Second Bookmark Bar vs Bookmark Sidebar (2026): top row or side overlay?

Bookmark Sidebar is a widely used extension that opens your whole bookmark tree in a panel at the left edge. Second Bookmark Bar keeps a thin row above the page. Bookmark Sidebar costs no space while closed. The row costs 34 px of height but needs no click to appear. The numbers come from my hands-on test, which the full review explains.

Last checked: October 2, 2026 Prices/limits verified October 2, 2026

Every feature, side by side

49 features in 7 groups. I checked each cell against the tool's own code and settings: Second Bookmark Bar 3.1.131, Bookmark Sidebar 2.5.7 and the Chrome 154 side panel. Partial means part of it, with the limit in the note. Premium is Bookmark Sidebar's paid tier, Pro is Second Bookmark Bar's. On a phone, swipe the table sideways.

Feature comparison: Second Bookmark Bar, Bookmark Sidebar, Chrome side panel
Feature	Second Bookmark Bar	Bookmark Sidebar	Chrome side panel
Layout and access
Where it sits	A 34 px row at the top of the page	Overlay at the left or right edge, or the browser's side panel	Browser side panel
Visible without a click	YesOn normal web pages. Not on the New Tab page or in PDFs	PartialOverlay opens on click, hover at the edge or the icon. Side panel mode stays open	YesOnce opened, it stays open across tabs
Screen space	34 px of height, always. No width	None while closed. 350 px overlay while open (width slider)	386 px of width while open
Move or resize it	NoFixed at the top, fixed height. Text size 10 to 18 px	PartialLeft or right, width slider. Drag-to-resize is Premium	PartialLeft or right in Chrome's settings. Width can be dragged
Several separate bars or sets	YesUp to 7 slots, one folder each, switch with a click	NoOne tree. Pinned entries at the top instead	NoOne tree
Whole folder tree at once	PartialOne folder per slot. Subfolders open as drop-down menus	YesRemembers open folders and scroll position	YesOpen a folder or expand it in place
Opens a bookmark in	Normal bookmarks: always a new tab, no setting. Videos: the same tab by default, with an "Open videos in a new tab" setting	The same tab by default. A setting switches to a new tab. Ctrl or middle click opens a new tab	The same tab on a click. Its menu also offers a new tab, new window, split view or Incognito
Open all bookmarks in a folder	YesIn a new window, or in a tab group	YesMiddle or Ctrl click on a folder, with a warning above 10	YesOpen all, in a new window, or in a new tab group
Keyboard shortcuts	Yes7 commands. Alt+1 to 3 and Ctrl+Shift+A set by default. Arrow keys on the bar	YesOne open command (you pick the key). Full keyboard control inside	PartialNo default key to open it. Arrow keys work inside
Search	YesSearch panel across all folders, with sort and filters	YesType to search titles, URLs, folders and notes	YesTitles, addresses and folder names, across all folders
Hide on chosen sites	YesExcluded sites (whole site or a path), or show only on listed sites. Incognito choice	YesBlock list or allow list with URL patterns	NoPart of the browser, not tied to sites
Switch folder by website	YesAuto-switch rules by domain and path	NoIts site list only turns the sidebar on or off	No
Icons only (hide names)	YesSeparate switches for bookmarks and for folders	PartialOnly through Expert settings, which are Premium	NoCompact or visual view only
Custom folder icons	YesA Material icon per folder, and an icon per slot button	Partial3 folder icon styles and a colour, for all folders	No
Themes and colours	YesLight, dark or system. 4 styles. Custom text and background colours	PartialLight, dark or auto and colours are free. Glass and Focus themes and custom CSS are Premium	Follows Chrome's theme
Interface languages	13	39	Chrome's own languages
Organizing
Drag and drop	YesReorder chips on the bar. Drop links, tab addresses or videos onto it to save them. Moving into another folder is not done by drag	YesReorder and move between folders, several at once	PartialInto folders only, from its code. Lists are always sorted, so no manual order
Edit, rename and delete in place	YesFrom the right-click menu, with undo on delete	YesEdit dialogs and multi-select	YesEdit mode with multi-select
Sorting	YesSort a folder by date or name, with undo	YesCustom, name, URL, most used, recently used or added	YesNewest, oldest, last opened, A to Z, Z to A
Pin favourites	YesPin up to 10 bookmarks to the bar	YesPin to the top of the sidebar	No
Tags and categories	YesUp to 32 tags and 24 categories	No	No
Notes on a bookmark	No	YesAn "Additional info" text, kept on the device	No
Most used and recent	YesMost used and Recent menus on the bar, plus your own Low, Mid, Top rank	YesClick counts drive most-used and recently-used sorting	PartialSort by last opened. No most-used list
Import from other tools	YesRaindrop, Toby, Pocket and HTML bookmark files	NoPoints to the browser's own import	NoNot in the panel. Chrome itself imports HTML files and other browsers
Video
Video folders with thumbnails	YesFree: 1 video folder. Pro: 7	No	No
Resume where you stopped	YesOn by default, Shift+Click starts from 0:00	No	No
Start and end time (clips)	Yes	No	No
Play a folder in order	YesPlay all, in the current tab	No	No
Continue watching and unwatched filters	Yes	No	No
Video tags and playlists	YesFree: 2 tags and 2 playlists per video. Pro: 32 and 24	No	No
Saving and productivity
Save the current page	YesQuick save button or shortcut, with undo. Already saved pages are flagged	YesAdd bookmark, filled in from the page	YesAn Add current tab button
Save all open tabs	YesOne button or Ctrl+Shift+A. Pick a folder, optionally close the tabs	No	PartialNot in the panel. Chrome's menu has Bookmark all tabs (Ctrl+Shift+D)
Scheduled and repeating bookmarks	YesDaily, weekly, monthly or custom. Free: 3 active. Pro: 50	No	No
Different folder per window	YesOptional	No	Not verified
Quick hide for screen sharing	YesA hide shortcut you choose, off by default	PartialIts open shortcut also closes it	You close the panel by hand
Cleanup, safety and backup
Duplicate finder	YesFree	PremiumPart of the Premium link checker	No
Broken link check	YesFree: 300 bookmarks per run. Pro: 5,000	Premium	No
Undo and restore points	YesUp to 24 restore points before bulk changes, plus undo on delete, sort and save	Partial9 second undo after deleting one bookmark. No undo for folders	PartialUndo after a delete. No restore points
Backup to a file	YesSettings, bookmarks or both. Free	PremiumSettings only. Bookmarks go through the browser	PartialNot in the panel. Chrome's bookmark manager exports an HTML file
Sync and teams
Bookmarks on all your devices	YesThey are normal browser bookmarks, so browser sync covers them	YesSame, it shows your browser bookmarks	YesThrough Chrome sync, after you sign in
Settings sync	YesThrough the browser's sync storage. Free	YesThrough the browser's sync storage. Free	Not applicable
Own cloud sync and backup	ProSign in with Google	No	NoUses Chrome sync
Shared team folders	ProShared spaces with invites and seats	No	No
Privacy, platforms and price
Usage analytics	NoNo analytics or tracking code	PartialA daily basic record (browser, OS, version, language) is sent by default. Settings and bookmark counts only if you opt in	Covered by Chrome's own settings
Access to websites	Runs on every http and https page. No all-sites permission	All sites (<all_urls>)	None needed
Browsers	Chrome, Edge and Firefox	Chrome, Edge and Opera	Chrome only
Admin policies for companies	YesTurn off cloud sync, preset excluded sites	No	Chrome's own policies
Price	Free covers all core features, including link check, duplicate cleanup, backup and themes. Pro is EUR 4.99 a month or EUR 47.90 a year	Free. Premium is a one-time payment, amount of your choice	Free
What the paid tier adds	Cloud sync, shared folders, 7 video folders and higher limits	Themes, drag-to-resize, link and duplicate checker, custom CSS, settings import and export, expert settings	No paid tier

What I measured

	Bookmark Sidebar	Second Bookmark Bar
Screen space	0 px while closed. A 350 px overlay while open, which covers the page and dims it without reflowing it	34 px of height, always. No width, nothing covered
Visible without a click	No. Closed until you click the left edge, and closed again after each page load	Yes, on normal web pages. Not on the New Tab page or the PDF viewer
Clicks to a bookmark in a folder (first time)	4 clicks. 2 once the folders are expanded	2 clicks. 1 while the same slot stays active
Opens a bookmark in	The same tab by default. One setting switches it to a new tab	A new tab for normal bookmarks, with no setting to change it. Video bookmarks open in the same tab by default, and the "Open videos in a new tab" setting changes that
Folder view	The whole folder tree in one panel	One folder per slot. Slots switch with a click, or with Alt+1 to 3 by default (not tested by me)
Keyboard	No default open key. Type to search, Tab, Enter once open	Arrow keys, Home and End move across the row. A forward Tab from the page did not land on a chip in my test. Search has no default key
Page-load impact in my test	Within noise on NPR and MDN. About +36 ms script time on Wikipedia	Within noise on NPR and MDN. About +90 ms script time on Wikipedia
Memory added after a restart (1 / 3 / 10 tabs)	+208 / +268 / +352 MB. About even with SBB before the restart	+153 / +185 / +294 MB. About even with Bookmark Sidebar before the restart. Gaps under about 30 MB are noise
Broken-link check	A Premium feature	Free for 300 bookmarks per run. Pro for 5,000
Permissions	Access to all sites, plus scripting and sidePanel	No all-sites access. One backend domain, plus identity and alarms
Price	Free. Premium is a one-time payment of your choice and unlocks link check, duplicates, export and extra themes	Free covers all core features, including link check, duplicate cleanup and backup. Pro (EUR 4.99 a month or EUR 47.90 a year) adds cloud sync, shared folders and more video folders

Who each is actually for

Pick Bookmark Sidebar if you keep a big, deep tree of bookmarks, you open it now and then, and you want your screen back the rest of the time. It also suits you if you prefer links to open in the tab you are in.

Pick Second Bookmark Bar if you want the least friction between you and your sites. Your bookmarks sit one click away on every page, with nothing to open or close first. Slots keep several folders a click apart, and site rules switch the folder for you as you move between sites. Drag a YouTube video onto the bar to save it, and it picks up where you stopped. It takes 34 px of height and no width, so pages keep their full layout, even on a small laptop. Link check, duplicate cleanup and backup come free.

Where the row costs more, and where it does not

The row is not free. It takes 34 px of height on every page, even when you are not using it, and it does not show up on the New Tab page or in the PDF viewer. Bookmark Sidebar takes nothing while closed. That is a real point in its favor.

What the row saves is the opening step. In my test the overlay closed on every page load, because it opens links in the same tab. The row stayed in place, even on the tab a bookmark opened in. On memory, my first run was unfair to Second Bookmark Bar. My script opened its settings page just before measuring, which left about 60 MB behind. I fixed that and ran it again. After a browser restart, SBB added somewhat less than Bookmark Sidebar in this test (+153 versus +208 MB with one tab, +294 versus +352 MB with ten). Differences under about 30 MB are noise, and on live pages the totals moved by more than that between runs. SBB’s bar costs about 3.5 to 4 MB per open tab in its own frame. The full numbers, screenshots and my own list of weak points are in the hands-on review.

FAQ

Does Bookmark Sidebar shrink the page?

Not in its default overlay mode. In my test the viewport stayed the same and the sidebar covered 350 px of the page. Chrome's own side panel did shrink the page, by 386 px.

Does Second Bookmark Bar take screen space?

Yes, 34 px of height on every normal page, which was 3.4% of the page height at 1920x1080 and 5.0% at 1366x768 in my test. It takes no width.

Which one is better for a large folder tree?

Bookmark Sidebar. It shows the whole tree in one panel and remembers which folders you opened. Second Bookmark Bar shows one folder per slot.

Can I use both?

They are separate extensions and nothing stops you installing both, but I did not test them together.

Does Second Bookmark Bar use more memory than Bookmark Sidebar?

Not in my corrected test. After a browser restart, SBB added +153, +185 and +294 MB at 1, 3 and 10 tabs, and Bookmark Sidebar added +208, +268 and +352 MB. Before the restart they were about even. My first run was unfair to SBB, and the review explains the fix.

Does Second Bookmark Bar open bookmarks in a new tab?

Yes. Normal bookmarks always open in a new tab, and there is no setting to change that. Video bookmarks are different: they open in the same tab by default, and the Open videos in a new tab setting changes that. Bookmark Sidebar opens bookmarks in the same tab by default, and one setting switches it to a new tab.

What does Bookmark Sidebar have that Second Bookmark Bar does not?

The whole folder tree in one panel, a note on each bookmark, drag and drop between folders, a native side panel mode, 39 interface languages (SBB has 13), and a one-time Premium payment. The feature table above lists every row I checked.

Try it in your own bar

Second Bookmark Bar is free to install, works entirely on your device by default, and takes about a minute to set up.

Add to Chrome — it's free

Last checked: October 2, 2026 — every table cell above was checked against Bookmark Sidebar's own pages on that date. See something out of date? let us know.