Each browser comes with its own set of advantages and features. Some as we know, more than others. Until now one of the greatest benefits of browser leader Firefox has been the ability to fully customize it through the use of plugins and add-ons. This has helped it set itself apart from the competition.
While they are the most well known, Firefox is not the only browser that has this feature. Apple’s Safari browser also a large set of plug-ins that, like Firefox’s add-ons, increase the usability of your browser .
Though the Safari plugin library is not as extensive, today lets take a look at the top 17 plugins for the Safari browser that will enhance your browsing experience. Be warned, not all are free and many only work on Mac OSX
Saft is a Safari plugin to add features like draggable tabs, full-screen browsing, searchable bookmarks and history, URL shortcuts, kiosk mode and more.
Safari Plugin
Glims is a plugin which adds a whole collection of features and functionality to Safari Features include thumbnails in Google and Yahoo search results, full-screen browsing, favicons in tab labels, auto-close download window, always open links in new tab, close tabs using middle mouse button and dated download folders.
Safari Plugin
We all know by now that iPad was not well received because of its lack of support for Adobe Flash. That’s at least one of the reasons. Even though Flash is useful in many instances it ruins the browsing experience many times and it’s a resource hog.
Safari Plugin
Most of the time bloggers include screenshots while writing tutorials, guides and just about anything else. RedSnapper is one of the best plugins that lets you take screenshots with ease. RedSnapper costs $8 and has a 14 day free trail.
Safari Plugin
Adds syntax coloring to Safari’s source view, accessible via an additional preference panel.
Safari Plugin
Inquisitor adds instant search to Safari’s search field, displaying a handful of results in just a second. It’s a great time-saver, because it often allows you to skip over the Google results page entirely, and go directly to the site you’re looking for.
Safari Plugin
This plugin gives you Exposé for your tabs. Just press the button on the toolbar or the shortcut key, and all your tabs fly out into thumbnails, much like OS X’s beloved Exposé.
Safari Plugin
Cooliris is a nice plug-in that displays videos and photos in Safari in a Cover Flow-like arrangement.
Aside from a beautiful design, Cooliris features a search box in the top right of the display that allows you to search for Google images, Hulu videos, Flickr pictures, and a variety of other multimedia content. You can bring one image to the front of the display or hold the left-click down and drag your way across the page.
Safari Plugin
SafariStand is another multi-purpose plugin, and its best feature is a sidebar with thumbnails of all your open tabs. If you’ve seen the OmniWeb or Shiira browsers, you might recognize this feature. SafariStand also does other neat tricks like color labels for bookmarks, and saving and restoring your current tabs as “workspaces.” SafariStand is Mac-only.
Safari Plugin
Have you ever wanted to download some of your favorite YouTube videos? There are many applications which lets you download videos from YouTube. FLVR lets you do it in just one click. With one simple click on the FLVR button present on the toolbar, you can actually download the video directly from video’s page right within the browser. You can download the trail version, and if you are impressed you can buy this plugin for $15.
Safari Plugin
With PithHelmet lingering and not yet updated for Safari 4, your best bet to block ads is Safari AdBlock. It’s a simple install, and it works well with very little configuration.
Safari Plugin
Power users of Firefox utilize a plugin called Greasemonkey to modify any website they browse using bits of JavaScript.
This really enhances your browsing experience as you can, for example, modify the font sizes and colors on your favorite sites to make them more readable.
Safari Plugin
Safari140 is a simple Safari plug-in that lets you add a quick update to Twitter. Safari140 is listed in your File menu. Once you click the “Post to Twitter” option, Safari140 automatically populates your tweet box with the title of the page you’re on and the link.
Safari Plugin
An alternative to the DeliciousSafari plugin, Safarilicious is a standalone app that will export your Safari bookmarks to del.icio.us, a popular bookmarking service.
Safarilicious can also generate del.icio.us tags from your bookmarks folder structure as well as letting you add your own.
Safari Plugin
GlimmerBlocker offers a powerful ad-blocking plugin for Safari that avoids this method of enhancement. Instead, it is implemented as a simple http proxy. A robust set of built-in filters are included, and custom filters can be added via the control panel that is installed in the System Preferences.
Safari Plugin
1Password isn’t just a plugin, it’s a whole password management service that comes with browser integration.
The benefit of using 1Password is that you can automatically generally really strong passwords and the service will then remember and automatically fill them in for you.
Costs $39.95, but there is a free trial available.
Safari Plugin
If you wish to view PDF files directly in your browser then, you might want to check out PDF Browser plugin for Safari. With PDF browser you can directly view PDF documents in your browser, print them and save – if you wish to read them offline.
Safari Plugin
