These Apple Safari extensions help improve my productivity

Summary

Safari is home to a rich ecosystem of third-party web browser extensions.
Some of my favorite extensions are productivity-related.
Here are the Safari extensions that enhance my daily workflow in one way or another.

These days, the web browser market is largely dominated by Chromium-based competitors such as Chrome, Edge, Vivaldi, Brave, Arc, and Opera. Safari, then, stands as one of the few browsers left using its own unique under-the-hood technology.

Thankfully, Apple has done an excellent job of maturing its WebKit-based Safari platform, and the browser is relatively competitive even within the extension space — it’s home to a wide variety of plug-ins to choose from. Here are 5 productivity-based extensions that make Safari my go-to web browser for getting work done.

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1 Focus for YouTube

The perfect antidote to my YouTube addiction

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Focus (for YouTube)

A Safari extension that removes distracting elements from YouTube, so you can focus on your task or specific video at hand.

I have something of a YouTube addition. I’ve tried a number of remedies, but I haven’t had much luck with curbing my dependency. With no sign of letting up anytime soon, I’ve turned to the Focus for YouTube extension to keep my habit at bay.

…I’ve turned to the Focus for YouTube extension to keep my habit at bay.

The tool provides a wealth of options, including a customizable blocklist, removing interface elements at will, and even the ability to keep your algorithmic feed private when casting the screen. Focus for YouTube is a free extension on the Mac App Store, and it’s always enabled on my computer.

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2 Hush Nag Blocker

Without Hush, the internet is a mess of distractive UI elements

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Hush Nag Blocker

A Safari extension that removes distracting web elements such as cookie banners, tracking consent notices, and more.

The internet is a noisy place, and I’m not just talking about X’s What’s happening section. Rather, it’s the abundance of cookie confirmation popups, tracking consent notices, and other distracting elements that always seem to take me out of my work flow.

The Hush Nag Blocker extension, which is available for free on the Mac App Store, is my go-to solution for clearing the clutter. The tool is open-source, lightweight, and gets the job done without fuss.

Best of all, it works with not only Macs, but also

iPhones

and

iPads

.

The Chrome and Edge icons side by side in front of laptops.

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3 Noir

The best way to bring dark mode to the web

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Noir

Noir is a Safari extension that automatically adds a dark mode to every website you visit.

A dedicated dark mode has been available on macOS since 2018’s Mojave release, and it works very well. However, websites and other online portals have been slow to adopt dark themes of their own, which is a shame.

I’m a night owl at heart, and so I tend to get my best work done after sunset.

Noir is my preferred tool for forcing any and all websites into dark mode, even if they don’t support it by default. I’m a night owl at heart, and so I tend to get my best work done after sunset. Upon spending $4 on Noir, I saw a reduction in eye strain during my evening web productivity sessions.

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4 GoodLinks

A well-crafted web bookmarking extension

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GoodLinks

A Safari extension that brings an article bookmarking tool to the web, so you can save your online content to read at a later time.

Goodlinks is one of the best web bookmarking apps available on macOS. It features an interface that feels native to the operating system, and it offers all the major bookmarking and reading features you’d expect in a Pocket competitor.

…a solid bookmarking tool has made all the difference in keeping me organized.

The GoodLinks Safari extension works hand in hand with the main application, allowing you to effortlessly save web articles and other content to read at a later date. I often find myself saving news articles during my work day, and a solid bookmarking tool has made all the difference in keeping me organized. GoodLinks can be purchased from the Mac App Store for $10.

Google Chrome icon with a slash through it next to a Microsoft Edge platform.

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5 TabSpedition

The perfect tool for speeding up Safari tab management

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TabSpedition

A Safari extension that brings a Windows-esque AltTab interface to Apple’s default web browser, so you can quickly shuffle through all your open tabs.

Like with most mainstream web browsers, Safari lays out all your open tabs in a horizontal list across the top of your screen by default. The system works well enough, but I find myself struggling to juggle between open tabs as my work day progresses.

When enabled, a simple keyboard shortcut allows you to see all open tabs with corresponding preview screens.

The $4 TabSpedition extension brings a Windows-style AltTab interface to Safari. When enabled, a simple keyboard shortcut allows you to see all open tabs with corresponding preview screens, and shifting between them also becomes a breeze. When I have a lot of work on the go and I need to cross-reference multiple tabs in succession, TabSpedition always has me covered.