes such as the dark mode can also be adjusted in the settings. In our opinion, the dashboard is the only area where there is still room for improvement in terms of presenting the evaluations.

Dashboard
7.5

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

Value for Money
9.3

As a free tool, it offers good value for money for users looking for basic tracking features at no cost. In comparison with competitors, many functions are already offered, but other competitors still have useful functions, particularly in the evaluation of data, and there is still room for improvement here.

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
9.0

Setting up the Web Activity Time Tracker is simple and does not require a great deal of technical skill. The tool is designed to be very user-friendly, including the setup with short instructions. The only thing that is a little confusing is that not all evaluations can be displayed in the dashboard via the icon. Only the evaluation for the current day is displayed here.

9.0

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

Security & Privacy
9.7

Web Activity Time Tracker performs almost perfectly here, as it does not collect or transmit any data. This data is only stored on the local computer. The entire code can be read open source on GitHub.
However, it is also pointed out in the very short privacy policy that this can change; a somewhat more detailed policy would be desirable in this case, in which it is also specified which data is stored locally and where.

9.5

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

Conclusion

Web Activity Time Tracker is a perfect choice for anyone who wants to know how much time is spent on which websites. The user-friendly design and comprehensive reports make it an easy tool to increase productivity. The customizability of various features also stood out. Overall, it offers good added value, especially when you consider that it's free.

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 Web Activity Tracker and New Tab Draft, Web Activity Tracker came out on top, scoring 9.2.

Web Activity Tracker is the most widely used, with over 37k users and 814+ reviews—and it also delivered the strongest performance in our tests. User reviews for Web Activity Tracker reflect our findings, while we rate New Tab Draft lower than users do.

Notably, Web Activity Tracker has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.71, which supports its strong performance in our review.

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, Web Activity Tracker is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you.