A clock on every task
Every task carries its own worked clock. Activate a task and it counts; pause and it stops; come back tomorrow and it resumes from the banked total. At any moment you can see what a task has actually cost you.
LaunchPad vs Speed Dial 2: which new tab page should you choose?
Both replace Chrome's new tab, but they are built for different jobs. One is a launcher for your bookmarks. The other is a home for your working day. Here is an honest comparison. Last updated August 2026.
Quick answer: choose Speed Dial 2 if you want the most mature bookmark launcher with cross-device sync and a mobile app. Choose LaunchPad if you want your new tab to track your tasks, goals, and time, with all data stored locally in your browser and no account required. LaunchPad has a free tier, and Pro costs $4.99/month or $39/year.
How do LaunchPad and Speed Dial 2 compare?
| Feature | LaunchPad | Speed Dial 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | Productivity dashboard: tasks, goals, and time tracking in the new tab | Bookmark launcher: fast access to sites, apps, and groups |
| Shortcuts and groups | Yes, customizable shortcut grid | Yes, unlimited dials, groups, and themes; its strongest suit |
| Task and goal tracking | Full system: tasks, goals, tags, recurring tasks, a per-task worked clock | To-do and notes widgets |
| Time measurement | Built-in engine: Deep Work Time, Time-by-Site, per-task time, an Insights board, and a Day Recap | Not a focus of the product |
| Focus tools | Focus Sessions with site blocking, wired into time measurement | Focus Mode blocks sites on a schedule |
| Sync and mobile | No account and no cloud, by design (see privacy below) | Pro: sync across devices, a mobile app, online bookmark access |
| Account required | Never | For sync and Pro features |
| Where your data lives | In your browser, on your machine | Synced through Speed Dial 2's servers when sync is on |
| Browsers | Chrome | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave |
| Price | Free tier; Pro at $4.99/month or $39/year | Free tier; paid Pro subscription |
What makes LaunchPad different?
Deep Work Time and Insights
A built-in tracking engine measures your focused browsing and rolls it into an Insights board: deep work by day, time by tag, top tasks, and a Day Recap. Real numbers, drawn from how you actually worked.
Focus Sessions and Blocking
Start a Focus Session and distracting sites are intercepted before they load. Blocking is wired into measurement, so a session does not just remove distractions; it shows you what the protected time produced.
Local-first privacy
No account, no backend, no server. Your tasks and your time data live in your browser's local storage and never leave your machine. Even this website carries no analytics.
Start of Day and Day Recap
Open your first tab and LaunchPad frames the day: your goals, your active work, and yesterday's recap. Close the day knowing where the hours went instead of guessing.
Honest numbers, simple pricing
No algorithmic productivity scores and no grades. You get measured time and you draw the conclusions. Pro is $4.99/month or $39/year, and the free tier is a complete customizable new tab.
What does Speed Dial 2 do well?
A deep bookmark launcher
Unlimited dials organized into groups, dozens of themes, and a sidebar for your Google bookmarks. As a launcher it is one of the most polished options in the Chrome Web Store.
Sync and mobile
The Pro subscription syncs your dials and settings across devices, adds a mobile app, and gives you online access to your bookmarks from anywhere.
A decade of trust
Speed Dial 2 has been in the Chrome Web Store since 2011 and serves over a million users across Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Brave. Longevity like that is earned.
How do they handle privacy?
This is a question of architecture rather than intentions. Speed Dial 2's headline Pro features, sync, mobile access, and online bookmarks, require your data to live on a server and an account to get it there. That is a fair trade for multi-device access, and they have maintained that trust for over a decade.
LaunchPad makes the opposite trade. There is no account and no server that ever sees your tasks or your time data. Everything lives in your browser's local storage. The cost is real: no cloud sync and no mobile app. The benefit is that a record of how you spend every working hour, which is what a time tracker inevitably becomes, never leaves your machine.
Which one is right for you?
Choose Speed Dial 2 if...
Your new tab is a launcher. You live across multiple browsers or devices, and sync plus a mobile app matter more to you than time tracking.
Choose LaunchPad if...
You open a new tab fifty times a day and want each one to pull you back to what you were doing, with the receipts at day's end to prove where the time went, and you want that record to stay yours alone.
Frequently asked questions
Is LaunchPad a good alternative to Speed Dial 2?
Yes, if what you want from a new tab page is productivity rather than just speed. LaunchPad keeps the shortcut grid but adds tasks, goals, focus sessions, and a time-tracking engine, with all data stored locally. If your priority is bookmark sync across many devices, Speed Dial 2 remains the stronger launcher.
Does LaunchPad require an account?
No. LaunchPad has no accounts and no backend. All data is stored in your browser's local storage. Pro is activated with a license key and works the same way.
Does Speed Dial 2 track your time?
Not really. It offers to-do and notes widgets and a Focus Mode that blocks sites on a schedule. LaunchPad is built around measurement: per-task time, Deep Work Time, Time-by-Site, and an Insights board.
Is LaunchPad free?
Yes. The free tier is a complete customizable new tab page with shortcuts, wallpapers, layout control, and named sessions you save and relaunch. The Pro tier adds workspaces, tasks and goals, the tracking engine, Focus Sessions and Blocking, and Insights for $4.99/month or $39/year.
Where does LaunchPad store my data?
In your browser, on your machine, using Chrome's local extension storage. Nothing is sent to a server, and the LaunchPad website itself carries no analytics.