Comparison

Toby vs Tab Shelf: one syncs, the other stays home

Toby is one of the most-installed tab managers on Chrome (around 300,000 users, roughly 4.2 stars). It turns tabs into visual collections, syncs them through your Toby account and lets teams share them. The one- and two-star reviews repeat three complaints: limits on the free plan, collections that disappeared after an update or a sign-out, and having to create an account at all.

Tab Shelf is built around those three complaints, and gives up the things Toby does well in return. Here is the trade, honestly.

Side by side

	Toby	Tab Shelf
Price	Free tier with limits · paid plans per month	Free, no limits · Pro €19 once
Account	Required	None
Where your data lives	Toby's servers (synced to every browser you sign in to)	Your browser only (export a file to move it)
Sync between computers	Yes	No — by design
Share with a team	Yes	No
Automatic snapshots of everything open	No	Every 5 min (configurable)
Recover after a crash	Whatever Chrome reopens	Offers the last snapshot
Deleted collections	Gone	30 days in the trash
Tab groups and pinned tabs restored	Partially	Colours, names, collapsed state, pins
Export your data	JSON export available	One JSON file, any time; weekly backup file optional
Import from the other one	—	Toby JSON import

Figures as observed on the Chrome Web Store in September 2026; they change. Toby is a trademark of its owner; we are not affiliated.

When Toby is the better choice

If you work on two computers and want the same collections on both without touching a file, or if a team needs shared collections, Toby does that and Tab Shelf doesn't. If you like the visual card layout, Toby's is more polished.

When Tab Shelf is the better choice

If you have ever lost a collection and don't want to depend on someone's servers; if you want a tool that just saves and restores windows without an account; if you keep dozens of tabs open and want a safety net that runs by itself. And if you'd rather pay once than monthly.

Moving over

Toby → Settings → Export gives you a JSON file. In Tab Shelf's manager click Import… and pick it: each Toby list becomes a session. Details on the migration page.

See Tab Shelf pricing