Session Buddy is the default answer for saving browser sessions in Chrome — about 1 million users, free today, and genuinely good at its core job. So why do people go looking for alternatives? Almost always one of three reasons: Chrome is the only officially supported browser (it runs on Chromium browsers like Brave, and the publisher has discussed Edge, but there is no Firefox build and nothing on your phone), it has no cloud sync, so everything lives on that one machine, and Chrome tab groups don't survive a restore. As of v4.1.2 (April 2026), sync and cloud backup are on the official roadmap but not shipped — and the publisher has said premium cloud storage is anticipated, so treat today's price as current rather than permanent.
This guide compares the strongest alternatives by the specific gap you're trying to close — and is honest about the cases where staying with Session Buddy is the right call.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Cloud sync | Cross-browser | Auto-save | Works offline | Free / paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackmount | Cross-device session restore | Yes | 6 browsers + iOS | On save | Yes (Guest Mode) | Free / $0.99 mo |
| Session Buddy | Local Chrome sessions | — | Chrome (official) | Crash recovery | Yes | Currently free |
| Tab Session Manager | Auto-save + Firefox | Via Google Drive | Chrome + Firefox | Yes | Yes | Free (OSS) |
| Workona | Workspace organization | Yes | Chromium + Firefox | Yes | Limited | Free / $7+ mo |
| OneTab | Folders of collapsed tabs | Paid add-on | Chrome, Firefox, Edge | — | Yes | Free; sync by subscription |
When Session Buddy is still the right choice
Honesty first: if you live in one Chrome profile on one computer, never need a session on your phone or laptop, and remember to save before risky moments, Session Buddy remains excellent. It's fast, free today, private by default (everything stays local), has built-in crash recovery, and is battle-tested. The alternatives below only earn their switch if one of its three gaps actually bites you.
Our pick: Blackmount — cross-device session restore
Blackmount exists because we kept hitting the exact wall this post is about: sessions saved on the desktop, needed on the laptop — or saved in Chrome, needed in Firefox. One click saves the whole window; signing in syncs sessions across Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera, and iPhone. Guest Mode works fully offline with no account, like Session Buddy. You can attach a voice note to a session, and saved sessions are searchable — including AI chats you've captured.
Fair trade-offs in the other direction: Session Buddy's local-only model means zero cloud surface if that's a hard requirement for you, and Blackmount's unlimited sync is paid ($0.99/mo) past the free tier. If you never leave one browser on one machine, you don't need us.
For free desktop auto-save: Tab Session Manager
Tab Session Manager is open source, runs on Chrome and Firefox, and auto-saves named session snapshots on an interval (Session Buddy auto-saves for crash recovery, but named collections are manual). It can sync sessions through your own Google Drive.
The trade-offs: the Drive-based sync is a backup channel rather than a live multi-device experience (you sign into Drive on each machine and pull), the UI is utilitarian, and there's no phone story. If you want free and auto-saving on desktop, it's the strongest pick.
For workspace people: Workona
Workona reframes the problem: instead of saving sessions, you organize work into persistent workspaces that sync across devices, with docs and tasks attached. It's genuinely good for people who juggle 4-5 ongoing projects all day.
The trade-offs: it's a heavier mental model — you adopt Workona's way of working rather than keeping your browsing habits. The free tier caps workspaces, and the paid tiers are priced for teams. It's a work tool, not a "save these 40 tabs before my flight" tool.
The minimalist detour: OneTab
OneTab collapses all tabs into one click's worth of relief, restores them all at once, and sorts saves into folders you can reorder and search. It does not share Session Buddy's sync gap either: OneTab sells an encrypted Backup & Sync subscription that carries those folders between your devices and across Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Two caveats. Sync is the paid tier, so the free extension keeps everything local, and that local copy is still lost if you uninstall or reset the Chrome profile. And nothing here saves a voice note or the AI conversation behind the tabs.
The short version
- Need sessions to follow you across browsers and devices → Blackmount (our pick).
- One Chrome profile, one computer, disciplined saver → stay on Session Buddy.
- Want auto-save and/or Firefox, free → Tab Session Manager.
- Live in project workspaces all day → Workona.
- Just want fewer open tabs, in searchable folders, and will pay for sync → OneTab.
Spotted an inaccuracy, or a tool we should add? Email support@blackmount.ai — we update this post as tools ship new versions.