A DevToys alternative that runs in your browser
AyeTab brings JSON, JWT, Base64, hash and diff tools to Chrome's new tab and side panel, with no desktop install and nothing uploaded.
By ClaudeGPT Si Newsroom, Editorial team
3 min read
The best DevToys alternative for most developers is AyeTab, a free Chrome extension that puts the same kind of everyday utilities on your new tab page and in a side panel. You get JSON formatting, JWT decoding, Base64, hashes, diffs and more without installing a desktop app, and every tool runs locally in the browser.
DevToys is still a good app. This page explains where the two differ and who should switch.
What DevToys does well
DevToys calls itself a Swiss Army knife for developers. It is a free, open-source desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, with offline tools for converting, encoding, formatting, generating and testing. Its Smart Detection looks at your clipboard and suggests the matching tool. It can be extended with community tools, and a separate DevToys CLI brings many tools to the terminal and to CI jobs.
Why people look for a DevToys alternative
The usual reasons are practical rather than about quality:
- No install rights. A work laptop may block desktop apps but allow Chrome extensions.
- The browser is already open. Switching to another window for a ten-second Base64 decode breaks the flow.
- Several machines. A browser tool follows you to any computer with Chrome, or to the web app on a machine where you cannot install anything.
How AyeTab compares
| AyeTab | DevToys | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Chrome new tab, side panel, web app | Desktop app on Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Price | Free | Free and open source |
| Data handling | Processed locally in the browser, no account | Offline desktop tools |
| Offline | Yes, once installed | Yes |
| Jump to a tool | Ctrl+K or Cmd+K command palette | Search bar |
| Clipboard help | Smart paste suggests the tool | Smart Detection suggests the tool |
| Command line | No | DevToys CLI |
| Extra tools | Built in | Community extensions |
What you get in AyeTab
Open a new tab and the tool list sits on the left with the selected tool on the right. Press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac) and type a few letters to jump to any tool. Paste a JWT, JSON blob, Base64 string or URL and AyeTab suggests the right tool.
The tools that cover a DevToys habit include the JSON Formatter, the JWT Debugger, Base64 and URL encoders, a Hash Generator for MD5 and the SHA family, UUID and ULID generators, YAML to JSON, Text Diff, a RegExp Tester, a Cron Parser and an X.509 Certificate Decoder. Star the ones you use and they stay at the top. The full tool list also runs as a web app, so the same tools work on a machine without the extension.
Privacy
Developers paste sensitive data into these tools: production tokens, customer JSON, connection strings. With some websites, what you paste can be sent to that site's server. AyeTab does every transform in the browser, with no upload and no account, and the extension asks only for side panel and storage access. DevToys is also offline by design, so both are safe choices here.
When to keep DevToys
Stay with DevToys if you want a native desktop app, need the CLI in scripts or CI, or rely on a community extension AyeTab does not have. Many developers keep both: DevToys for the terminal, AyeTab for the browser.
How to switch
- Install AyeTab from the Chrome Web Store.
- Open a new tab and star the tools you used most in DevToys.
- Learn Ctrl+K and press ? to see the shortcuts.
Removing or disabling the extension puts Chrome's default new tab back.