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Browser Plug-ins & Filters round up
Product reviews > Software > Browser Plug-ins & Filters

Although Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox provide all manner of tools for navigating the web, there are lots of little extras that can make life even easier.

Browser plug-ins dedicated to specific tasks such as searching, spelling or shopping add functionality to IE and Firefox, while saving you the time and effort of visiting individual websites.

Others have a more practical function: filling in online forms or allowing you to view files of a certain format. Most people are familiar with the likes of Flash and QuickTime, and will already have them installed, so here we suggest eight more add-ons to help you get more from the web.

While the vast majority of websites are perfectly safe, some pose a serious threat. There are sites that have been specifically designed to steal your personal details and infect your system with Trojans and spyware. Telling the good from the bad isn't always easy, and this is where internet filters come in.

They basically check every site you visit, or every result produced by a search, and colour-code it so you can tell instantly whether it's safe or not. There are several to choose from, although they don't all work in the same way.

Product Price Reviewed Rating
McAfee Site Advisor Jun 2008

McAfee Site Advisor SiteAdvisor protects you from a range of threats. The button at the bottom of your browser changes colour depending on how the site you're looking at ranks. more..

WOT Jun 2008

WOT WOT (Web of Trust) is a community-based filter. Sites are vetted and rated by users of the service and various additional trusted sources. more..

TrendProtect Jun 2008

TrendProtect Currently only available for Internet Explorer, this plug-in adds traffic-light coloured icons to the start of all search results. more..

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition Jun 2008

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition The latest version of AVG's free anti-virus tool displays colour-coded stars next to search results. Hover your mouse over one to see what risks, if any, that site poses. more..

Finjan SecureBrowsing Jun 2008

Finjan SecureBrowsing Like AVG Free, this add-on follows the links on a page and analyses each one in real-time, looking for threats. Pages are classified as either green, yellow or red... more..

Netcraft Anti-PhishingToolbar Jun 2008

Netcraft Anti-PhishingToolbar This toolbar is designed to help you avoid falling for phishing scams. It displays a clear risk rating for every site you visit, along with information on when/where the site was set up, etc... more..

Google Toolbar Free Jan 2007

Gold Award Logo Google's Toolbar is packed with great features that let you access Google services and lots of useful utilities. more..

Yahoo Toolbar Free Jan 2007

Web User Bronze Award A fantastic time-saving device, this toolbar offers one-click access to Yahoo's sites and services. more..

Windows Live Toolbar Free Jan 2007

Web User Silver Award Windows Live provides improved searching, increased security and shortcuts to your favourite Microsoft sites and services. more..

Auction Sniper Fee per auction won Apr 2006

Auction Sniper A simple to set up, easy to manage and cheap to use auction sniping service that can bring the benefits of last minute bidding to anyone who uses eBay. more..

Powersnipe £26 Mar 2006

Powersnipe If you're a true eBay addict, you'll be looking for a service that offers unlimited snipes for a set fee. PowerSnipe has the easiest interface between browsing and sniping... more..

AuctionStealer Free for basic service; $8.99 (£5) a month; $79.99 (£46) a year Mar 2006

AuctionStealer If you're not sure what all the fuss about sniping is, AuctionStealer is a great place to find out. more..

Auction Sentry Standard Edition $14.99 (£9); Deluxe Edition $24.99 (£14) with a $9.99 (£6) renewal fee after each year Mar 2006

Auction Sentry Auction Sentry loses ground on its rivals thanks to its payment options (although it does offer a 10-day free trial). more..

Bidnapper www.bidnapper.com Mar 2006

Bidnapper Bidnapper doesn't stand out against the other options enough for us to recommend it. more..

Onbidder £19.99 per year Mar 2006

Onbidder Onbidder's service only just misses out on an award to AuctionStealer's free snipes. It's easy to use from the start... more..

eBay Toolbar Feb 2005

eBay Toolbar This nifty plug-in gives you quick, easy access to eBay without the need to visit the site itself. At a glance, you can search for items you'd like to buy. more..

Adobe Acrobat Reader Feb 2005

Adobe Acrobat Reader So many companies now use PDF files to share information across the web, be it a user manual for a digital camera or a London bus map, that Acrobat Reader is an essential browser plug-in. more..

ieSpell Feb 2005

ieSpell Poor spelling is rife on the internet, from the error-strewn reviews of Ain't It Cool News to illiterate outbursts in chat rooms. Ensure you don't add to the problem with the aid of ieSpell. more..

DzSoft Favorites Search Feb 2005

DzSoft Favorites Search If you're an active web surfer, chances are you've assembled quite a collection of bookmarked sites since you first started browsing. With DzSoft Favorites Search, you can quickly search them. more..

JustBlogIt Feb 2005

JustBlogIt Inspiration for your daily blog entry can come at any time, especially when you're browsing the web rather than staring at an empty text box. With JustBlogIt you can create a post for your web log simply... more..



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Welcome to Web User magazine's online home, where you'll find news, reviews and a buzzing forum. For the best websites, practical advice and the latest music and film downloads every fortnight, get Web User, the UK’s best selling internet magazine.
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