Session Buddy vs Toby (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Session Buddy grades higher than Toby: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Session Buddy grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. Toby grades higher on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Session Buddy
Chrome extension for saving tab sessions and bookmark collections
Toby
Browser extension that saves open tabs into shared Spaces
Which one is for you
Pick Session Buddy if
- Fits if you keep hundreds of tabs open and want crash recovery
- Works for people who want tab data on their own device with no login
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want sync, as data lives on the device and never on a server
- Skip it if you use another browser, as the site links only to the Chrome Web Store
- Too light for reading later, since it saves links and tab state, not article text
- Watch out: pricing is not stated beyond a donation page
Pick Toby if
- Fits if you keep a pile of open tabs and want them filed away
- Works for a small team sharing a set of research links
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 60 saved tabs per workspace fills fast
- Pricey if you need unlimited tabs or advanced search, which are Productivity at $4.50 a member a month
- Not for you if you need SSO or priority support, as those are Team at $8 or Enterprise
- Watch out: Enterprise has no published price
How we grade them
| 2.6GPASession BuddyGood | 2.4GPATobyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BFree use is inferred from a donation page, as the site states no pricing. | CProductivity is $4.50 a member a month billed yearly, or $6 monthly, between the middle and dearer quarter for reading apps, and Team is $8. |
| Free plan and trial | BNo plan, cap or account, though the site does not say so outright. | CStarter is free for good with unlimited members, but a workspace stops taking new tabs at 60. Saved tabs stay viewable and exportable. |
| Features | CIt saves sessions and tab state fully, which is a smaller job. It stores links, not article text. | BSpaces, collections, session saving, sharing, sync, search with duplicate removal and AI organization. The listing names no gap in saving tabs. |
| Ease of use | BA Chrome extension you install and click, with no store rating read. | CNo rating on record. You set up spaces and collections yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | CChrome only, with no sync between computers, phones or other browsers. | BWeb, a browser extension, iOS and Android. No desktop app is listed, and there are no integrations on record. |
| Best for | saving and restoring Chrome tab sessions | saving and sharing browser tabs in collections |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Session Buddy and Toby. How we grade
Price against what you get
Session Buddy has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Toby starts at $4.50 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Toby scores higher, and starts $4.50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other read-later and bookmark apps on the chart, none scores higher than Session Buddy for less, and 7 score higher than Toby for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Toby also covers web clipper and templates.
At a glance
| Session Buddy | Toby | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $4.50 per member / month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | None | Starter: up to 60 saved tabs, unlimited members and basic tab management features. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Session Buddy | Launch Labs, Inc. dba Axiom Zen |
| Price read from | sessionbuddy.com | gettoby.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Session Buddy
- Data lives on the device, never on a server, so there is no sync between computers.
- The site links only to the Chrome Web Store for installing, with no other browsers named.
- It saves links and tab state, not article text, so it is not a read-later reader.
- Pricing is not stated on the site beyond a donation page, so free use is inferred from that.
Toby
- The free plan stops you from saving new tabs once a workspace holds 60; saved tabs stay viewable and exportable.
- Unlimited saved tabs, advanced search and AI start on the paid plans.
- SSO and priority support are limited to Team and Enterprise.
Key features
Session Buddy
- Save and restore sessions
- Store open tabs with one click and restore them to the original windows, one window or the current window, with pinned tabs and window positions kept.
- Tab history and crash recovery
- A timeline of past tab states lets you restore tabs after a crash or restart, with custom intervals and cleanup rules.
- Bookmark collections
- Group bookmarks by topic or project, color-code and pin collections, and detect duplicates.
- Unified search
- Search across open tabs, collections and tab history together, with query syntax and filters by item type.
- Import and export formats
- Copy or export tabs and bookmarks in more than 15 formats, including plain text, JSON, CSV, Markdown and HTML.
- Backups
- Automatic backups let you restore deleted items, and a manual one-click backup covers the whole library.
Toby
- Spaces and collections
- Create a Space for each project or team and sort saved tabs into collections inside it, with tags and notes on each saved tab.
- One-click save and sessions
- Save all open tabs in one click, store them as a session, and restore them later; organize them when you have time.
- Shared Spaces and links
- Invite teammates into a Space so anyone can add and organize links, or turn a collection into a share link.
- Sync across browsers and devices
- Spaces stay in sync across the browsers and devices you sign in to; the site lists web, iOS and Android apps beside the extension.
- Search and duplicate removal
- Basic search is on every plan. Advanced search through history and removal of duplicate tabs need Productivity or Team.
- AI organization
- The comparison table lists AI features on the paid Productivity and Team plans.
Plans
Session Buddy
Session Buddy$0
Every feature is available without a login; the site asks for donations instead.
Toby
Starter$0
Up to 60 saved tabs, unlimited members, spaces, collections, session saving, tags, notes and basic search.
Productivity$4.50
per member / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
Unlimited saved tabs, advanced search through history and duplicate-tab removal.
Team$8
per member / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
Everything in Productivity plus SSO, priority support and centralized billing.
EnterpriseCustom
The pricing page tells larger organizations to contact the vendor; no price is published.
Ways to pay less
Session Buddy
No public discounts listed.
Toby
- Annual discount
Save 20-25% with yearly billing
Productivity is $4.50 per member a month billed yearly against $6 billed monthly; Team is $8 against $10.
- Education
Student and educator discount
The pricing page links a student and educator verification request for a discount; the amount is not stated.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Session Buddy or Toby?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Session Buddy is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $4.50 a month for each person for Toby. Session Buddy is free, and Toby starts at $4.50 per member / month, billed yearly.
Which has a free plan, Session Buddy or Toby?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Session Buddy and Toby have a free plan.
Which platforms do Session Buddy and Toby run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Toby lists a web app and iOS and Android apps. Both list a browser extension. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.