Session Buddy vs Sidebery
Session Buddy
sessionbuddy.comSidebery
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Session Buddy | Sidebery |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Tab Management Software | 7.7 (#13) | 7.8 (#9) |
| Permissions | The extension requests browsing-history permission to list and save tab titles and URLs; the policy says it cannot read webpage content or form entries. | Required permissions are access to recently closed tabs and browser tabs; additional permissions are optional and support features such as bookmarks, history, proxy settings, and snapshot export. |
| Privacy | The privacy policy says Session Buddy collects anonymized usage statistics and does not collect personally identifiable data such as names, addresses, or birth dates. | The privacy policy says Sidebery does not engage in ad targeting or data collection, stores data locally by default, and sends data only when sync is enabled and only to the selected provider. |
| Purpose | Session Buddy saves and restores browser tabs, manages bookmarks, and helps users organize their browsing. | Sidebery is a Firefox extension for managing tabs and bookmarks in a sidebar. |
| Support | Users can contact the maker through its contact form, and support guidance asks users to email diagnostics and a description of the issue. | The maker invites users to create a GitHub Discussion or email the developer with questions about the privacy policy; the add-on lists [email protected] as its support email. |
Plans
In their own words
Session Buddy
Session Buddy is a free Chrome extension for saving and restoring browser tabs, managing bookmarks, and organizing browsing. Users can save complete sessions or selected tabs, then restore them to their original windows, one window, or the current window. Its history view can restore tabs from an earlier point. Collections organize bookmarks, while unified search covers open tabs, collections, and tab history. Tabs and collections can be imported or exported in more than 15 formats, including JSON, CSV, Markdown, and HTML. Version 4.1 added automatic local backups, alongside manual backup and restore. Collections, history, and settings remain on the device rather than external services. The extension requests browsing-history permission but says it cannot read webpage content or form entries. The Free plan costs nothing and requires no account. Cross-device sync is not available.
Sidebery
Sidebery is a free Firefox extension for managing tabs and bookmarks in a sidebar. Its panels can display tabs, bookmarks, and browsing history, with tabs shown as a flat list or tree. Users can group tabs under custom names, color and sort them, and automatically unload folded branches or inactive panels. Container features bind containers to panels, reopen URLs in selected containers, and set proxy or User-Agent settings. The extension also supports tab search, session restore, suspension, workspaces, snapshots, and optional cross-device synchronization. Context menus, mouse and keyboard controls, drag-and-drop behavior, and sidebar styles can be customized with variables and CSS. Data is stored locally by default; Firefox Sync or Google Drive can sync selected settings and tab data. The project is MIT-licensed. Firefox does not permit hiding the native horizontal tab bar, and some tab-moving add-ons may conflict.