View Rendered Source vs Web Developer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Web Developer grades higher than View Rendered Source: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Web Developer grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
View Rendered Source
Free Chrome extension comparing raw HTML with the rendered page
Web Developer
Free browser toolbar of page inspection and validation tools
Which one is for you
Pick View Rendered Source if
- Fits if you check what a JavaScript-heavy page looks like before and after rendering
- Works for developers testing prerendering or dynamic rendering for Googlebot
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: the last release, version 4.0, is from June 2023
- Skip it if you're not on Chrome, as there's no other version
- Too light for audits, since it compares one page's source and checks nothing else
- Not for you if you want a help page, as support is by X message to the developer
Pick Web Developer if
- Fits if you check alt text, hidden elements and markup by hand
- Works for people who switch between Firefox, Edge and Chrome and want the same tools in each
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want search, ranking or backlink data, as it has none
- Watch out: the latest release is 3.0.1 from June 2024, built in the developer's spare time with no release dates
- Skip it if you're on Opera, where the version is 0.2.2 from February 2017
- Tight if you're on Firefox, which lacks the disable features, Display Style Information and the context menu
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAView Rendered SourceGood | 3.0GPAWeb DeveloperVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree from the Chrome Web Store, with no paid version, account or sign-up mentioned anywhere in its listing. | AFree and open source in the Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera stores; the developer asks for optional donations. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright: raw, rendered and diff views and the Googlebot and mobile options, with nothing to upgrade to. | AFree outright: every tool, on all four browsers, with nothing held back. |
| Features | DOne narrow function: raw against rendered source with the differences highlighted, as Googlebot or a mobile browser if you like. No tags, links, schema or search data, and no audit. | CAlt and title attributes, broken images, element outlines, hidden elements, live CSS, cookies, forms, rulers, responsive previews and validator links. A large toolbox, but only part of it is SEO, and there's no search or ranking data. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: open a page, click the icon and the three views are there. | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: click the toolbar button and pick a tool from the menu. |
| Platforms and integrations | CChrome only, so computers only, in English, with no website of its own and no integrations. Support is by X message to the developer. | CChrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera on Windows, macOS and Linux, but computers only, with no integrations. |
| Best for | comparing raw HTML with the rendered page | a toolbar of page inspection tools |
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: View Rendered Source and Web Developer. How we grade
Price against what you get
View Rendered Source has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Web Developer has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Web Developer scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other SEO browser extensions on the chart, none scores higher than View Rendered Source for less, and none scores higher than Web Developer 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
- Web Developer is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| View Rendered Source | Web Developer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free to install from the Chrome Web Store; the listing mentions no paid version, account or sign-up. | The whole extension is free in the Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera add-on stores; the developer asks for optional donations. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Peg Leg Ltd | Chris Pederick |
| Price read from | chromewebstore.google.com | chrispederick.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
View Rendered Source
- The last release, version 4.0, dates from June 2023.
- It is listed for Chrome only, with an English interface and no website of its own; support is by X message to the developer.
- It compares sources for one page at a time and does not crawl or audit a site.
- The listing says the developer will not collect or use your data.
Web Developer
- The latest release, 3.0.1, dates from June 2024; the developer works on it in spare time and gives no release dates.
- The Opera version is much older, version 0.2.2 from February 2017.
- The Firefox version lacks the disable features, Display Style Information and the context menu, because Firefox removed the APIs.
- It is a general web developer toolbox, with no search or ranking data; its SEO uses are page-level checks.
Key features
View Rendered Source
- Raw source
- The HTML sent from the server before the DOM is built, as the browser's own View Source shows it, lightly formatted.
- Rendered source
- The page after it has been turned into a DOM, including every change JavaScript has made to it.
- Line-by-line difference
- Highlights each line that differs between the raw and rendered versions, showing what JavaScript added or changed.
- Googlebot and mobile requests
- Request the raw source as Googlebot to check dynamic rendering setups, or tick a box to emulate a mobile user agent for adaptive sites.
Web Developer
- Image and attribute checks
- Display alt attributes, image dimensions and title attributes on the page, replace images with their alt text, and find broken images.
- Outline and element information
- Outline elements with optional labels, show hidden elements and tag names, and inspect an element's details as you point at it.
- Validators
- Send the page to online HTML and accessibility validators from the toolbar; the help says these third-party features are the only ones that pass data on.
- Edit CSS and print styles
- Edit a page's CSS live in a panel, view print styles, and hide background or all images to see the page without them.
- Cookies, forms and JavaScript
- View, add and edit cookies, view form information, populate form fields, remove form validation and view a page's JavaScript.
- Rulers and responsive layouts
- A ruler, line guides and a color picker, plus responsive layout previews and resize sizes you configure yourself.
Plans
View Rendered Source
Free$0
Raw, rendered and difference views with Googlebot and mobile user-agent options, free from the Chrome Web Store.
Web Developer
Free$0
Every tool in the extension, free on all four browsers, with optional donations to the developer.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, View Rendered Source or Web Developer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both View Rendered Source and Web Developer are free to use.
Which has a free plan, View Rendered Source or Web Developer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both View Rendered Source and Web Developer have a free plan.
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.