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Best Safari Sidebar & Tab Extensions for Mac
Safari has almost no vertical tab or sidebar extensions. SupaSidebar fills the gap - a native Mac sidebar that works with Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and every other browser.
Feature-by-feature comparison
See how SupaSidebar compares to Safari’s built-in features and available extensions
| Features | Safari Built-in | Safari Extensions | SupaSidebar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical tab sidebar View tabs in a vertical sidebar instead of horizontal bar | No Safari has no built-in vertical tab sidebar | Partial Very limited - Safari extension APIs restrict tab access | Yes Full vertical tab sidebar as a native Mac app |
| Sidebar with pinned items Pin your most-used links for instant access | Partial Favorites bar shows pinned sites but not a full sidebar | No No Safari extension supports a full pinned-item sidebar | Yes Pin any link, file, folder, or app to your sidebar |
| Spaces / Workspaces Organize by project or context | Partial Tab Groups organize tabs but lack full workspace features | No No Safari extension offers workspace or space organization | Yes Unlimited spaces to separate work, personal, and projects |
| Command palette Fuzzy search across tabs, bookmarks, files, and apps | No Safari has no command palette or fuzzy search interface | No No Safari extension provides a full command palette | Yes Fuzzy search across tabs, bookmarks, files, and apps |
| Live Tabs across browsers See Safari tabs alongside Chrome, Firefox tabs | No Safari only shows its own tabs, not other browsers | No Safari extensions can only access Safari tabs | Yes Shows live tabs from Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and more |
| Bookmark management Organize bookmarks with folders and smart rules | Partial Basic bookmark folders with no smart rules or AI tagging | Partial Limited bookmark extensions available for Safari | Yes Smart folders, AI tags, and space-based bookmark organization |
| Air Traffic Control Auto-route links to specific browsers or spaces | No Safari cannot auto-route links to other browsers or spaces | No No Safari extension supports cross-browser link routing | Yes Rules automatically open links in the right browser or space |
| Smart Folders Auto-organized folders based on custom rules | No Safari has no smart folder or auto-organization features | No No Safari extension provides smart folder functionality | Yes Smart folders auto-organize bookmarks by custom rules |
| AI-powered tags Auto-tagging with on-device AI | No Safari has no AI tagging - manual organization only | No No Safari extension provides AI-powered bookmark tagging | Yes On-device AI automatically tags saved bookmarks |
| Files, folders, and apps Drag anything from Finder into sidebar | No Safari sidebar cannot hold local files or applications | No Safari extensions cannot access the local file system | Yes Drag files, folders, and apps from Finder into your sidebar |
| Native macOS integration Built with Swift and SwiftUI, iCloud sync | Yes Built into macOS with iCloud tab sync across Apple devices | Partial Integration quality varies widely by extension developer | Yes Swift and SwiftUI with iCloud sync across all your Macs |
| Overall | Tab Groups + Bookmarks | Very limited | Best Choice |
Vertical tab sidebar
View tabs in a vertical sidebar instead of horizontal bar
Full vertical tab sidebar as a native Mac app
Safari has no built-in vertical tab sidebar
Very limited - Safari extension APIs restrict tab access
Sidebar with pinned items
Pin your most-used links for instant access
Pin any link, file, folder, or app to your sidebar
Favorites bar shows pinned sites but not a full sidebar
No Safari extension supports a full pinned-item sidebar
Spaces / Workspaces
Organize by project or context
Unlimited spaces to separate work, personal, and projects
Tab Groups organize tabs but lack full workspace features
No Safari extension offers workspace or space organization
Command palette
Fuzzy search across tabs, bookmarks, files, and apps
Fuzzy search across tabs, bookmarks, files, and apps
Safari has no command palette or fuzzy search interface
No Safari extension provides a full command palette
Live Tabs across browsers
See Safari tabs alongside Chrome, Firefox tabs
Shows live tabs from Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and more
Safari only shows its own tabs, not other browsers
Safari extensions can only access Safari tabs
Bookmark management
Organize bookmarks with folders and smart rules
Smart folders, AI tags, and space-based bookmark organization
Basic bookmark folders with no smart rules or AI tagging
Limited bookmark extensions available for Safari
Air Traffic Control
Auto-route links to specific browsers or spaces
Rules automatically open links in the right browser or space
Safari cannot auto-route links to other browsers or spaces
No Safari extension supports cross-browser link routing
Smart Folders
Auto-organized folders based on custom rules
Smart folders auto-organize bookmarks by custom rules
Safari has no smart folder or auto-organization features
No Safari extension provides smart folder functionality
AI-powered tags
Auto-tagging with on-device AI
On-device AI automatically tags saved bookmarks
Safari has no AI tagging - manual organization only
No Safari extension provides AI-powered bookmark tagging
Files, folders, and apps
Drag anything from Finder into sidebar
Drag files, folders, and apps from Finder into your sidebar
Safari sidebar cannot hold local files or applications
Safari extensions cannot access the local file system
Native macOS integration
Built with Swift and SwiftUI, iCloud sync
Swift and SwiftUI with iCloud sync across all your Macs
Built into macOS with iCloud tab sync across Apple devices
Integration quality varies widely by extension developer
Overall
Why Safari users choose SupaSidebar
Safari’s extension ecosystem is limited. SupaSidebar fills every gap.
Safari + Chrome + Firefox
Most tab management tools are Chrome-only. SupaSidebar works with Safari and every other browser. If you use Safari for personal and Chrome for work, one sidebar manages both.
Native Mac app, not an extension
Safari extensions are limited by Apple’s extension APIs. SupaSidebar is a native Mac app - it uses macOS Accessibility APIs to see your Safari tabs without being constrained by extension sandboxing.
Command Panel for Safari
Safari has no extension for searching across tabs and bookmarks. SupaSidebar’s Command Panel gives you fuzzy search across all Safari tabs, bookmarks, files, and apps.
Bookmark manager Safari needs
Safari’s built-in bookmark manager is basic. SupaSidebar adds smart folders, AI tags, and workspace-based organization - the bookmark management Safari is missing.
Frequently asked questions
Does Safari have vertical tabs?
No. Safari does not have native vertical tabs, and there are almost no Safari extensions that add them. SupaSidebar gives Safari users a vertical tab sidebar as a native Mac app - no extension needed.
What is the best Safari sidebar extension?
Safari has very few sidebar extensions due to Apple’s restrictive extension APIs. SupaSidebar is the best option - it’s a native Mac app (not an extension) that adds a full sidebar with pinned items, workspaces, and tab management to Safari.
Is there a good bookmark manager for Safari?
Most bookmark managers (Raindrop.io, Toby) are Chrome-focused. SupaSidebar works natively with Safari and adds smart folders, AI-powered tags, and workspace organization to your bookmarks.
Does SupaSidebar work as a Safari extension?
SupaSidebar is not a Safari extension - it’s a native macOS app. This is actually an advantage: it’s not limited by Safari’s extension APIs and can see your tabs across all browsers, not just Safari.
Is SupaSidebar free?
SupaSidebar has a free tier with 3 spaces and all core features. Pro unlocks unlimited spaces, iCloud sync, and early access to new features.
More comparisons
The sidebar Safari is missing
Download SupaSidebar for free. Works with Safari and every other browser.