Tab Session Manager Review: Open Source, Autosave and Drive Sync
Written by the BelayTab team. We’ve tried to be fair, including where Tab Session Manager is the better choice.
Tab Session Manager at a Glance
- Users
- 100,000 on the Chrome Web Store; about 162,000 on Firefox Add-ons
- Latest version
- 7.4.0, July 2026
- Price
- Free
- Licence
- Open source, Mozilla Public License 2.0
- Sync
- Optional, through a private app folder in your Google Drive
BelayTab vs Tab Session Manager: Feature Comparison
| Feature | Tab Session Manager | BelayTab |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic saving | Yes, on window close and on a timer | Yes, every 5 minutes and when a window closes |
| Version history of a session | No | Last 20 versions of each session |
| Deleted items | Undo right after deleting | 30-day trash |
| Backup file on disk | Yes, at browser start-up | Yes, rolling JSON export on a schedule you set |
| Tab groups | Yes | Yes, names and colours kept |
| Sync | Free, through your Google Drive | Paid Sync, $4/month or $36/year |
| Cloud history | No | 90 days with Sync |
| Web access to sessions | No | Yes, at app.belaytab.com with Sync |
| Import | Its own files, other extensions, URL lists | Tab Session Manager, OneTab, Session Buddy, Tablerone, URL lists |
| Open source | Yes, MPL-2.0 | No |
| Host permissions | None required | None |
| Price | Free | Free; Sync is $4/month |
What Tab Session Manager Does Well
Tab Session Manager has done automatic saving for years. It saves when windows close and at regular intervals, and it restores tab groups. Because it is open source, anyone can read the code, and it runs in Firefox as well as Chrome and Edge.
Its sync stores sessions in an app folder in your own Google Drive, which the developer can’t access. If you already trust Google with your data, that’s a sensible design.
- Free and open source (MPL-2.0)
- Autosave on window close and on a timer
- Tab group support
- Tags, naming, and import from other extensions
- An optional backup file written to your Downloads folder when the browser starts
- No host permissions required; Google APIs are requested only for sync
Where It Falls Short
Drive sync depends on signing in to Google inside the extension, and the project’s issue tracker has reports of sync getting stuck or failing to sign in. There is no web view of your sessions without the extension.
Saved sessions don’t keep a list of earlier versions you can restore, and autosaves are separate entries rather than a history of one session.
Who Should Use Which
Stay with Tab Session Manager if open source matters to you, you want sync through your own Google Drive, or you prefer your sessions synced through a Google account you already use.
Choose BelayTab if you want each session to keep its last 20 versions, a 30-day trash, a rolling export file on disk, and sync with 90-day cloud history and a web view that don’t depend on a Google account.
How to Switch From Tab Session Manager to BelayTab
Export from Tab Session Manager
Open Tab Session Manager’s settings, find Import and Export, and export your sessions as a file.
Import into BelayTab
Open BelayTab, choose Import, pick Tab Session Manager and select the file.
Check and tidy
Autosaved sessions come across as separate sessions. Keep the ones you need and delete the rest; deleted sessions stay in trash for 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tab Session Manager safe?
Yes. It is open source under MPL-2.0, keeps sessions on your computer, and needs no host permissions. With cloud sync on, sessions are stored in a private app folder in your Google Drive.
How does Tab Session Manager sync?
It signs in to your Google account and stores sessions in a Google Drive app folder that other apps and the developer can’t access. Sync is free.
Does Tab Session Manager save tab groups?
Yes. Recent versions save and restore tab groups in Chrome without extra extensions.
Can I move from Tab Session Manager to BelayTab?
Yes. Export your sessions from Tab Session Manager’s settings and import the file in BelayTab.
Sources
Facts about Tab Session Manager were checked against these public sources in September 2026. Products change; if something here is out of date, tell us at [email protected].
More Comparisons
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- CompareSession Buddy Review: v4 Data Loss, Backups and AlternativesAn honest Session Buddy review: what v4 changed, why some users lost data, how its backups work, and how to import your collections into BelayTab.
- CompareWorkona Review: Workspaces vs Sessions, and Which You NeedWorkona organises work into cloud-synced spaces; BelayTab saves and protects tab sessions. An honest look at when each one is the better choice.
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