Compare PDF & Web Highlighter, Youtube Highlighter, and Matter: Which Extension is the Best?
Web Highlights lets you highlight text on any website or PDF, create notes, and generate AI summaries. It’s free, simple, and doesn’t require signing up. The best online PDF and web highlighter. | Highlight and annotate YouTube transcripts. Generate AI summaries and chat with the video content to turn it into clear, searchable notes and annotations. | Matter uses AI to help you read and listen smarter—transcribe podcasts, speed up audio, and organize content for faster, more effective learning. | |
| 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. | 9.8 Winner in this category | 9.5 | 9.0 |
| Total users Total active users across all major browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. | 215,339 Winner in this category | 118 | 20,000 |
| Total ratings Total number of user ratings received across all supported browsers. | 4,235 Winner in this category | 5 | 30 |
| Average rating Average user rating across all browsers, calculated from available store ratings. | 4.8 ⭐ | 5.0 ⭐ Winner in this category | 4.1 ⭐ |
| Entry Level Price The minimum price required to start using the extension. "Free" means a free tier is available. | Free | Free | Free |
| Chrome User rating and stats for the extension on Chrome browser. |  4.8 4.79 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 200.0K+Users | 5.0 5.0 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 118Users Winner in this category | 4.1 3.81 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 20.0K+Users |
| Edge User rating and stats for the extension on Edge browser. |  4.7 4.71 Average Microsoft Edge Store rating from the last 100 reviews 14.1K+Users Winner in this category | - | - |
| Firefox User rating and stats for the extension on Firefox browser. |  4.9 4.97 Average Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store rating from the last 100 reviews 1.3K+Users Winner in this category | - | - |
| Safari User rating and stats for the extension on Safari browser. | - | - | - |
| Features Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Features' aspect of each extension. | 9.8 Web Highlights offers a range of features. In addition to its main function of highlighting text on websites and PDFs, it provides much more, making it the ideal tool for learning and self-improvement. Top Features of Web Highlights1. Highlighting websites & PDFs:  Web Highlights excels at one thing better than any other tool we tested—highlighting websites and PDFs. You don't even need an account. Just visit any site, highlight the text, and a marker icon will appear, letting you choose from different highlight colors. Once highlighted, your highlights are visible on the website. And the best thing: Your highlights will also be visible on the website if you reload the page. You not necessarily need the highlighter popup to mark up some text. In general, there are three ways to create a highlight:
In our tests, we could easily highlight several websites, and those highlights were effortlessly restored when revisiting them. It works seamlessly with both online and local PDFs.  All of your highlights are not only visible on the page but also accessible through the sidebar, which gives you a good overview of your highlights made. This is much like the highlighter sidebar which is common in PDF tools like Acrobat. Here is how it looks:  The sidebar gives you an outline of your highlights on the current page. 2. AI-powered summaries ✨ One of the things I like most is how smoothly the AI-powered summary feature gives you a quick overview of a website’s content. The AI summary feature in Web Highlights works entirely offline with Chrome’s built-in LLM, making it both super fast and completely private. You can choose from different summary styles depending on what you need:
 3. Create Notes & Tags:  You can either create tags & notes by using the sidebar or by clicking on a highlight on the page. This will open up a popup allowing you to add tags and notes to a specific highlight. Any changes you make on the pages are also directly visible in the sidebar. Making it a perfect research tool to work with large articles. Inside the sidebar you can then find all your highlights and bookmarks listed for the given tag. 4. Web App:  The best thing about Web Highlights is, that it can synchronize all your research to the corresponding web app at app.web-highlights.com. The web app can be opened in your browser but works perfetly on your phone. If you have opened the website before, you can even access your research when you are offline. The dashboard of the app shows all of your research in one place in a beautiful overview. You can also filter for specific tags or websites. 5. Save Bookmarks:  Web Highlights isn't just for highlighting text—it’s also great for saving pages as bookmarks. This way, you can either come back later to continue highlighting or easily find the page again. 6. Email reminders  A standout feature of Web Highlights is its email reminder, which works a lot like "snoozing" emails. You can set a reminder for a specific date and time by clicking the clock icon on a highlighted page. Web Highlights will then email you the article so you don’t forget to revisit it. This feature is unique among competitors, and we use it daily to get reminders for websites we need to return to later. 7. Export to Notion, Markdown, and more  Web Highlights gives you plenty of export options. With the Markdown export, you can easily send your research to any Second Brain or PKM tool you prefer. On top of that, it directly integrates with Notion and Capacities through full API connections. For instance, if you're on a highlighted page, just click the three dots in the sidebar and choose "Export to Notion." In seconds, a Notion page will be created. The same process works for Capacities. Winner in this category | 9.8 1. YouTube Transcript Highlighting 🎥 YouTube Highlighter excels at one thing better than any other tool we tested—making YouTube videos truly interactive and study-friendly. You don't even need an account. Just visit any YouTube video with captions, click the highlight button in the player controls, and start highlighting the transcript text. Once highlighted, your highlights are visible on the transcript and persist when you revisit the video. The best part: Your highlights will also be visible if you reload the page or return to the video later.There are two main ways to start highlighting:
In our tests, we could easily highlight educational content, TED talks, and tutorial videos, and those highlights were effortlessly restored when revisiting them. It works seamlessly with both auto-generated and manual captions. Highlighted YouTube video with transcriptAll of your highlights are not only visible on the transcript but also accessible through the sidebar, which gives you a comprehensive overview of your video study materials. This creates a study environment similar to traditional note-taking apps, but specifically designed for video content. 2. Time-Synced Video Playback ⏱️ Seamless integration between transcript and videoOne of the most impressive features is how smoothly the transcript synchronizes with video playback. The current sentence being spoken is highlighted in real-time, and you can click any part of the transcript to jump to that exact moment in the video.The auto-scroll feature keeps the current sentence in view as the video plays, creating a distraction-free study environment. You can toggle this feature on or off as needed.Time-synced transcript with video playbackThis synchronization makes it incredibly easy to:
3. AI-Powered Video Summaries ✨ Transform long videos into digestible insights. The AI summary feature works exceptionally well with YouTube content, giving you quick overviews of video content in multiple formats. The AI summary feature works entirely offline with Chrome's built-in LLM, making it both super fast and completely private. It analyzes the entire video transcript to create intelligent summaries.You can choose from different summary styles depending on what you need:
Length options include:
4. Multi-Language Support 🌍 Study content in your preferred language. The extension automatically detects available caption languages and lets you switch between them seamlessly. This is particularly useful for:
5. Study-Friendly Customization 🎨 Personalize your learning environmentThe reader mode offers extensive customization options to create the perfect study environment:
6. Notes & Tags System 📝 You can create tags and notes by clicking on highlights in the transcript. This opens a popup allowing you to add tags and notes to specific video moments.Any changes you make are immediately visible in the sidebar, making it a perfect research tool for educational content, tutorials, and long-form videos.Inside the sidebar, you can find all your highlights and notes organized by tags, making it easy to:
7. Export & Integration Options 📤 YouTube Highlighter gives you comprehensive export options for your video research:
The export functionality preserves timestamps, making it easy to reference specific video moments in your external notes. 8. Offline & Privacy-First Approach 🔐 The extension works entirely offline without requiring an account, ensuring complete privacy. Even when you choose to sync via the web app, your highlights, notes, and video research remain private by default.Your data isn't sold to third parties, nor is it used for advertising or profiling. This dedication to privacy makes it ideal for sensitive research, personal study materials, and confidential educational content. Winner in this category | 9.2 Matter's feature set is imposing, offering a comprehensive suite of tools that enhance the reading and listening experience. The AI transcription capabilities are particularly noteworthy, as they accurately convert spoken content into readable text.  The speed listening feature with natural-sounding voices is a game-changer for consuming content efficiently. The integration options with popular services like Kindle and Gmail make it a versatile tool for content management. The regular updates and improvements show a commitment to enhancing the user experience. |
| Performance Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Performance' aspect of each extension. | 10 The extension performs seamlessly, allowing you to highlight websites and PDFs without any lag or interruptions. The full-text search functionality is quick and accurate, enabling you to find your highlights effortlessly. Additionally, the ability to sync your highlights across devices ensures that you can access your research from anywhere, enhancing your productivity. The best part is that the web app works entirely offline. So, you can access your research from any device, even without an internet connection. Winner in this category | 8.5 The extension performs seamlessly once the transcript is loaded, allowing you to highlight video transcripts and sync with playback without any lag or interruptions. It can sometimes take a few seconds for the video transcript to load initially, depending on the video's caption availability and your internet connection. The AI summary functionality is quick and accurate once the transcript is available, enabling you to get instant overviews of video content. Additionally, the ability to sync your video research across devices ensures that you can access your study materials from anywhere. The best part is that the core functionality works entirely offline once the transcript is loaded, so you can study with videos even without an internet connection. | 9.2 Matter delivers reliable performance across all its features. Content processing is fast and efficient, handling various file types and formats smoothly. The sync capabilities work reliably across devices, ensuring content is always up to date. The tool uses system resources efficiently, maintaining good performance even with multiple features in use. Response times are quick, providing a snappy user experience. The stability across different platforms is impressive, though occasional minor issues may occur during heavy usage. |
| Design Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Design' aspect of each extension. | 9.9 The design is clean and intuitive, making it easy to get started right away. We loved the customizable highlight colors and the overall look and feel of the sidebar. What users love most is the intuitive sidebar and the well-organized web app. It’s super easy to navigate and quickly find what you need. The web app also looks great on mobile devices, making it simple to access the articles you've read on your phone. Winner in this category | 9.6 The design is clean and intuitive, with a focus on reducing distractions while studying. We loved the seamless integration with YouTube's interface and the customizable reader mode that adapts to different study preferences.What users love most is the time-synced playback and the ability to jump between transcript and video effortlessly. The multi-language support and customization options make it suitable for diverse learning needs.The reader mode also looks great on different screen sizes, making it simple to study on various devices. | 8.8 The interface design is clean and modern, making it easy to navigate through different features. The layout is intuitive, with a clear hierarchy that helps users find what they need quickly. The mobile-responsive design ensures a smooth experience across devices. While the design is generally excellent, there's room for improvement in some areas of the mobile interface. |
| Value for Money Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Value for Money' aspect of each extension. | 9.5 Web Highlights can be used for free without signing up, providing access to a wide range of offline features. To fully enjoy the benefits of Web Highlights, including accessing your highlights and bookmarks from anywhere with automatic cloud-sync, you can upgrade to the PREMIUM or ULTIMATE version of the extension. The pricing plans are affordable, making it a cost-effective solution for students, researchers, and avid online readers. No other tool gives you this much value for so little cost. Winner in this category | 9.0 YouTube Highlighter can be used for free without signing up, providing access to a wide range of offline features including highlighting, note-taking, and basic AI summaries. Free users can highlight one video per day, but once you start highlighting a video, you can create unlimited highlights within that video.To fully enjoy the benefits, including unlimited video highlighting, unlimited AI summaries, advanced export options, and cloud sync across devices, you can upgrade to the PREMIUM or ULTIMATE version. The pricing plans are affordable, making it a cost-effective solution for students, researchers, educators, and anyone who learns from video content. No other tool gives you this much value for transforming YouTube into a study platform. | 9.3 The free tier offers substantial value, providing access to most essential features without cost. The premium pricing is competitive compared to similar tools in the market. Regular feature updates ensure that users get ongoing value from their subscription. The cross-platform access adds significant value for users who work across multiple devices. |
| Ease of Use Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Ease of Use' aspect of each extension. | 9.5 We can’t think of a simpler Chrome Extension to start with than this one. The best part? It works seamlessly right out of the box, no account needed. Installing it is a breeze, and you can easily add the extension to both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Once installed, a highlighter pop-up appears whenever you highlight text on any website. The process is intuitive and easy to grasp. If you need help, Web Highlights offers plenty of blog posts that guide you through its features. With so many powerful features, Web Highlights might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but everything falls into place quickly. The tagging system, in particular, is easy to use and much simpler than traditional folders. That’s why we rate it 9.5 out of 10. It’s extremely user-friendly, though some features might take a little time to fully appreciate. | 9.8 We can't think of a simpler way to transform YouTube videos into study materials. The best part? It works seamlessly right out of the box, no account needed.
Winner in this category | 9.0 Matter is very user-friendly, with a straightforward setup process that gets users started quickly. The controls are intuitive and well-placed, making it easy to access key features. The content organization system is logical and easy to understand. The onboarding process is helpful, guiding new users through the main features. The learning curve is minimal, allowing users to get the most out of the tool without extensive training. |
| Security & Privacy Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Security & Privacy' aspect of each extension. | 9.9 In the Security & Privacy category, we give Web Highlights a solid 10/10. The fact that you can use this tool offline without needing an account sets it apart from its competitors. Even if you opt for cloud sync by creating an account, Web Highlights puts data privacy first. Your highlights, notes, and tags are visible only to you by default unless you decide to share them. Your data isn’t sold to third parties, nor is it used or transferred for anything beyond the extension's core functionality. This dedication to data privacy ensures your information stays secure and confidential. | 10 In the Security & Privacy category, we give YouTube Highlighter a solid 10/10. The fact that you can use this tool offline without needing an account sets it apart from its competitors. Even if you opt for cloud sync by creating an account, YouTube Highlighter puts data privacy first. Your highlights, notes, and video research are visible only to you by default unless you decide to share them. Your data isn't sold to third parties, nor is it used or transferred for anything beyond the extension's core functionality. This dedication to data privacy ensures your educational research stays secure and confidential. Winner in this category | 8.7 The tool takes security seriously, implementing robust data encryption to protect user information. The privacy-focused design ensures that user data is handled responsibly. The company maintains transparency about data handling practices through a clear privacy policy. Regular security updates help maintain a secure environment. While the security measures are solid, some users might want more control over their data sharing preferences. |
| Conclusion A summary of our findings and final thoughts for each extension. | We have been using Web Highlights - PDF & Web Highlighter for years and can confidently say it’s a top-notch tool for anyone who spends a lot of time reading online. Its user-friendly design and powerful features make it a must-have for students, researchers, and professionals alike. The free version is fantastic, but if you need more advanced features, the premium options are well worth the price. If you’re serious about staying organized while reading online, we highly recommend giving Web Highlights a try. | No conclusion available | Matter is a well-designed tool for increasing productivity. Its ability to change the way we consume content from text to speech is particularly ideal for those who need to process information quickly. The free version offers enough functionality for casual users, while the premium features offer significant added value for power users. Although there are some areas for improvement, Matter's core functionality and ease of use make it an excellent choice for anyone looking to enhance their reading and listening experience. |
| Our Recommendation | In our comparison between PDF & Web Highlighter, Youtube Highlighter, and Matter, PDF & Web Highlighter came out on top, scoring 9.8. PDF & Web Highlighter is the most widely used, with over 215k users and 4k+ reviews—and it also delivered the strongest performance in our tests. User reviews reflect our findings. Notably, Youtube Highlighter has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 5.00, 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, PDF & Web Highlighter is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you. | ||
