Extensions have become an essential part of the web browser, a way to extend functionality and adapt the tool to the user’s tastes and needs… But alas! Nothing is free in this world and extensions are no exception, even though the vast majority of them are actually free. “Payment” is of course done in a different way.

It’s nothing we don’t already know: Extensions can be powerful allies, but they can also hinder the user experience in more ways than one.for example, at the level of security, stability or performance, as in this case, based on a study by the DebugBear team, in which they analyzed the impact of Chrome extensions on website performance, or more specifically, on its processing.

To conduct their study, they tested Chrome (so the results can be extrapolated to other browsers) with and without extensions installed, and the first result of this exercise is perhaps the most obvious: extensions increase the processing load of web pages. and the more extensions are installed, the more this load increases. All correct up to this point.

Speaking of specific data, the DebugBear study found that while most extensions—of those it tested—do not have a significant impact on website performance, there are some that add Load time up to 500ms or more for simple pages and up to 2000ms for more complex pageswhich are most popular today (communication, social networks, multimedia content, etc.).

The worst part of it all is the negative impact is cumulative The greater the number of extensions installed, the greater the power consumption, the greater the performance penalty when processing web pages, and the more pages are opened, the more the vicious circle feeds on itself… And never better said. All this also affects the speed of launching the browser, as it is also known.

DebugBear’s investigation includes specific extensions to avoid, though it’s worth extending the warning to the categories they belong to. For example, shopping extensions (product analysis, coupons, etc.), artificial intelligence assistants (page summary, query assistants, etc.), security tools (antivirus, antimalware, etc.), color customization plugins…

But Not all extensions add up. There are those who remain and these are also traditionally known: ad blockers, at least some of them, are able to reduce the processing time of web pages by preventing elements from starting, thereby reducing the memory load. However, not all of them behave in the same way, so you need to be careful with what you install.

The study therefore determines which blockers are really effective, such as uBlock Origin, ScriptSafe or Privacy Badger, and which ones degrade performance, such as the classic AdBlock Plus. But there are also those who go according to how they feel. For example, Malwarebytes, which helps, harms, and of course depends on many factors that act one way or another. So when in doubt, it’s best to avoid it and choose an alternative.

Be that as it may, it should be noted that it is possible to install as many extensions as you want, but activate them only when necessary. Also on the topic of blockers, the more things they block, the better their execution is of course. However, it’s just as bad to fall behind than to go too far, as processing time is ultimately just another factor in the user experience. Virtue lies in balance.

Or what is the same thing: use a head extension, because more is not better in this case. And if you have problems… one click to reset it. And start again.