The problem with Internet security is that it’s a giant, opaque, frightening world of possible hurt. And costly too. Where do you start to protect yourself? What are your best options? In our opinion, you can’t go wrong with SafeInCloud, a browser extension that makes your password management easy and secure. And it’s almost free to use too.
Features
Free Windows and Mac apps for your computer.
Modestly priced versions for Android and iPhone.
No expensive subscriptions.
Save your passwords in your own cloud: the developer has no access to your data.
Benefits SafeInCloud
What we like about SafeInCloud isn’t just the price. If you were interested in nothing but saving a bit of money, you could rely on the save password function that’s built into any modern browser. And since many websites rely on an automated system of password retrieval, you could even decide to enter random passwords for every site, without bothering to remember them. A new password is requested almost without delay.
Still, with over 150 passwords in my SafeInCloud database, I see a clear advantage for trusting this data to a third-party app. What if you use more than one computer? What if you want to make sure you can use these passwords outside one single browser or on one device? The biggest benefits SafeInCloud offers is just this: save your passwords where no-one can access them but you. Fully integrated with important browsers and platforms. Safety couldn’t be cheaper.
Drawbacks
The programming of SafeInCloud seems robust and reliable. The extension makes it easy to find and save passwords for the sites you prefer to visit, but it still needs the program to function properly. Sometimes the dialogues aren’t completely understandable. If you lose your password, you lose access to all passwords: that’s a pain, but it just might happen. It happened to us. And then it takes some effort te re-install everything.
Alternatives
Besides the already mentioned built-in password functions in browsers, that aren’t safe at all, apparently, there are several paid options. Lastpass is a freemium solution, with an attractive family tier, so everyone will be safe and secured. If you want to understand what their free plan has to offer, you have to try it yourself, on their website is not much information. It’s clearly geared towards the premium plan. Dashlane is another contender for the prize, but it’s limited to 50 passwords, which makes it just about useless without forking out $ 36 annually.
So, there you have it: in the almost completely free arena of reliable password managers, we really see no alternative. SafeInCloud might not feel as slick and user-friendly as it’s competitors, but it’s the next best thing. And it’s based on your own cloud, which is pretty much unique.
Evernote is one of the most useful note-taking services you can access with your browser. It’s excellent if you’re not only interested in surfing the web, but if you want to retain your research. It’s the second extension we’ve installed from the Chrome Web Store.
Benefits Evernote
Evernote aims to be a complete external memory solution, reliable like the mythical Elephants’ memory. Hence the logo. Anything you want to add to your electronic memory will be there forever: a handwritten note, an audio recording, a bookmark, or an article you’ve found online, and save with the extension. Just like with start.me you get more than an extension: it integrates a whole world into your Chrome browser.
Another huge advantage of Evernote is the way it integrates all devices and platforms. No matter the computer or smartphone, you can access the same data anywhere. And even when the number of notes amounts to a lot, you can still make sure it remains accessible. There’s a search function that even recognizes handwritten notes. You can organize notes into notebooks, into stacks. Even though it might take some time to understand the full depth of the product, you’ll find it’s worth it. And, did I mention that there’s a free tier too? Even if you’re strapped for cash, your notes will remain accessible.
Drawbacks Evernote
If I have to mention drawbacks to this product, it would be the fact that it can do so very much. You can make to-do lists, share notes with others, even integrate templates into your notebooks if you want to standardize your notes. We’re a long way from the simple notepad. As the product continues to evolve, it might just get too convoluted and complex.
One of the ways I tackle this problem is by integrating Evernote with IFTTT: the famous service that lets you design your own ‘recipes’, with triggers and processes. With it, I can finally take a note on the fly, clutter-free, and fast. It’s telling I feel the need to resort to this third-party service.
Final verdict
Intimidating, expansive, no longer the only player in town, with Microsoft OneNote, the Google Keep (free to use), and Notes by Apple, there are a lot of alternatives these days. Still, there’s no real competition, once you’ve started building your own Elephants Memory.
We’ve been looking for this screen capture extension a long time. In the Chrome Web Store there are several different options. We have tried them all, but only this one really worked for us. Of course, you can use the Snipping tool (Windows) or the built-in utility tool (Mac), but for an entire web page, you really need this one.
Features
Fast and simple: one click to capture a full web page.
Privacy minded: not too many permissions asked.
You get a Pacman animation during the process.
Multiple formats, but not too many.
Many users & positive reviews.
Benefits Full Page Screen Capture
What we look for when installing a new extension, is simplicity and speed. This extension delivers both, also for large webpages with complex floating headers or iframes. When you right-click the icon you get some options, for example about the download location, the image format, and page size of the PDF. You’ll find some additional information about the permissions here too, but you can even ignore these options.
It’s a free extension that gets regularly updated by Peter Coles, a software engineer, based in NYC. Over 3.4 million users trust him with this extension, which they do for good reason. In his blog, he comes across as a sympathetic guy with a sense of humor. He’d hate to be this guy, for example. And he likes cute puppies.
Drawbacks
We haven’t experienced any bugs, even though we’ve used this extension extensively. When you download the page you’ve captured, you get a default name, including date and time of the screen capture. This is useful if you’re just interested in saving the page. If you prefer another name or structure, you have to do this manually for every page.
Alternatives
We don’t really see an alternative to this extension. The only one that seems to come close, is Fireshot, with over 25.000 installments, but for us, this extension just offers too much functionality. Who would want to make a PDF, and then annotate it in the same extension?
Another way to save webpages is through Evernote, who offers a complete Web clipper functionality too. There are also other options, like historio.us out there, but usually, you have to pay to get the full functionality.
Final verdict
There is no real alternative to this browser extension. It’s proof that one coder with a passion for helping out can make a difference. You can see this also on his website: mrcoles.com. Highly recommended!
