Who wins which job
A crash or messy close can leave Session Buddy with the URLs but without the yellow "Client research" Group. Pick the tool that restores the thing you actually lost.
| Tool | Wins at | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| TabGroup Vault | Named Chrome Groups: snapshot, one-Group restore, JSON/MD/CSV export. Pro adds full multi-Window Sessions, Drive backup, and auto-save on close. | Not a deep history archive. Imports count toward the 10-snapshot free limit. |
| Session Buddy | Free local Sessions, collections, history, search, backups | Session Buddy's roadmap still lists Chrome Tab Group support |
| Tab Session Manager | Free auto-save of Windows and Tabs | A Session manager. Don't pick it as the Group-snapshot winner. |
| Tabox | Chrome Groups plus your Google Drive | Closest feature match. Smaller store listing than the largest Tab managers. |
| Toby | Visual collections. Can save Chrome Groups as Toby collections | That Group feature is Chrome-only |
| Workona | Project spaces across Chrome, Firefox, and Edge | A workspace product, not a light Session saver |
| OneTab | Dump a crowded Window into a list | Encrypted cloud sync is still coming soon |
TabGroup Vault
Session Buddy
Tab Session Manager
Tabox
Toby
Workona
OneTabWatch the save-and-restore flow
If your work lives in named Chrome Groups, you need the shape back, not a pile of links. Here's how that looks in TabGroup Vault.
Use TabGroup Vault for the Group itself
Use TabGroup Vault if you already work in named, color-coded Chrome Groups. Free restores one Group with its name and color. Export to JSON, Markdown, or CSV is free too. Google Drive backup, auto-save on close (those snapshots get [Auto] names), and Restore All in the current Window are Pro.
I'd still open Session Buddy to search last Tuesday's Windows. I would not ask it to rebuild "Docs" as a Group. Vault restores the name, color, Tabs, and order. Restore All recreates selected Groups in the current Window. The separate Pro Session feature saves a full multi-Window workspace and recreates those Windows on restore.
Free is 10 snapshots. Imports count toward that cap. Pro is $39 lifetime for unlimited snapshots and full multi-Window Sessions. There is a 7-day card trial, or you can buy. Chrome Web Store shows about 1,000 users and a 4.6 rating from 9 ratings. Nine ratings is a small sample.
Keep Session Buddy when history is the job
Session Buddy is not abandoned. Releases list v4.1.2 on April 27, 2026, and v4.2 as coming soon. Chrome Web Store: version 4.1.2, updated April 28, 2026, 1,000,000 users, 4.7 rating, 25.1K ratings.
Stay if you want a free local Session and history manager. Collections, history, and settings stay on the machine. It does not send them to an outside service today. You still need your own backups. Session Buddy says local extension data can be lost or corrupted.
Chrome can already save and sync Groups. Leave Session Buddy when you want a separate exportable snapshot, not because Chrome cannot save Groups. Session Buddy's August 2026 roadmap still lists Chrome Tab Group support as priority one. That is Session Buddy's gap, not Chrome's.
One winner per job
| You need | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Named Chrome Tab Groups back | TabGroup Vault | Free snapshot, one-Group restore, JSON/MD/CSV export. Drive backup and auto-save on close are Pro. |
| A free local Session archive | Session Buddy | History, search, collections, local backups. |
| Free auto-save of open Windows | Tab Session Manager | Auto-saves on an interval or when a Window closes. Can save Chrome Tab Groups since v7.2.0 without a companion extension. Still a Session manager. |
| Chrome Groups in your Drive | Tabox | Names, colors, titles, URLs, order, Drive sync when you turn it on. Closest feature match. |
| A visual collection board | Toby | Saves Chrome Groups as Toby collections. Chrome-only for that piece. |
| Project spaces across browsers | Workona | Autosaved Tabs, cloud backups, sync, Tab suspension. Chrome, Firefox, Edge. |
| A quieter Window, fast | OneTab | Turns Tabs into a list. Encrypted cloud sync is still coming soon. |
What Chrome already does
Chrome can save and sync Tab Groups today. Chrome Help says Group changes save and sync when browsing history and Tabs sync are on. Closed Groups can come back. Vertical Tabs started rolling out April 7, 2026.
That still is not an exportable snapshot history. Delete or ungroup, and Chrome removes it on every synced device. Vault keeps a separate copy you can restore later. Don't use Vault because Chrome cannot save Groups. Chrome can. Use it when you want snapshots Chrome will not keep.
Built-in walkthrough: how to save and export Chrome Tab Groups. After a close: do Tab Groups save when you close Chrome?.
The rest of the shortlist
Tab Session Manager
Tab Session Manager is Sienori's free auto-save Session manager. If you just want Windows to save themselves for free, this is the one. It saves Windows and Tabs, auto-saves on an interval or Window close, and can save Chrome Tab Groups. Chrome Web Store: version 7.4.0, updated July 18, 2026, 100,000 users, a 3.5 rating, and about 440 ratings.
Use it for free auto-save. If you need the named Group back, TabGroup Vault, or Tabox if you already live in Drive. v7.2.0 notes say Chrome Tab Group save no longer needs an extra extension. It is still a Session manager.
Nest
NestNest shows up because it writes how-to posts on saving Chrome Tab Groups and on Groups disappearing. It is a Tab manager with categories, snooze, and Pro Session, export, and sync. It is not the Session Buddy alternative I'd install first. Stay on Tab Session Manager, Tabox, or TabGroup Vault for that query.
Tabox
Tabox is the closest clone if you want Chrome Groups plus your own Google Drive. Chrome Web Store: version 4.2.2, updated August 20, 2026, 30,000 users, 4.2 rating, 171 ratings.
I'd try Tabox and TabGroup Vault on the same messy Window. See which restore you trust, what export looks like, and whether $39 lifetime or Tabox Pro fits how you pay.
Toby
Toby is the collection board. It can save Chrome Groups as Toby collections. Help says that feature is Chrome-only. Chrome Web Store: version 1.13.1, updated June 3, 2026, 300,000 users, 4.2 rating, 3.3K ratings.
Use Toby if the board is the destination. Use a Group snapshot if Chrome Groups are the destination.
Workona
Workona is a project-space product: autosaved Tabs, cloud backups, sync, Tab suspension, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Fine if you want the browser tied to projects. Heavy if you only want Groups backed up. Closer writeup: TabGroup Vault vs Workona.
OneTab
OneTab is the panic button for too many Tabs. Chrome Web Store: version 2.18, updated July 5, 2026, 2,000,000 users, 4.4 rating, 14.6K ratings. Help still lists encrypted cloud sync and backup as coming soon. Uninstalling deletes local OneTab data.
Use it to clear a Window. Don't use it as a Chrome Tab Group backup. More: Session Buddy vs OneTab.
Switch without torching your Sessions
Don't rip Session Buddy out on day one. Export or back it up. Install the new tool next to it. Test one low-risk project. Save, close, restore. Check the Groups, not just the URLs.
Need a bookmark file from a Session Buddy JSON export? Use the free Session Buddy export converter. Bookmarks will not turn into live Chrome Groups. Group the Tabs yourself, then save a TabGroup Vault snapshot.
Verdict
Named Chrome Groups: TabGroup Vault. Tabox if Drive is already how you sync. Session Buddy for history. Tab Session Manager for free auto-save. That's it.
Don't leave Session Buddy because it feels old. Leave if you got tired of Groups disappearing while the URLs survived.
