Web browsers are essential to many people's workflow, but there are ways you can make your browsers even more useful by integrating productivity dashboards. These dashboards allow you to customize your home page or new tab page for easy access to your tasks and essential websites.

Before installing a productivity dashboard extension, check what information it collects and what permissions it needs. While we tested each service included in the list, during our research, some other services (not included in this list) were flagged for extensive data collection.

While some of the apps are productivity extensions that integrate directly into your browser, others allow you to manually set them as your home page. I compared a variety of tools, all of which include free plans, to identify their benefits and drawbacks.

Momentum

A productivity dashboard to help you focus

Momentum is a free productivity dashboard (with a subscription option) that you can install as a browser extension. Once installed, when you open a new tab, the Momentum dashboard will open. From here, you can access a variety of tools.

One thing I like about Momentum is that you can use it without creating an account, but you can also sync it with your Google account.

Its free version is also relatively feature-rich. You can set up a customized focus mode that also allows you to block certain websites while it's enabled. You can also access tools like a task list, web bookmarks, and customizable themes.

Meavana

Easy to set up

Meavana is a slick productivity dashboard that requires little setup and is quite customizable. It's completely free, but you must create an account to sign in.

Meavana is a browser extension that replaces your new tab and home pages. It can pull browser shortcuts from your most used sites, making these sites easily accessible from the dashboard. For example, my shortcuts included my Gmail and Zoho Mail pages, Google Photos, the CMS I use for work, and services like Google Search and Canva.

If you create a Meavana account, make sure to save the password as the extension does not include a reset password option. Logging out and selecting the Forgot Password option also did not work for me. You will need the password if you intend to delete your account at any point as well.

You can also integrate Meavana with various accounts and services, including Google News and social media sites, but this requires granting additional permissions for the extension. In terms of customization, you can choose between a variety of settings for elements like your clock, background, and bookmarked apps.

The platform also has useful tools like sticky notes, a calculator, a stopwatch, and pinned sidebar apps.

Flocus

A productivity dashboard to set as your new home page

Flocus is another free productivity dashboard that includes a premium subscription. Unlike Meavana and Momentum, it's not an extension, so you will have to manually set the dashboard as your homepage.

You can choose whether or not to sign in to the platform to sync various services. I enjoyed Flocus' integrated media player and the customization available for its appearance.

However, a significant number of features are locked behind the paid plan, including the platform's notepad and customized playlists.

New tab page by start.me

Widgets galore

You need to sign up with start.me with your email address in order to use the free browser extension, but you can choose whether you want to import your bookmarks or manually add them to the platform.

Out of the services included on this list, start.me has the most widgets. These widgets include shortcuts to popular news sites and services, as well as a general weather widget. You can remove the widgets you don't need and create custom widgets.

You can also create more than one page if you want to separate your work into different dashboards. Although it requires more setup than the other platforms on this list, it is also extremely customizable.

However, certain features, like the Calendar widget, are locked behind the premium subscription.

Notion dashboards

A natural solution for Notion users

If you already use Notion, then you can create a productivity dashboard using the service. However, this requires a bit of setup and works best if you've already set up a number of Notion integrations with your apps.

There are a number of Notion templates to choose from, including the one I tested — the Dashboard template by Beatriz. But you can also start a dashboard from scratch and use Notion power user tips to create a powerful dashboard that you can set as your new home page.

If you already store items like task lists and calendar events in Notion, using the service to create a productivity dashboard makes the most sense.

Power up your productivity with a new home page

The productivity dashboard you choose will depend on whether you're willing to pay for a premium subscription, how comfortable you are using browser extensions, and how seamless you want the setup to be. Each of these tools has their pros and cons, so make sure to figure out which one suits your needs (and privacy) the best.