A web browser plug-in is software added to a browser to enhance its capabilities. Plug-ins can be created by the browser company or users, and can be free or paid. Popular plug-ins include ad-blockers and music download managers. Developers must maintain plug-ins to work with new browser versions.
Also known as a browser add-on, a web browser plug-in is a set of software components that can be added to a browser to increase its capabilities. The functionality of a plug-in can range from something as simple as giving the user the ability to zoom in on images, or something more complex, such as scanning for viruses or blocking ads. A plugin can be created by the company that developed the browser or, more often than not, by the users of the browser. Some browser plug-ins charge a one-time or monthly fee, but the vast majority are free for everyone. A browser plug-in can quickly become unusable if your browser is regularly updated to the latest versions.
For some popular browsers, there are thousands of browser plug-ins available for free. The most popular plug-ins are usually those created to block ads, help the user download or manage music, or customize a website. Other frequently downloaded browser plug-ins help you customize your browser theme, translate websites into your desired language, or manage and speed up your downloads. For a popular browser, a better browser plug-in could get more than 1 million downloads per week.
A significant portion of browser plug-ins are created by the user. These plug-ins are usually hosted on the browser’s website and categorized so that users can search for the most popular, top rated or recently uploaded plug-ins. Sometimes, the developer of a user-created plug-in asks for a small donation to pay for the time spent creating and updating the plug-in. These donations are completely optional and the user can usually easily proceed to install the browser plug-in. If the browser plug-in is not popular with browser users, it is usually abandoned by the developer.
Sometimes, a browser plug-in isn’t free, although this is quite rare. Indeed, paid plugins are usually not hosted on the browser’s website and must be present elsewhere. An example of a paid browser plug-in is one that formats articles so they can be read easily, stripping out any surrounding ads or images.
A browser plug-in must be maintained by the developer to work with new browser versions. Developers often download the beta version of the browser to make sure their software still works. If not, the developer fixes the code and uploads a new version for users to download. Sometimes, the developer abandons a plugin or gives it to another developer for maintenance.
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