Details reflect each extension as of April 2026. Features, permissions, and pricing may change — always confirm the latest information on the Chrome Web Store before installing.
- 'Full-page screenshot', 'self-contained HTML', and 'public archive URL' are three different design philosophies, not interchangeable features
- For evidence use, look for SHA-256 hashes and RFC 3161 timestamps — most extensions ship neither
- Japanese pages and X (Twitter) posts require dedicated handling; generic HTML capture often breaks them
- Permissions vary widely — prefer extensions that only request activeTab over ones that read all site data
- For important pages, running two extensions in parallel (e.g., one screenshot + one HTML) is a common safety pattern
Chrome extensions for saving web pages fall into four very different categories: full-page screenshots, offline HTML bundles, public archive URLs, and evidence-grade captures with hashes and timestamps. This guide compares six popular options across ten criteria and walks through the right choice for each use case, from casual reading to legal evidence.
The moment you think 'I should save this before it disappears,' the extra step of opening an archive service and pasting the URL is often what makes you skip it. Browser extensions remove that friction — but the extensions look similar while doing very different things under the hood. Pick the wrong one and you can end up with a full-page image you can't search, or an HTML file no one else can see.
This article compares the Chrome extensions most commonly used to archive web pages. Rather than ranking them by install count, we compare what each one actually preserves and where it lives, so you can pick based on your real use case — evidence, reference, research, or change monitoring.
Four categories, not one
Every 'save the page' extension belongs to one of four families. Picking the family first narrows the options dramatically.
- ① Full-page screenshot — saves the entire scroll as a single PNG/PDF. Great for visual fidelity, useless for text search
- ② Self-contained HTML — bundles HTML + CSS + images into a local .html file. Text is preserved, but there's no public URL
- ③ Public archive URL — uploads to a cloud service and gives you a permanent link anyone can open. Best for sharing and citation
- ④ Evidence-grade capture — category ③ plus SHA-256 hashes, RFC 3161 timestamps, AI summaries, and diffs
Every extension in this comparison supports one-click save from the toolbar or the right-click menu. The difference is what survives that click.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Six popular options compared across ten criteria. Focus on the rows that match your use case.
| Feature | Wayback Machine | SingleFile | GoFullPage | archive.today helpers | Save to Pocket | Kiroku |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ③ Public URL | ② Local HTML | ① Screenshot | ③ Public URL | Read-later | ④ Evidence-grade |
| One-click save | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Right-click save | Yes | Yes | No | Varies | Yes | Yes |
| Full-page screenshot | No | No | Yes (PNG) | No | No | Yes (JPEG) |
| Self-contained HTML | Cloud side | Local file | No | Cloud side | No | Cloud side |
| AI summary | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| SHA-256 hash | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| RFC 3161 timestamp | No | No | No | No | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Japanese UI | No | Yes | Partial | Varies | Yes | Yes |
| Dedicated X (Twitter) renderer | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
'archive.today helpers' refers to the user-contributed extensions and bookmarklets around archive.today / archive.ph, because the service itself does not publish an official browser extension. Their quality and permissions vary extension by extension.
Want the steps in this guide to hold up as evidence?
Every save — including Guest saves — automatically gets an external RFC 3161 timestamp. Pro lets you download that proof as an evidence pack and adds private archives, URL monitoring, and diff checks on top.
- External timestamp auto-attached to every save, even Guest
- Pro unlocks the evidence pack download for past Guest saves too
- Private archives, URL monitoring, diff checks, and archive management
Recommendations by use case
When the table alone doesn't decide it, start from the use case. If you match more than one row below, pick the one highest on the list — that's usually the one with the strictest requirements.
- Evidence for defamation, harassment, scam reports → Kiroku (SHA-256 + timestamp + AI summary + X renderer)
- Evidence for court filings, cease-and-desist letters, DMCA takedowns → Kiroku Pro (evidence pack ZIP with RFC 3161 timestamp)
- Reading-list and reference → Save to Pocket or SingleFile
- Visual fidelity of long scrolling pages → GoFullPage + Kiroku in parallel
- Historical versions of a page → Wayback Machine (its timeline is unmatched)
- Monitoring competitor pricing or terms pages → Kiroku (URL monitoring + visual diff)
- Fully private personal notes → SingleFile (local-only, nothing leaves your machine)
What each extension is actually good at
The numbers in the table miss the design intent. Here's the one-paragraph reality check for each.
The official extension from the world's largest web archive. 'Save Page Now' publishes to the Internet Archive, and the extension also surfaces past captures of the page you're viewing. Weak points: no Japanese UI, no screenshots, inconsistent quality on Japanese sites, and no evidence metadata. Unbeatable when you need to look backwards in time.
Long-running open-source extension that saves the current page as a single .html file with CSS and images inlined. Because output stays local, it's ideal for private notes — and unsuitable when you need to prove the capture to someone else, since there's no public URL. Text is fully preserved and searchable.
The de facto standard for capturing an entire scroll as a single PNG or PDF. Millions of users. Strong on visual reproduction and fast. But image-only means no text search, no HTML source, and no way to verify the file later. For evidence work, it needs to be paired with something else.
archive.today / archive.ph has no official Chrome extension; instead, community-maintained extensions and bookmarklets exist with varying quality. All captures are public, so privacy requires care. Check the developer, last updated date, and permissions before installing any of them.
These are 'read later' tools, not archival tools. They extract readable body text and strip away layout, ads, and comments. Fine for keeping a reading queue, but wrong for evidence preservation or change monitoring.
One click produces a full-page screenshot, a self-contained HTML, an AI summary, and a SHA-256 hash — all published to a public archive URL. Pro plans add RFC 3161 timestamps and a downloadable evidence-pack ZIP. X (Twitter) posts are handled by a dedicated renderer that captures the full post card including quoted tweets and the text hidden behind 'Show more'. Japanese UI by default. Permissions are activeTab + contextMenus only — no browsing history access.
Three questions that narrow it down
If you're still stuck, answer these three questions and the right choice usually becomes obvious.
- Who will see this? — Just you: SingleFile or Pocket is fine. A third party: you need a public URL and evidence metadata
- What will you do with it? — Just save: anything works. Monitor for changes or diff over time: pick a service with built-in monitoring (e.g., Kiroku)
- Where should it live? — Local-only: SingleFile. Cloud: Wayback Machine or Kiroku. Note that public archive URLs (archive.today, Wayback) are hard to delete later
For anything important, install one screenshot extension and one HTML extension. A common pairing is GoFullPage plus Kiroku — visual fidelity from one, searchable text and evidence metadata from the other.
Permissions and privacy
Archive extensions are powerful because they can read the page you're on — which also means a careless install can expose more than you expect. A few checks before clicking 'Add to Chrome':
- Prefer extensions that only request activeTab (read the current tab only when invoked)
- Be cautious of 'Read and change all your data on all sites' — that's the broadest possible permission
- History permission is rarely needed for an archive extension; treat it as a red flag
- Check the developer page for a listed set of destination domains
- Open-source extensions (like SingleFile) are easier to audit because you can inspect the code
Summary
Chrome extensions for saving web pages fall into four very different categories: full-page screenshots, offline HTML bundles, public archive URLs, and evidence-grade captures with hashes and timestamps. This guide compares six popular options across ten criteria and walks through the right choice for each use case, from casual reading to legal evidence.
FAQ
Which one should I install first?
If you're not sure yet, install Kiroku and the official Wayback Machine extension together. Kiroku covers 'make sure the page I'm looking at now survives,' and Wayback Machine covers 'find what this page looked like in the past.' Add Pocket if you mainly want a reading list, or GoFullPage if you need a visual-only capture for design review.
How much can I use for free?
All six extensions are free to install. Service-side limits differ: Kiroku allows up to 100 public archives per 24 hours for guests, Wayback Machine's Save Page Now is free with rate limits, and SingleFile + GoFullPage run entirely client-side so there's no hard cap. Kiroku's private archives, evidence packs, and URL monitoring are Pro features.
Which one should I use if the capture might be used as evidence?
For anything that could end up in a legal or administrative context, use Kiroku Pro — the only option in this comparison that ships SHA-256 hashes and external RFC 3161 timestamps. The hash detects tampering; the timestamp proves the data existed at a specific moment. Admissibility ultimately depends on the forum, so confirm with your lawyer for material cases.
What's the best way to archive X (Twitter) posts?
Generic HTML extensions often break on X because of login walls and client-side rendering. Kiroku uses a dedicated X renderer that captures the post text, author, timestamp, quoted posts, images, and video posters, including the full body behind 'Show more' on long posts. Other extensions in this comparison don't make that guarantee.
Can I run multiple archive extensions at the same time?
Yes. They don't conflict with each other and the outputs are stored independently. Running two in parallel is the safest play for important pages — if one service disappears or a capture fails silently, the other still has a copy. GoFullPage plus Kiroku is a common pairing in practice.
Are there Firefox or Safari versions?
Support varies by extension. SingleFile and Wayback Machine have Firefox builds. GoFullPage is Chrome/Edge-focused. Kiroku is Chrome-only today — support for other browsers is on the roadmap but not yet shipped.
Sources
- Kiroku — Webpage Capture & Gyotaku (Chrome Web Store)https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/kiroku-%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A7%E3%83%96%E3%83%9A%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E4%BF%9D%E5%AD%98%E3%83%BB%E9%AD%9A%E6%8B%93/aloplndmebncmkjcoodmjkfgciaeiejp
- Wayback Machine — Internet Archivehttps://web.archive.org/
- SingleFile — GitHubhttps://github.com/gildas-lormeau/SingleFile
- Kiroku Official Sitehttps://kiroku.today
Install the Kiroku Chrome extension
One click captures a full-page screenshot, self-contained HTML, AI summary, and SHA-256 hash — ready to share via public URL or download as an evidence pack. Free to install.
Guest saves are free and include an external RFC 3161 timestamp automatically. Pro unlocks the evidence pack download and ongoing archive workflows.