Chrome Extensions: ChatGPT, Pink Oceans, No-Code Tools

Uncategorized 5 Minutes

“Consumers are expecting personalized experiences.” – Mary Beth Laughton

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❓ What You’ll Learn

  • How to build Chrome extensions with no-code?
  • Which Chrome extensions turned into SaaS platforms?
  • Who offers productized services for building Chrome extensions?
  • How to build Chrome extensions with ChatGPT?
  • How to index into existing markets?
  • How to grow organically?
  • What is a pink ocean?
  • How to find Chrome extension ideas?
  • How to spy on competitors?
  • What Chrome extension makes $1,500,000 ARR?
  • Who presold a Chrome extension for $1,000 in 24 hours?


💎 Why It Matters

Google Chrome has billions of users but each person has unique needs.


🔍 Problem

Google Chrome tries to cater to everyone.

But each of us has unique needs.


💡 Solution

Chrome extensions improve your browsing experience with custom features.


🏁 Players

Chrome Extensions

  • Wappalyzer • Helps to see what technologies websites use
  • Grammarly • Check spelling and grammar mistakes
  • Mailtrack • Track your email open rate
  • Loom • Record your screen, video and audio
  • Keywords Everywhere • Get keyword data with traffic, cost and volume estimates
  • Honey • Find coupons on 30,000+ sites

Chrome Extension Makers


🔮 Predictions


☁️ Opportunities

  • Niche down to lower competition. Serve customers with unique needs that nobody else is serving.


🏔️ Risks


🔑 Key Lessons

  • Chrome extensions can boost your reach. Grammarly grew from 0 users in 2009 to 1,000,000 daily active users in 2015 when it launched Grammarly for Chrome. It grew to 7,000,000 daily active users in the next 2 years.
  • Having badges can help you build trust and get more users. They prove that an extension follows Google’s best practices and was published by a verified developer.
  • Chrome extensions are hard to debug. They rely on third-party websites that may or may not work properly.


🔥 Hot Takes

  • Chrome Web Store is a pink ocean. There are ~137,000 extensions for ~3,000,000,000 Chrome users. In contrast, there are ~1,600,000 apps for ~2,000,000,000 Apple users.
  • Many Chrome extensions are SaaS apps. They offer features for a recurring price.
  • You can succeed by offering alternatives to obsolete Chrome extensions. Tim Leland says you can find many extensions that have not been updated in years and have high user counts.


😠 Haters

“I can’t provide enough value with a Chrome extension. The problem I’m trying to solve is too complex.”
Chrome extensions often excel at doing simple actions. If you have a complex workflow, you can build a full SaaS platform with a Chrome extension being a nice-to-have.

“You underestimate how hard it is to build complex Chrome extensions.”
While you can build a simple extension in 1 day, a complex one may take months to build. Taplio’s new extension for LinkedIn outreach took months to develop.

“I can obfuscate my code so that nobody can steal my Chrome extension.”
This goes against Chrome Web Store policies.


🔗 Links

  1. Building a Report on How to Grow and Monetize Chrome Extensions • The tweet behind this report.
  2. Chrome Extension that Steals Everything • Building a malicious Chrome extension.
  3. Build It and They Will Come • How app stores help you get organic traffic.


📁 Related Reports

  • ​​​​​Ecosystems • Extend platforms with useful tools and services
  • Freemium • Lower your customer acquisition costs with a free version of your product
  • Competitor Risk • Index into an existing market instead of trying to create one
  • No-Code • Build products faster, cheaper and better without writing code
  • AI Agents • Gain limitless productivity with AI that makes decisions on your behalf


🙏 Thanks

Thanks to Meiko S. Patton, Daniele, Tim Jones, Stewart Townsend, Uwe Dreissigacker, Maciej Cupial, Errol Tiozon, Damian Janzi and Yarty. We had a great time jamming on this report.

✏️ Emin researched and wrote this report. Dru researched and edited this report.


📈 What else?

Trends PRO #0125 — Chrome Extensions has more insights.

What you’ll get:

  • 17 Chrome Extensions (183% More)
  • 13 Chrome Extension Makers (160% More)
  • 7 Predictions (133% More)
  • 13 Opportunities (333% More)
  • 5 Risks (67% More)
  • 6 Key Lessons (100% More)
  • 6 Hot Takes (100% More)
  • 10 Links (233% More)

With Trends Pro you’ll learn:

  • (📈 Pro) What Chrome extension was acquired for $4,000,000,000?
  • (📈 Pro) How will AI agents automate browsing?
  • (📈 Pro) How to validate demand for your SaaS?
  • (📈 Pro) How to boost your reach with influencer marketing?
  • (📈 Pro) How to automate your everyday tasks?
  • (📈 Pro) Who got sued for building malicious Chrome extensions?
  • (📈 Pro) How to port Chrome extensions to other browsers?
  • (📈 Pro) Who pivoted from a SaaS to a Chrome extension?
  • (📈 Pro) Who grew a Chrome extension to 450,000+ users?
  • (📈 Pro) How to build successful Chrome extensions?
  • (📈 Pro) Who made $4,000 in 7 days selling a Chrome extension?
  • (📈 Pro) Who grew a Chrome extension to $38,000 MRR?
  • And much more…

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