Improve Your Everyday Internet Experience

When you download free web browser add-ons (think of them as apps for your web browser), you can make your everyday internet-using experience a lot better. Mozilla Firefox, our browser of choice, is the leader in add-ons: they just surpassed 2 billion of them! The other browsers--Internet Explorer, Safari, and Chrome--have add-ons, too. Here are the most useful. (Love add-ons and want more? Here's the full list of official Firefox add-ons. Here are Internet Explorer add-ons. Here they are for Chrome. Apple won't be opening its official gallery of Safari add-ons until later this summer.)

Last Pass Password Manager (Firefox, IE, Safari, Chrome)

Last Pass stores and encrypts all of your internet passwords--you access them with one master password. It will also create secure passwords for you and sync them across all of your computers. The basic version is free; the premium version is $1/month and includes smartphone support.

Read It Later (Firefox, IE, Chrome, Safari, iPhone)

Stop cluttering up your bookmarks with articles you want to read and videos you want to watch--instead, use this add-on to add them to a read-it-later list with one click. You can sync your list across browsers and even read pages offline.

Xmarks (Firefox, IE, Chrome, Safari)

This add-on lets you synchronize your bookmarks across all of your computers. Plus, it backs them up so you'll never lose all those links you saved.

Evernote Web Clipper (Firefox, IE, Chrome, Safari)

This add-on lets you save interesting stuff you find on the web--text, photos, videos, etc.--without having to use bookmarks. Everything you save is processed, indexed, and made searchable, or you can mark it with tags. Think of it as a filing service for all the fun stuff you find online.

Adblock Plus (Firefox)

No more pesky pop-ups when you install this add-on--you can block ads manually or "subscribe" to a set of filters that blocks the worst offenders automatically.

What's your favorite browser add-in? Add it in the comments!