start.me browser extension review
start.me is the first extension from the Chrome Web Store we present here. With it, you can add bookmarks and news feeds. With one click, you can import all your bookmarks to your browser, set the homepage, as well as the new tab page. But you can do a lot more with it. In fact, you can use it to build a personal web portal.
Features
- You get many basic widgets for free: unlimited bookmarks widgets, pages, news feeds, to-do widget, notes.
- Valuable PRO features, like a broken link checker, Google integration, Archived pages, and image gallery.
- Teachers, business owners, or enterprises get advanced sharing and security options.
- Fast loading experience.
- Reliable Hosting in the cloud.
- Accessible through any browser or device.
- We love the modern, sleek design.
- Fully personalizable.
Benefits start.me
start.me is a versatile product. You can use it to make a start page with bookmarks to all your favorite sites. Adding widgets with the Add content button is a breeze. There are a lot of curated RSS feeds to choose from, so you don’t have to check different websites or open new tabs to stay on top of the news. You can also add notes widgets, todo lists, weather forecast information, and more. The basic widgets are free, as well as the number of pages you can use to organize your data.
The UX design of the site can be called minimalist, which is a good thing since there are many ways to personalize your pages. You can choose color schemes, add photos or select images from a database, and change the appearance of bookmarks in your bookmarks widgets. It loads fast, especially on your homepage.
Drawbacks start.me
The many options start.me has to offer are both a strength and a weakness. If you don’t personalize your homepage, you’ll never really enjoy its main benefits: increased overview, productivity, information location. We see an apparent learning curve in this product: you must invest some effort to get to know it thoroughly. It looks to us, that the developer’s team is aware of this, as they offer both a tour and an onboarding process to help you to add valuable content to your page.
Pricing
start.me is a freemium product. There are four plans:
- Basic: free to use. All essential widgets. Basic sharing options. Import and export your data.
- PRO: $ 20 / year. Basic plan + premium widgets, archived pages, broken link checker.
- Team: $ 30 / month, $ 300 / year. PRO plan + apply your branding, teams of up to 20 members, private sharing & collaboration.
- Enterprise: custom pricing. Team plan + unlimited users, multiple teams, Single Sign-On.
You can find more information on their pricing page.
Alternatives to start.me
If you’re looking for an alternative to start.me, there are many options. None of them are as versatile and powerful, but they’re still worth your attention. This is the list we’ve tried ourselves:
- Pinboard (a simple, text-based bookmark solution)
- Netvibes (dashboard with bookmarks and ‘web potions’ functionality)
- Protopage (free personalized start page)
You’ll find more options with reviews on this site: New Tab Alternatives.
Final verdict
In the entire New Tab extensions category, we consider start.me the most versatile, fastest, and most reliable option. A professional enterprise keeps on improving the product and offers responsive support in case of any problem. start.me is more than just an extension that runs locally, it’s a gateway to an entire universe of bookmarks, news feeds, and smart widgets you can access from any browser or any device.
It’s a great choice.