Tabwell vs Toby: a lighter, MV3-native session manager
If you are weighing Tabwell vs Toby, the practical difference shows up the moment you restore a saved set: Toby reopens your links but its older interface and resource-heavy footprint sit on top of every Chrome window you keep open. Tabwell takes the opposite approach. It is a Manifest V3 (MV3) extension built to mirror Chrome's own tab groups, so when you save and reopen a session every group comes back with its name, its color, and its collapsed or expanded state exactly as you left it. Everything lives locally in IndexedDB on your own machine, with no account to create and no telemetry leaving the browser, and it runs on Chrome 114 and later, because Tabwell uses the chrome.sidePanel API introduced in that release. Where Toby asks you to adopt a separate dashboard and a dated UI to organize work, Tabwell stays inside the browser surface you already use, keeping the structure of your groups rather than only the URLs.
What stands out in a Tabwell vs Toby comparison
Tabwell is a Manifest V3 extension, and that architecture choice drives everything else. Because it builds on Chrome's current extension platform, it works directly with the browser's native tab groups instead of recreating them in a separate interface. The result is that saving a session and reopening it returns the same structure you had, not only a list of links.
Tab-group fidelity: name, color, and collapsed state
When Tabwell restores a saved session, each Chrome tab group comes back with three things preserved:
- The group name you assigned.
- The group color you picked.
- Whether the group was collapsed or expanded.
That fidelity matters when you rely on grouping to separate projects, because the visual cues you set up survive a restart rather than being flattened away.
Local-first storage with no account
Tabwell keeps your sessions in IndexedDB on your own machine. There is no account to create and no telemetry sent out of the browser, so your tab history stays on the device. It runs on Chrome 114 and later, because Tabwell uses the chrome.sidePanel API introduced in that release.
Snapshots, plans, and pricing
Tabwell takes automatic snapshots so a crash or an accidental close is recoverable. Free keeps your latest five snapshots and auto-snapshots every 60 minutes; Pro lifts the cap, indexes every saved tab for full-text search, and auto-snapshots every 5 minutes. Pro costs $3.99 a month on the Monthly plan, $29 a year on Annual, or a one-time Lifetime license at $19 for the first 1000 Founders buyers and $59 after that. Each paid purchase comes with a 14-day trial and a 30-day refund window.
When to choose Toby instead
Toby has been around for years and centers on a dedicated dashboard for organizing saved tabs. If your workflow is already built around that dashboard and the way it lays out your links, staying with Toby avoids a migration. The two honest trade-offs to weigh are its older interface and its heavier resource use compared with a lean MV3 extension; if neither bothers you and the dashboard fits how you work, Toby remains a reasonable choice.
FAQ
Does Tabwell restore Chrome tab groups with their name and color?
Yes. When Tabwell reopens a saved session, each native Chrome tab group returns with its name, its color, and its collapsed or expanded state preserved, so the structure you set up is restored rather than flattened into a plain list of links.
What Chrome version does Tabwell require?
Tabwell runs on Chrome 114 or newer, because Tabwell uses the chrome.sidePanel API introduced in that release. It is built for Chrome on Manifest V3; Edge and other Chromium browsers may work but are not the supported target, and Firefox and Safari are not supported.
How much does Tabwell cost?
There is a Free tier that keeps up to five snapshots. Pro costs $3.99 a month on the Monthly plan, $29 a year on Annual, or a one-time Lifetime license at $19 for the first 1000 Founders buyers and $59 after that. Every paid purchase includes a 14-day trial and a 30-day refund window.
Does Tabwell need an account or send my data anywhere?
No. Tabwell is local-first: your sessions are stored in IndexedDB on your own machine, there is no account to create, and no telemetry leaves the browser.
When should I choose Toby over Tabwell?
If your routine is already centered on Toby's dashboard for laying out and browsing saved tabs, and its older interface and heavier resource use do not get in your way, keeping Toby avoids a migration and stays with a tool you already know.