21 Invaluable Chrome Apps for WordPress Users and Web Designers

Whether you’re creating a logo, planning a website’s design, or just sharing a file, the right tools can save you both time and money.  One exciting but often overlooked group of tools are Chrome Apps. Unlike extensions, which only extend your browser’s functionality, Chrome Apps are fully fledged applications that run within Google Chrome, and also on Chrome OS.

The range of tasks you can accomplish with Chrome Apps is impressive. However, finding the solution for your particular needs among the wealth of apps available in the Chrome store can be overwhelming. To help you, we’ve sorted through a huge array of Chrome Apps to bring you 21 of most useful for web designers and WordPress users.

21 Invaluable Chrome Apps for WordPress Users and Web Designers

Here at Elegant Themes, we’re always looking for tools to up our web design and WordPress game. In the post below, you’ll find the 21 Chrome Apps that are (in our opinion) the best for anyone working with WordPress or design websites.

To pick these apps, we focused on three key factors:

1. Reviews: An app had to have at least four stars to make the list.
2. Functionality: It had to solve a compelling problem.
3. Relevance: The app had to be particularly useful to WordPress users and web designers.

Ready to see what we picked? Let’s get started!

1. Google Drive

You’re probably already aware of Google Drive – it’s an effective solution for storing and managing files across multiple devices. The Google Drive Chrome App gives you all the functionality of the desktop version, but it also enables you to access and edit your Docs, Sheets, and Slides offline.

This is very handy if you’re going to work or travel somewhere without a steady internet connection, but still need to edit assets for your website.

Key Features:

• Offline editing of Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
• Ability to access files across devices.
• Search function to easily find any file.
• 15GB storage free.

Price: FREE | More Information

2. Pixlr Editor

If you’re in the market for an image editor, but don’t want to shell out the money for Photoshop, Pixlr Editor is a powerful solution.

We’ll be honest – it’s no substitute for Photoshop, but it can complete most of the basic graphic creation and image editing tasks that WordPress users and web designers do on a daily basis. Overall, it’s a good workhorse Chrome App for editing images.

Key Features:

• Layers functionality.
• Lasso and Clone tool.
• Red-eye reduction tool.
• Levels, Curves, Hue, and Saturation adjustments.
• Gaussian Blur, Noise, and Tilt-Shift filters.

Price: FREE | More Information

3. Codeanywhere

If you’re looking for a code editor, Codeanywhere is a Chrome App you should check out. It includes all of the functionality you’d expect of any code editor, including syntax highlighting and support for large, multi-file projects.

Give Codeanywhere a try if you’re learning to code, or just want to try an alternative for your web design and WordPress projects.

Key Features:

• Enables connection to File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Dropbox, or Google Drive.
• Offers syntax highlighting f0r more than 75 languages.
• Includes advanced search functionality.
• Ability to share servers, folders, or files with others.

Price: FREE | More Information

4. Todoist for Chrome

Todoist for Chrome is an elegant, intuitive task management app. It’s perfect for keeping track of all your web design and WordPress tasks and projects. There’s also a mobile app available to complement the Chrome App.

Key Features:

• Create projects to organize tasks.
• Ability to create recurring tasks.
• The ‘Karma’ system gamifies productivity.

Price: FREE | More Information

5. Gmail Offline

If you use Gmail for any of your WordPress or web design projects, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of being unable to access project briefs or other important info from clients due to a poor internet connection.

With Gmail Offline, you can avoid this frustration. Once installed, the app saves all of your Gmail messages for offline viewing, and automatically sends the messages you’ve composed once you find an internet connection.

Key Features:

• Ability to search and archive messages.
• Fast, responsive interface.
• Automatically syncs your messages whenever it connects to the internet.

Price: FREE | More Information

6. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a tool that helps you schedule and analyze your social media posts. When paired with a properly curated WordPress site, Hootsuite will enable you to drive additional traffic to your posts. Whether it’s for your own site or a client’s, this is a Chrome App that’s not to be missed.

Key Features:

• Manage accounts across Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, and Google+.
• Track and monitor keywords.
• Measure and analyze social media traffic.
• Schedule and assign work across your team.

Price: FREE | More Information

7. WeVideo

WeVideo is a Chrome App that lets you edit and export videos. While it won’t replace robust desktop options, it offers enough functionality for the most common video editing tasks.

If you only need to occasionally perform basic video edits, this is an app worth investigating. WeVideo also integrates with Google Drive, which means that all of your video files can be stored safely in the cloud, rather than take up space on your hard drive.

Key Features:

• Novice, Storyboard, and Advanced modes.
• Ability to drag and drop media files into place.
• Add text, music, transitions, and other effects.
• Record videos and voiceovers directly within the app.

Price: FREE ($20 to export without watermark) | More Information

8. Pocket

Pocket is a Chrome App that lets you save articles and web pages for offline reading. It strips out all of the superfluous elements, leaving you with a distraction-free web page.

Pocket helps you to keep your digital workspace decluttered, since it lets you avoid having dozens of unread articles open at once. This leaves you with more time and focus for your web design and WordPress projects.

Key Features:

• Save any kind of web page.
• Removes ads and superfluous elements from pages.
• Search and archive functionality.

Price: FREE | More Information

9. Advanced REST Client

Advanced REST Client is a Chrome App that lets you create and test custom HTTP requests. If any of your web design work involves the WordPress JSON REST API, this will prove to be a very valuable app.

Key Features:

• Integrates with Google Drive.
• WebSockets functionality.
• Ability to set custom form encoding.
• Offers a history of requests.
• Enables data import and export.

Price: FREE | More Information

10. TrackingTime

TrackingTime offers a solution to the problem of tracking your employee’s time. It lets you easily coordinate and review tracking across a large number of employees. If your WordPress or web design business is more than just a one-person operation, this could prove invaluable.

Key Features:

• Enables task tracking.
• Offers built-in collaboration tools.
• Ability to comment on tasks.
• Ability to create subtasks.
• Supports English, German, and Spanish.
• Includes time and performance analytics.

Price: FREE | More Information

11. Send Anywhere

Send Anywhere is a Chrome App for hassle-free file transfers. There are no restrictions on file size and location; all you need is an internet connection. If you’re working on a project requiring file transfers that are too large for email, Send Anywhere is the solution.

Key Features:

• Compatible across multiple platforms.
• Ability to send files of any size.
• Finds the most optimal file transfer path.

Price: FREE | More Information

12. Writer

Writer is an app that lets you type in a beautiful, distraction-free environment. This is perfect if you struggle to write your articles amidst the many digital distractions that exist. With Writer, you can fully immerse yourself in the article writing process.

Key Features:

• Includes an autosave feature.
• Offers search functionality.
• Includes word and character count.
• Customizable interface

Price: FREE | More Information

13. Pomodoro Timer

Pomodoro Timer is a Chrome App that aids you in using the popular Pomodoro productivity technique, in which you work in 25-minute intervals with five-minute breaks in between.

The Pomodoro technique is a powerful tool for defeating procrastination, and this app makes it even easier. Used correctly, you can get to work on those important web design and WordPress projects you keep putting off.

Key Features:

• Sound and desktop notifications.
• Includes a simple task manager.
• Offers Pomodoro statistics.

Price: FREE | More Information

14. Chrome Remote Desktop

Chrome Remote Desktop is an app that lets you access the computer of anyone running the Chrome browser or operating system. This is a perfect solution for being able to look at a client’s site as they see it, or help a colleague with a design issue when you can’t be in the same room.

Key Features:

• Fully cross-platform.
• Secure connection to other computers.
• Short-term and long-term access available.

Price: FREE | More Information

15. Web Server for Chrome

Web Server for Chrome is a tool that lets you serve web pages over a local network. If you’re doing web development on a Chromebook, or just need an easy solution for sharing files over a local network, Web Server for Chrome could be the solution.

Key Features:

• Open-source.
• Uses HTTP.
• Ability to listen in on a local network.

Price: FREE | More Information

16. Sketchpad 3.5

Sketchpad 3.5 is a Chrome App designed for sketching and drawing. If you’re in the early stages of a web design or WordPress project, it can be helpful to do some free-form sketching. Sketchpad 3.5 lets you do all of this from within Chrome.

Key Features:

• Ability to edit images and vectors.
• Built on HTML5.
• Overlay text feature.
• Customizable painting tools.

Price: FREE | More Information

17. Gliffy Diagrams

Sketching out your rough design is often followed by a wireframing stage. Gliffy Diagrams is the perfect tool for this process. You can also use it to create diagrams that map user experience and site functionality.

Key Features:

• Ability to create flowcharts.
• Enables you to design User Interface (UI) schematics.
• Enables exporting in JPEG and PNG formats.

Price: FREE (limited to five public diagrams) | More Information

18. Awesome Screenshot App

Awesome Screenshot App lets you capture and annotate screenshots from within Chrome, then save these screenshots locally or to Google Drive. If you need to add screenshots to your website, Awesome Screenshot App is an effective solution.

Key Features:

• Draggable capture window.
• Enables annotation with text and a variety of shapes.
• Ability to save locally or to Google Drive

Price: FREE | More Information

19. Eye Care

Working in WordPress, web design, or on any computer-based task means a lot of time staring at a screen. If you’re not careful, all of the time focusing on such a narrow area can harm your vision. Eye Care is a Chrome App that helps you to combat this problem by reminding you to take a break and rest your eyes periodically.

Key Features:

• Offers reminders to take a break.
• Includes built-in eye exercises.
• Works offline.
• Customizable rest and work intervals.

Price: FREE | More Information

20. Stopwatch & Timer

Stopwatch & Timer is a Chrome App that does what it says on the tin. This is ideal for timing a task, without the distraction of using an app on your phone.

Key Features:

• Includes stopwatch and timer modes.
• Offers a ‘lap’ feature for the stopwatch.
• Customizable alarm sounds.

Price: FREE | More Information

21. Evernote Web

Finally, Evernote Web brings the power of the popular note taking and organization program to Chrome.

While it doesn’t have every feature of the desktop app, it’s more than enough for most WordPress users and web designers who want to use Evernote to store ideas and notes.

Key Features:

• Automatically syncs notes.
• Offers note organization functionality.
• Enables photo attachments.
• Fully searchable.

Price: FREE | More Information

Conclusion

Chrome Apps present an array of exciting solutions to the challenges that web designers and WordPress users face every day. Whether it’s editing video, creating a diagram, or writing code, there’s a Chrome App available to help you complete the task efficiently.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the huge number of Chrome Apps out there, but now that you’ve read this post, you should have no trouble choosing the Chrome Apps best suited to your next project. With the right solutions in your toolbox, you’ll be fully prepared to address whatever project comes your way.

How do you use any of these Chrome Apps to improve your WordPress or web design workflow? Subscribe to the conversation and let us know in the comments section below!

Article thumbnail image by Finevector / shutterstock.com.