ADHD Apps and Chrome Extensions: Choose by Task

ADHD apps and Chrome extensions are easier to compare when you name the task first. Saving a set of tabs, blocking a distracting site, and remembering a break are different jobs. Installing a pile of tools does not make those jobs clearer.

Evidence update, September 21, 2026: This shortlist uses official product documentation. PickyFox has not run comparative usability tests or clinical tests of these tools. Earlier wording implied ADHD-specific benefits and a best-tool ranking that the evidence did not establish. The descriptions below concern features, not treatment effectiveness.

NIMH’s ADHD guidance describes established care such as medication, psychotherapy, and behavioral interventions. A browser extension does not replace assessment or an individual treatment plan.

Compare ADHD apps and Chrome extensions by the job

These candidates were selected because the documented feature matches a distinct task. This is not an exhaustive comparison, a clinical endorsement, or a ranking of what works best for adults with ADHD.

OneTab: a list of tabs, with an exit plan

OneTab converts tabs into a list and lets you restore individual tabs or the set. Its documentation also describes export/import and a sharing feature that uploads a list as a webpage.

Try with non-sensitive pages first: save a few tabs, restore one, and inspect the export. Avoid sharing private client URLs or account links. A saved URL also does not preserve an unsaved form or the full working state of a web app.

OneTab warns that uninstalling deletes its stored tabs. Verify a usable export or backup before removing it. PickyFox has not tested recovery or independently verified the vendor’s memory-saving figures.

If the real problem is keeping too many unfinished projects open, use the browser-tabs guide to think about the workflow too.

Session Buddy: organize collections and recovery

Session Buddy’s documentation distinguishes importing/exporting collections from backing up and restoring collections and history. That distinction matters when you are depending on stored work.

Try this: create a small collection with a meaningful name. Read the backup instructions and check a recovery file before storing an important research session.

Do not treat an installed extension as a backup by itself. The documentation includes data-loss and local-storage guidance for a reason. This shortlist does not claim a successful PickyFox crash-recovery test.

LeechBlock NG: block a specific distraction

LeechBlock NG supports sets of sites with schedules, time allowances, and exceptions. The developer describes it as a free productivity extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and other Chromium browsers.

Try this: use one short restriction on a nonessential site and confirm that the necessary work site still opens. Learn how the rule behaves before making it strict.

The developer says it is not a parental-control tool and warns that blocking a page may still allow a brief network connection. It is a browsing boundary, not a security filter or proof against every workaround.

Todoist: turn the page into a task you can find

Todoist’s browser-extension help documents adding a webpage or selected text as a task and using a compact task view. Browser-specific differences exist; the right-click webpage action is not available in Safari according to that guide.

Try this: save a harmless page with a verb in the task name: “Read the requirements and list missing information.” Check that you can find it from your normal task view.

Review the account, permissions, and current plan details before adding work information. Feature availability is not evidence that the tool will solve forgetting or task initiation for a particular person.

If you already have a reliable task inbox, compare that existing workflow before adding another one. The free organization tools guide offers related options.

Stretchly: a reminder, not an ergonomic prescription

Stretchly’s project documentation describes an open-source desktop break reminder with adjustable short and long breaks. It provides installers for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Try this: check whether a gentle reminder fits around a typical work block and whether you can pause it for a meeting. A reminder interval is a preference, not a medical prescription or evidence that the app prevents injury.

The project currently documents unsigned-app installation complications on macOS. Read those requirements before choosing it; do not treat a security warning as an instruction to bypass protections. A timer already on your device may be a simpler starting option.

Are there free ADHD apps here?

LeechBlock is described as free by its developer, and Stretchly is open source with some contributor features. Other products can have accounts, paid features, or changing plans. Check the exact feature you need before paying or moving data.

“Free” does not establish clinical usefulness, privacy, or ease of maintenance. Those need separate questions.

Keep one tool only if it helps the task

Write a small check before installing anything:

Problem to solve:
Existing option I already have:
Feature to try:
Data or permissions involved:
How I can export, undo, or remove it:
What would count as useful:

Try it with ordinary, non-sensitive material. Note both the useful result and the maintenance it adds. A short check can reveal a fit problem; it cannot establish long-term benefit or treatment effectiveness.

For the surrounding work setup, the single-tasking guide offers a bounded experiment. Let the problem choose the tool, then stop installing things long enough to see what happens.