Objective & dated comparison
A claim-level, verified comparison of local-first vs cloud-hosted browser tab tools. All information is sourced directly from official documentation, Chrome Web Store listings, and pricing pages as of August 2026.
All tab scanning, rules, and collections run directly in your browser. No account, no telemetry, and no remote backend.
TabBoy never deletes or closes tabs without your explicit confirmation. Automatic recovery snapshots protect against accidental loss.
Automated semantic grouping runs locally on your machine without sending your URLs or browsing history to cloud AI services.
Export your collections to Markdown for Obsidian or Notion in one click, backup to standard JSON, and restore single tabs on demand.
| Feature / Architecture | TabBoy | Workona | Toby | Session Buddy | OneTab | Chrome Native |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | 100% Free & Open Source (MIT) | Freemium ($7–$9/mo Pro) | Freemium ($4.50–$6/mo Productivity) | 100% Free (Donations) | 100% Free | Built-in Free |
| Account Required | Never required | Required (Google / Email) | Required for cloud & sync | Not required | Not required | Optional (Google Account) |
| Data Storage Location | 100% Local (chrome.storage) | Proprietary Cloud (Firestore) | Proprietary Cloud + Cache | 100% Local (IndexedDB) | 100% Local (LocalStorage) | Local / Google Sync |
| CWS Data Collection | 0 data collected | Web history, PII, Activity | Web history, PII, Activity | Web history declared | 0 data collected | Google telemetry |
| Free Plan Limit | Unlimited tabs & spaces | Limited spaces (~5 spaces) | Strict cap of 60 saved tabs | Unlimited | Unlimited (flat list) | ~25 saved tab groups |
| Rule-Based Automation | Deterministic JSON rules | Manual organization only | Manual organization only | Manual save only | No rules | No rules |
| Automatic Grouping | Local semantic clustering | Manual workspaces | Cloud AI (Paid tier) | No auto-grouping | No auto-grouping | Experimental AI |
| Preserve Chrome Groups | Yes, native group colors & names | Separate workspace tabs | Cards in new tab page | Yes, in saved sessions | No (flattens to plain list) | Native tab groups |
| Anti-Loss Safety Net | Automatic recovery snapshots | Cloud crash recovery | Cloud backup | Periodic session timeline | No safety net / no backup | Recently closed tabs |
| One-Click Markdown Export | Yes (Obsidian / Notion ready) | No (proprietary cloud format) | No (proprietary cloud format) | Yes (text export options) | Plain URL list text | No export |
| Granular 1-Click Tab Restore | Yes (open single tab directly) | Yes (workspace switch) | Yes (click card link) | Yes (open single tab) | Yes (removes from list on click) | Native tab restore |
Excellent team collaboration, shared project workspaces, and seamless integration with Google Drive, Slack, Asana, and Figma.
Requires a cloud account and sends your workspace data to external servers. Free plan limits you to a few workspaces, with paid tiers starting around $7 to $9 per month.
Clean and attractive new-tab card interface, easy drag-and-drop link collection, and shared organizational spaces for teams.
Strict paywall capping the free plan at 60 saved tabs. Requires account creation and cloud syncing for volume storage.
Long track record, automatic timeline for post-crash recovery, rich full-text search, and multi-format export.
Passive manual saving workflow without automated rule-based organization. The v4 rewrite caused significant migration issues for historical user data.
Instant memory relief by converting all open tabs into a single list in one click with zero setup.
Unstructured flat list without group preservation or nested folders. Vulnerable to data loss on browser crashes or profile cleanup tools.
Organize your tabs with deterministic rules, full privacy, and zero lock-in.