I built a Chrome extension to fix tab chaos. 40 users so far — how do I grow from here?
Hey IH,
A few months ago I finally scratched an itch that had been bugging me for years. Like a lot of us, I live with way too many tabs open — docs, Reddit threads, YouTube videos, random sites I swear I’ll get back to later. My browser started feeling less like a tool and more like a black hole for productivity.
I tried every tab manager I could find. Some were too basic, some too clunky, others felt abandoned. None of them solved the real pain:
Actually finding something you’ve already seen.
So I built SmartTab. Here’s what it does right now:
Saves the full text of every page you visit (not just titles/URLs).
Lets you type in any random words you remember and instantly find the page.
Gives you sessions, favorites, and better history so you don’t lose important stuff.
Basically, it’s my “second brain” inside the browser.
I soft-launched a couple of weeks ago, posted in a few communities, and now I’m sitting at around 40 active users. It feels amazing to know other people are using it, but now comes the hard part: growing beyond friends, early testers, and random Reddit clicks.
Here’s what I’d love your advice on:
How would you approach going from ~40 to 500 users?
Is doubling down on communities like Reddit and Product Hunt worth it, or just a sugar high?
Has anyone here grown a Chrome extension (or small SaaS) and found a channel that really worked?
This is my first indie product, so I’m learning as I go. I’d love to hear what’s worked (or not worked) for you. 🙏
Thanks for reading, and I’m happy to share more details if it’s useful!
