While Claude's the tool everyone seems to be chatting about currently, it obviously wasn't always this way. In fact, just three months ago, most people outside of tech circles had barely heard of it. ChatGPT opened the conversation (and remained the tool people instantly associated the term AI with), Gemini was on a roll, and Claude was just...there. Developers loved it and kept raving on and on about it, but it was largely invisible to everyone else.

And then Anthropic did a few things right, OpenAI messed up in more than one way, and the stars aligned for Claude. Suddenly, the tool wasn't just the developer's best-kept secret anymore. Shortly before the surge began, the AI lab quietly launched the Claude in Chrome extension. It landed so softly that it got buried under all the noise that followed, and I think that's a shame. After weeks of using it, I'm convinced it's the only AI browser extension actually worth keeping.

Claude in Chrome is the most underrated AI tool

It's giving "best feature nobody asked for but everyone needed"

A good chunk of 2025 was all about AI browsers. Practically every browser or AI company you can think of dropped some version of an AI browser. Opera kicked things off with its agentic Neon browser, Perplexity then dropped Comet, and OpenAI entered the race with ChatGPT Atlas. Funnily enough, some companies that had absolutely nothing to do with AI or browsers launched their own takes on what browsing with AI should look like, too. My favorite example is Norton, the antivirus company, dropping its AI browser Neo.

Now, these browsers aren't just your regular browsers with an AI chat or a few AI features sprinkled here and there. Instead, the entire selling point of these browsers revolves around the agentic AI bit — the ability to actually do things for you rather than just tell you how to. Personally, I find the pitch extremely compelling. Instead of asking an AI chatbot a question, getting a long list of instructions and then executing the steps yourself, these tools can go ahead and just...do it for you.

That said, the execution has been a bit shaky. I've tried all the browsers I've gotten my hands on, and the experience has usually been the same. The browser works great on the demo they show you and stumbles the moment you throw anything slightly unpredictable and complex at it. Eventually, you find yourself just doing the thing manually because it's faster than watching the AI fumble with it.

It's agenetic capabilities are genuinely useful

Better than every AI browser I've tried

The best implementation I've seen has been Opera's Neon, but it comes with a $20 price tag. Instead of Anthropic launching its own AI browser to compete in this space, it decided to turn your existing browser into one by launching the Claude in Chrome extension. If it isn't obvious, you need to be using a Chromium browser to use it. So Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and even Opera are some examples of browsers that will work. Once you've installed the extension, it sits in your browser, and you can hand it tasks the same way you would with any of these dedicated AI browsers.

The extension can browse the web on your behalf, along with performing agentic tasks like filling out forms and clicking through pages. Instead of heading to Claude Web or opening the desktop app anytime you have a question, you can also just ask it right there in your browser! The best part is that it'll be able to access exactly what you're reading or looking at on the page. This saves you from needing to copy and paste text into a chat window or explain what you're referring to. It already knows!

But what really sets this extension apart is that the agentic capabilities are genuinely on par with, if not better than, what these purpose-built AI browsers are offering. For instance, I asked the extension to find me ideal flight options based on a few parameters, and it completed its search within seconds! You don't need to ditch your current setup, jump through hoops trying to export your existing data, or find your way around a completely new interface.

It works with Claude Code and Cowork, too

Everything just works together

My favorite thing about Anthropic is that their features always seem well-planned out and work across the entire Claude ecosystem right out the box. The Claude in Chrome extension isn't an exception, and ties directly into the rest of Anthropic's ecosystem. You can use it alongside Claude Code and Cowork, allowing these agentic tools to actually plug into your browser without breaking your flow!

For instance, I was vibe-coding a Chrome extension using Claude Code that I'd be using while browsing Instagram, and the extension wasn't working as intended. Instead of explaining the issue to Claude Code manually, I just had the Chrome extension look at what was happening on the page, identify the problem, and feed that context right back to Claude Code. This saved me the hassle of screenshotting and needing to explain the issue, and the bug was fixed in no time.

It's included in your Claude subscription

I'm not entirely sure if this would count as a benefit or a drawback, but the extension does require a Claude subscription to use. The Claude in Chrome extension is available on the

If you're already paying for one, you have access to the extension already and all you need to do is install it and set it up. If you're not, well, this might be the sign you needed to finally get a Claude subscription. All in all though, the Claude in Chrome extension is extremely updated and I'd highly recommend giving it a shot.