Chrome Extension Categories Ranked

Which Chrome Web Store categories are open vs crowded, ranked by demand, competition, and stale incumbents · Updated Jul 11, 2026

Extensions314.3K Categories28 Stats

All 27 niches

Niche

Dark	96	761	47	4.64	43%
Accessibility	77	7.4K	29	4.40	38%
Minimalist	76	747	11	4.61	17%
Fun	74	8.6K	45	4.51	36%
Social	74	6.8K	27	4.44	32%
News	69	1.5K	7	4.57	30%
Entertainment	67	6.4K	13	4.52	18%
Household	62	417	6	4.49	11%
Shopping	62	7.1K	10	4.55	20%
Workflow	59	38.1K	23	4.49	33%
Space	55	805	5	4.47	12%
Travel	54	670	6	4.75	8%
Developer	51	23.8K	12	4.66	19%
Well Being	46	2.4K	5	4.83	8%
Artist	45	876	0	4.62	12%
Functionality	44	9.8K	10	4.60	9%
Art	44	9.6K	3	4.45	21%
Communication	41	5.9K	7	4.71	7%
Colors	39	3K	0	4.60	8%
Privacy	39	4.5K	7	4.62	6%
Education	36	9K	8	4.71	8%
Games	30	14.3K	3	4.42	14%
Cars	30	2.6K	2	4.53	5%
Tools	28	86.6K	9	4.63	8%
Nature	24	13.6K	0	4.20	14%
Animals	22	7.7K	0	4.43	7%
Other	9	10.8K	0	4.60	6%

Dark

Opportunity

Extensions

761

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.64

Abandoned

43%

Total Users

5.2M

Accessibility

Opportunity

Extensions

7.4K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.40

Abandoned

38%

Total Users

100.7M

Minimalist

Opportunity

Extensions

747

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.61

Abandoned

17%

Total Users

1.1M

Fun

Opportunity

Extensions

8.6K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.51

Abandoned

36%

Total Users

34M

Social

Opportunity

Extensions

6.8K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.44

Abandoned

32%

Total Users

64.6M

News

Opportunity

Extensions

1.5K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.57

Abandoned

30%

Total Users

Entertainment

Opportunity

Extensions

6.4K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.52

Abandoned

18%

Total Users

18.7M

Household

Opportunity

Extensions

417

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.49

Abandoned

11%

Total Users

183.7K

Shopping

Opportunity

Extensions

7.1K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.55

Abandoned

20%

Total Users

43.6M

Workflow

Opportunity

Extensions

38.1K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.49

Abandoned

33%

Total Users

924.6M

Space

Opportunity

Extensions

805

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.47

Abandoned

12%

Total Users

925.9K

Travel

Opportunity

Extensions

670

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.75

Abandoned

Total Users

1.7M

Developer

Opportunity

Extensions

23.8K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.66

Abandoned

19%

Total Users

117.7M

Well Being

Opportunity

Extensions

2.4K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.83

Abandoned

Total Users

1.7M

Artist

Opportunity

Extensions

876

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.62

Abandoned

12%

Total Users

234.8K

Functionality

Opportunity

Extensions

9.8K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.60

Abandoned

Total Users

24.7M

Art

Opportunity

Extensions

9.6K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.45

Abandoned

21%

Total Users

13.1M

Communication

Opportunity

Extensions

5.9K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.71

Abandoned

Total Users

63M

Colors

Opportunity

Extensions

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.60

Abandoned

Total Users

8.7M

Privacy

Opportunity

Extensions

4.5K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.62

Abandoned

Total Users

164.6M

Education

Opportunity

Extensions

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.71

Abandoned

Total Users

63.9M

Games

Opportunity

Extensions

14.3K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.42

Abandoned

14%

Total Users

10.4M

Cars

Opportunity

Extensions

2.6K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.53

Abandoned

Total Users

620.9K

Tools

Opportunity

Extensions

86.6K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.63

Abandoned

Total Users

308.8M

Nature

Opportunity

Extensions

13.6K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.20

Abandoned

14%

Total Users

1.8M

Animals

Opportunity

Extensions

7.7K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.43

Abandoned

Total Users

508.8K

Other

Opportunity

Extensions

10.8K

Median Users

Avg Rating

4.60

Abandoned

Total Users

146.9K

Every category across the 314.3K live extensions we track. The opportunity score blends demand (users per extension), competition (how many extensions), and openings (share of abandoned incumbents), so a high score signals an underserved category worth building in.

How Chrome Web Store Categories Work

Every listing in the Chrome Web Store sits in exactly one category. There is no cross-listing, so the category you pick is the only shelf your extension appears on, and it is the only signal a browsing user gets before they read your name. The store's taxonomy also mixes real software lanes with theme categories like Nature, Animals and Colors, which is why raw category counts mislead until you separate extensions from themes. The table above ranks each category on what a builder needs instead: how much demand sits there, and how many tools already chase it.

Which Chrome Extension Categories Are Least Saturated

Listing count and audience size pull in opposite directions. Tools is the largest category by a wide margin and also the one where the typical extension reaches almost nobody, because anything that does not obviously belong elsewhere gets filed there. The better ratios sit in the narrower lanes: Privacy, Workflow and Accessibility carry far more reach per competing listing than the headline categories do. Read those as ceilings rather than expectations, since a handful of giants pull each category's average up. The number that matters when picking a lane is reach per competitor, not category size.

How to Pick a Category to Build In

Sort by opportunity to see demand and competition together, then look at the share of stale incumbents in whichever categories score well. Real reach, few listings, and a leaderboard of tools nobody has updated in years is the shape worth taking: the demand is proven and the people serving it have stopped. Real reach with active, well-rated incumbents is a fight rather than an opening. Before committing, open the extensions view filtered to that category and read the one and two star reviews on the leaders, because that is where the specific job worth stealing is written down.

Chrome Extension Categories FAQ

What are the Chrome Web Store categories?

The store runs one fixed list covering both extensions and themes. The software lanes are Tools, Workflow, Developer, Functionality, Communication, Accessibility, Privacy, Shopping, Social, Education, Entertainment, Games, News, Travel and Well Being. Theme categories such as Nature, Animals, Colors, Minimalist and Dark sit in the same list, which is why the store's category count looks bigger than the real software market. The table above covers all of them.

Can a Chrome extension be in more than one category?

No. Every listing carries exactly one category, chosen by the developer at submission, and across the live listings Profitable tracks not a single one is cross-listed. There is no way to hedge across two lanes, so pick the category where your buyer browses rather than the one that most accurately describes the code.

Which Chrome extension category has the most extensions?

Tools, by a wide margin. It is the default filing cabinet for anything that does not fit a more specific lane, so it holds the largest single slice of the store while the typical Tools extension reaches almost nobody. Workflow and Developer come next, and both offer more reach per competing listing.

Does your Chrome Web Store category affect installs?

Less than the listing itself does. Most installs arrive through search, both inside the store and on Google, so the title, description and screenshots carry more weight than the shelf you sit on. Where the category does matter is competitive: it sets who you are ranked against in store search. A specific category with fewer listings is easier to surface in than the catch-all.

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