OneTab lists two million users on the Chrome Web Store alone, for one reason: click the icon and your open tabs become a list, closed, with the memory handed back. Bring them back one at a time or all at once. For that one job it's hard to beat, and the core is free.
A list isn't the same as sorted tabs, though. If you keep tabs open on purpose, as reminders or as work in progress, closing them into a list means not seeing them anymore. Swoop solves the same mess the other way round: nothing closes on its own, and each new tab lands in a colored, labeled group as it opens. Swoop isn't in the stores yet.
Swoop vs OneTab: at a glance
| Swoop | OneTab | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens to your tabs | They stay open, sorted into the browser's own groups | They're closed and saved as a list you bring back later |
| Frees memory | Optional, off by default. Flip one switch and Swoop suspends tabs in collapsed groups | Yes, that's the point of the one click |
| Organizing | By itself, as each new tab loads. On Pro & Premium, project groups too | One click saves everything; folders are up to you |
| Saves and restores tabs | No | Yes |
| Search | No | A search shortcut in the address bar |
| Cloud backup / sync | No | Paid "Backup & Sync", end-to-end encrypted |
| Import your OneTab list | No | Not applicable |
| What leaves your device: paid plans | Cloud AI: tab titles and URLs are processed for classification, then discarded — never stored by us, never sold, never used to train AI models. Anthropic, which runs the cloud model, deletes API data within 30 days, longer only if its safety systems flag it. Project detection also uses Voyage AI, which deletes it after processing. | Paid sync uploads your tabs encrypted on your device; OneTab says its servers can't read them |
| What leaves your device: free plan | Free tier: 100% on-device — nothing ever leaves your browser unless you choose to spend an AI credit. (Signing in is optional. An AI credit is one of the 10 one-time credits a free account comes with.) | OneTab says tab URLs are never sent to its developers or anyone else; site icons are fetched from Google |
| Price | Free €0; Pro €2.99/mo; Premium €8.99/mo | Core free; Backup & Sync €41.42/yr including VAT, as quoted for Germany |
Where Swoop wins
- Nothing closes on its own: your tabs stay where you can see them, sorted
- Sorting happens as you browse, with nothing to click
- No account needed. Free tier: 100% on-device — nothing ever leaves your browser unless you choose to spend an AI credit
Where OneTab wins
- Gets the memory back in one click, for free
- Saves and restores tabs, which Swoop doesn't do
- A huge, long-standing user base, and it runs in more browsers
What OneTab does well
If your only problem is that 100 open tabs are eating your RAM, OneTab solves it in one click and asks nothing of you. Its core is free, it's simple, and it has earned its huge user base. Its 2026 update added folders, notes, an address-bar search shortcut and paid, end-to-end encrypted Backup & Sync.
Where OneTab differs from Swoop
OneTab stashes tabs: they leave your tab strip and live in a list. Swoop doesn't stash anything. It keeps your tabs open and sorts them into the groups your browser already has, so the strip stays readable.
Swoop's memory saver is opt-in and covers only collapsed groups, and Swoop's own on-device model uses memory while it runs. If memory is the whole problem, start with OneTab.
How Swoop is different
Swoop sorts your open tabs into the browser's own colored groups as they open, with no workspaces to set up and nothing to click. When it puts a tab in the wrong group, one drag fixes it and Swoop remembers. On Pro and Premium it also spots your projects and names the group.
Swoop sorts; it doesn't search, save tabs or sync them. OneTab is the long-established staple. Swoop is the newer entrant, and Swoop and OneTab haven't been tested together, so we make no promise about how they interact.
Other OneTab alternatives worth knowing
Workona builds project workspaces you fill by hand, and its pricing page lists automation that auto-creates them. Toby's paid Smart group suggests tab groups when you ask. Session Buddy saves and restores whole sessions.
Sources
OneTab facts, all read on 2 November 2026; they change, so check the live pages.
1. OneTab's Chrome Web Store listing (chromewebstore.google.com): "convert all of your tabs into a list… restore them individually or all at once"; 2,000,000 users; "Your tab URLs are never transmitted or disclosed to the OneTab developers or any other party".
2. one-tab.com and its troubleshooting page: no signup required; icons for tab URL domains are generated by Google; OneTab v2 (February to March 2026) added folders, notes, sync and an address-bar search shortcut. one-tab.com and one-tab.com/troubleshooting
3. OneTab Backup & Sync: "€41.42 per license per year", including €6.61 VAT, quoted for a German visitor; the US price is unknown. (one-tab.com/sync)
4. Toby's paid Smart group suggests Chrome tab groups (help.gettoby.com, "Toby AI practices").
5. OneTab's privacy policy (one-tab.com/privacy): synced tabs "are encrypted on your device before they are uploaded… Our servers cannot read your tabs".
The verdict
If you just need to dump tabs and reclaim memory, OneTab is still a great, free choice.
If you want to keep your tabs open and be able to read them again, sorted automatically, that's what Swoop is for.
Frequently asked questions
Does Swoop save my tabs like OneTab?
No. Swoop doesn't save or restore tabs. It sorts the tabs you have open.
Does OneTab have a search feature?
OneTab's 2026 update added a search shortcut in the browser's address bar. It also added folders. Swoop has no search at all.
Is it safe to rely on OneTab for important tabs?
OneTab's core keeps your list in your browser, and its paid Backup & Sync adds an end-to-end encrypted copy across your computers. If a list matters to you, use the backup.
What's a good OneTab alternative for sessions?
For saving and restoring sessions, look at Session Buddy. For automatic sorting, Swoop has a free tier.
Will Swoop import my OneTab list?
No. Swoop can't import a OneTab list, and it doesn't save tabs.
Does Swoop free memory?
Only if you ask. Flip one switch and Swoop suspends tabs in collapsed groups. It's off by default.