Opera is a popular web browser developed by a Norwegian company called Opera LTD. It’s available to download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Users enjoy Opera’s clean look and fast web browsing experience, but adding plugins takes Opera to new levels of efficiency and productivity. Here’s a look at six essential Opera plugins to consider.
Manage Passwords: LastPass
LastPass is a password manager that creates one primary password, allowing you to log in to your favorite sites with one click. With an auto-fill feature, LastPass remembers your usernames, passwords, and other information for multiple accounts.
Syncs data across mobile phones and computers
Auto log-in options
Info is encrypted and decrypted locally on your machine
Stores credit card information
Premium version required to sync across devices or use family sharing
Customize Your Feed and Hide Ads: Social Fixer for Facebook
This Opera plugin includes a feature called Stealth Mode to make it easy to scan Facebook quickly to catch up on the latest updates. Like buttons and comment areas are hidden. Without the ability to like, comment, or interact, you can quickly absorb the content you want, allowing you to scroll through the news feed faster.
Create filters to hide specific posts, including sponsored posts and political posts
Make photos anonymous by hiding friend and group names
Still shows ads for suggested pages and people you might know
Not available for mobile browsing
Get a Virtual Gmail Assistant: Boomerang for Gmail
If you want to know if and when your emails have been read, or schedule a specific email for a later date, try Boomerang for Gmail. Boomerang makes it possible to integrate email scheduling, reminders, and read notifications.
Perfect for sending emails to people in different time zones
Postpone emails to appear at the specific time you’re ready to respond
Set alerts when you don’t receive a response to your email
Perfect for scheduling birthday emails
Basic (free) version has a limit of 10 message credits per month
Read and sent confirmations are added to the email thread, which can be confusing
Boomerang comes with a free 30-day trial of Boomerang Pro, which includes unlimited message credits. No billing information is gathered during the free trial. After 30 days, if you don’t choose to subscribe to one of the paid subscriptions, you can continue to use the free Basic plan.
Paid versions of Boomerang include:
- Personal, which costs around $5 per month, includes unlimited message credits.Pro, which runs around $15 per month, includes smart response with machine learning, inbox pause, and recurring messages.Premium, which costs almost $50 per month, automatically Boomerangs every message and offers a slew of other features, including Salesforce integration.
Download the Android or iOS Boomerang app to extend its capabilities to your mobile devices.
Keep Track of the Weather With a Click: Gismeteo
The Gismeteo extension gives you instant access to your local current temperature as well as an hourly weather forecast. Select your city in the settings menu and use search to find out what’s happening in other cities. Gismeteo lets you customize features, including skins, icons, and language.
Instantly see detailed weather conditions in a pop-up window
Shows hourly updates of the temperature
Global weather news available
No way to minimize the icon on the Opera desktop
Navigation language is awkwardly translated
Temperature defaults to Celsius
Create a Customized Firewall: uMatrix
If you want to customize your privacy settings while browsing with Opera, take a look at uMatrix, a point-and-click matrix-based firewall. Once installed, uMatrix works in block-all mode but allows you to create exceptions. You decide what type of data can be downloaded.
Shows how websites have collected information from your browsing history
Whitelist or blacklist requests for data with one click
Can be intimidating at first
Use Your Favorite Chrome Extension in Opera: Install Chrome Extensions
While the Opera extension library has quite a bit to offer, it doesn’t have the variety of extensions available on Chrome. With Install Chrome Extensions, you can have your cake and eat it too. After you add this plugin, visit the Chrome Web Store while using the Opera Browser. When you find an extension you want to add, open it, and click the green button in the upper-right corner that says Add to Opera.
Works quickly and seamlessly for any Chrome extension you can’t live without
Only works for extensions, not themes
Not available for the mobile version of Opera
From the Chrome Web Store page, find your extension and click Install. You’re redirected to the Chrome extension page, where you’ll click Install again to add to Opera.
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