Google just announced its best Chrome extensions of 2023 and one particular tool seems to be missing.
Out of the six categories showcased, not one includes the ad blockers many Chrome users have become fond of using over the past year.
The results differ from last year where many of the featured browsing and streaming extensions also have ad blockers.
The omission of third-party adblockers comes in as Google tightens its rules on the extension, planning to make many versions of its obsolete next year.
Google Cracks Down on Ad Blockers, Third-Party Cookies
Google's conquest to remove ad blockers and third-party cookies on the platform has been well going over the last few months of the year.
Many ad blockers have already stopped working on YouTube or made the playback speed much slower.
Google has admitted to tampering with its platforms to discourage users from using third-party extensions rather than subscribing to its premium plans.
Some extensions are expected to stop working with the arrival of the new "Manifest V3" extension format. Many extensions still run on the old "Manifest V2" format.
To address the issue, several browsers have updated their integrated ad blockers to be able to access YouTube videos with relative ease.
These include Firefox and the Opera browsers.
Related Article : Google Chrome Will Soon Start Blocking Third-Party Cookies on Browser
Best Chrome Extensions for 2023
As for the recognized awardees, here are the featured Google Chrome extensions in 2023:
Scribe, DeepL Translate, Quillbot, and Sider are featured for helping "get tasks done faster" with their AI-integrated capabilities to optimize workflow.
Teal was also mentioned for assisting job seekers in bookmarking positions on popular job boards and managing applications in one place.
Another AI-powered tool, Transkriptor is the winner of the "Easily share meeting notes" award for its audio-to-text feature relevant to meetings and discussions. The alternative is Speechify for text-to-speech function.
Equalizer also gets an award for its accessibility to fine-tune audio live.
Bonjour is the best extension to style the browser with its minimalistic design to keep users free from distraction.
On the other hand, Coupert is recognized for the best promo code offerings many shoppers will surely appreciate.
Only the platformer game Boxel 3D and BTRoblox, an extension used to enhance the game's website, was featured for game- and entertainment-related extensions.
