Best AI summary extension for Chrome (2026)

Updated September 2026 · Ranked by fit, not by hype.

There is no single winner here — it depends on whether you care most about privacy, price, or the widest range of formats. Below is an honest round-up of the options people actually compare in 2026, with the trade-offs spelled out. We make Summate, so treat its placement with the scepticism it deserves and check the others yourself.

Rank	Extension	Best for	Free tier
1	Summate	Private, free, one-click summaries that never leave your machine (Chrome 138+)	Unlimited on-device summaries; free cloud trial of 50 to start, then 10/day
2	DeepRead AI	Readers who want PDFs and extra formats and do not mind signing in	10 credits/day, or 50/day after Google sign-in; paid from $2.99/month
3	Sider	People who prefer a chat sidebar next to the page	Free tier with daily limits; advanced features on a subscription
4	Browser built-in AI	Anyone on Chrome 138+ who wants zero extensions at all	Free, but no summary UI, history or export of its own

Why Summate takes the top spot here: on Chrome 138 and newer the summary runs on the AI model already inside your browser, so it is unlimited, works offline, needs no account, and the page text never leaves your computer. That combination is the one thing the others cannot match today.

The honest trade-off. DeepRead and Sider cover more formats right now — PDFs, screenshots, video and more — and if that is what you need, they are the better pick. Summate wins on privacy and on a free tier that is genuinely free. It does not yet handle PDFs or YouTube videos; both are on the roadmap.

Summarize a page in 15 seconds

Install Summate from the Chrome Web Store — free, no account.
Open any article and click the toolbar icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+S).
Choose a summary length, then ask a follow-up question about anything you want expanded.

How we ranked them

Privacy: does the page leave your machine, and is an account required?
Free tier: how much can you do before paying, and is the free option real?
Everyday speed: how fast from "open a page" to "I get the gist".
Range: how many formats and extras it covers — the area where Summate is still catching up.

FAQ — frequently asked questions

Are these ranked by overall quality?

No. They are ranked by fit. Summate is first for privacy and a free on-device tier; DeepRead and Sider lead on the breadth of what they can summarize.

Which is best if I read a lot of PDFs?

Right now DeepRead and Sider both handle PDFs, so either is a reasonable choice. Summate does not yet support PDFs — that is on the roadmap.

Is any of this free?

Yes. Summate’s on-device summaries are unlimited and free on Chrome 138+, and DeepRead offers a free daily credit allowance.

Add to Chrome — free

Free to install · no account · no sign-up. Unlimited on-device summaries on Chrome 138+.