$0
Price for users
Browsing and installing extensions is free
Report
Should I Use Chrome Web Store?
Add new features to your browser and personalize your browsing experience.
Depends
DependsIf you use Chrome, this store is unavoidable — it is effectively the only extension marketplace — but treat every install as a security decision.
Free and unavoidable for Chrome users — vet every install; devs get cheap distribution, slow reviews, no payments.
Confidence: Medium
$5 one-time
Developer fee
Registration fee to publish, unchanged for years
287
Extensions leaking data
Found by a security researcher, Feb 2026 report
1.7M
Malicious installs
Installs on one batch of malicious extensions
Value for money
5
Free for users; $5 one-time developer fee
Ease of use
3
Familiar storefront, but discoverability complaints are common
Feature depth
4
Huge catalog plus admin controls in enterprise edition
Support quality
2
Slow opaque reviews; user reviews vanish with no recourse
Security posture
2
Repeated malicious-extension batches despite a review process
Pros
Cons
- Malicious extensions repeatedly found stealing credentials and crypto
- Security researcher found 287 extensions leaking user data⁷
- Developers call review process slow, opaque, and a mess⁶
- Built-in payments deprecated; monetization is now DIY⁴
- Poor discoverability; developers report search and listing problems
Gotchas
- highStore payments were shut down; you must build billing through third parties like ExtensionPay⁴
- highTrusted extensions get hacked or change hands, turning malicious after you install10
- mediumLengthy review times stall new launches, especially painful for first-time developers⁵
- low$5 one-time registration fee just to publish an extension³
Best for
- Chrome users wanting extensions
- Developers reaching Chrome's user base
- Enterprises managing extension fleets
- Light browsing personalization
Not for
- Firefox or Safari users — wrong ecosystem entirely
- Teams wanting vetted, audited software
- Developers wanting built-in payments and billing
- Anyone expecting strict quality curation
Pricing
Browsing & installing
$0
- Free extension installs
- Paid extensions priced by their developers
Developer account
$5 one-time
- Publish extensions to Chrome users
- Fee has not changed since introduction
Security
Chronic malicious-extension problem: Google's review process exists, but researchers and journalists document repeated large-scale failures.
- 287 extensions found leaking user dataA security researcher documented hundreds of Chrome Web Store extensions exposing data, with fixes arriving only after disclosure.⁷
- 100+ malicious extensions stealing accounts and dataBleepingComputer reported more than 100 malicious extensions in the store targeting user accounts and data.⁸
- Malicious extensions reached 1.7M installsAlmost a dozen malicious extensions collectively reached roughly 1.7 million installs before removal.⁹
- 16 extensions hacked, exposing millionsA supply-chain attack on extension developer accounts exposed millions of users to data theft.10
What users say
Users value the selection, but developers consistently complain about slow reviews, weak discoverability, and poor curation.
“Chrome web store Is a nightmare for developers & it made me appreciate web dev even more..”
“Why the Chrome Web Store Sucks”
“Chrome Web Store is a mess”
Alternatives
Compare Chrome Web Store with each alternative.
Mozilla Add-ons
Firefox's official extension store; the established non-Chrome alternative
Chrome Web Store vs Mozilla Add-onsChrome Web Store for Enterprises
Google's curated, admin-controlled variant for organizations
Chromium Web Store
Community store option for Chromium-based browsers
Chrome Web Store vs Chromium Web StoreEdge Add-ons
Guess: Microsoft's marketplace; accepts most Chromium extensions
Chrome Web Store vs Edge Add-onsFull analysis
Based on 40+ public sources: security research, developer docs, news coverage, pricing guides, and community threads.
Sources
- Chrome Web Store review processdeveloper.chrome.comofficial
- Register your developer accountdeveloper.chrome.comofficial
- Chrome Web Store Developer Registration Fee 2026extensionradar.comreview
- ExtensionPay is the Chrome Web Store Payments Replacementextensionpay.comofficial
review
- Chrome Web Store is a messpalant.infosecurity
- Security researcher finds 287 Chrome extensions leaking datatheregister.comsecurity
- Over 100 Chrome Web Store extensions steal user accounts, datableepingcomputer.comsecurity
- Malicious Chrome extensions with 1.7M installs found on Web Storebleepingcomputer.comsecurity
news
- New Chrome Web Store for Enterprisescloud.google.comofficial
review
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