# View Rendered Source review (2026): is it any good? > Free Chrome extension comparing raw HTML with the rendered page Checked Oct 23, 2026 ยท graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA. View Rendered Source is a small, free Chrome extension by Jon Hogg's Peg Leg Ltd that shows a page three ways: the raw HTML the server sent, the DOM after the browser and JavaScript have built it, and a line-by-line diff of the two. It is aimed at developers working with frameworks such as React, Angular and Vue, and at SEOs checking what search engines are served. The raw source can be requested as Googlebot or a mobile browser. - **Category:** SEO Browser Extensions - **Made by:** Peg Leg Ltd - **Website:** https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/view-rendered-source/ejgngohbdedoabanmclafpkoogegdpob - **Runs on:** Browser extension - **Who should skip it:** Watch out: the last release, version 4.0, is from June 2023. - **Facts last checked:** Oct 23, 2026 ## Pricing As of Oct 23, 2026, View Rendered Source is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free to install from the Chrome Web Store; the listing mentions no paid version, account or sign-up. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Raw, rendered and difference views with Googlebot and mobile user-agent options, free from the Chrome Web Store. | Read from https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/view-rendered-source/ejgngohbdedoabanmclafpkoogegdpob on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with View Rendered Source before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - SEOs checking what a JavaScript-heavy page looks like before and after rendering - Developers testing prerendering or dynamic rendering for Googlebot - Sites that serve different HTML to mobile devices ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.8 out of 4**, graded Oct 23, 2026. View Rendered Source shows a page three ways, the raw HTML, the DOM after JavaScript has run, and a line-by-line diff of the two, and can fetch the raw source as Googlebot or a phone. That's one narrow job, in Chrome only, and the last release was version 4.0 in June 2023. - **Value for money: A.** Free from the Chrome Web Store, with no paid version, account or sign-up mentioned anywhere in its listing. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright: raw, rendered and diff views and the Googlebot and mobile options, with nothing to upgrade to. - **Features: D.** One 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. - **Ease of use: B.** No rating on record, but nothing to set up: open a page, click the icon and the three views are there. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Chrome only, so computers only, in English, with no website of its own and no integrations. Support is by X message to the developer. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from the developer's Chrome Web Store listing, its only page on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among SEO browser extensions - View Rendered Source's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 4 of the 34 other SEO browser extensions we grade, and level with 12. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 5 of 34) and worst on features (D, above 0). - View Rendered Source has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/seo-extensions ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** View Rendered Source is free, so making your own would save you nothing. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 18 of the 34 other SEO browser extensions grade higher. - You could not: A crawler that checks every page of a site. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Site audit, Local-first ## Alternatives - [SEO Minion](https://toolgpa.com/tools/seo-minion): On-page, link and SERP checks sold with Keywords Everywhere plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/seo-minion-vs-view-rendered-source) - [Web Developer](https://toolgpa.com/tools/web-developer): Free browser toolbar of page inspection and validation tools. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/view-rendered-source-vs-web-developer) - [Detailed SEO Extension](https://toolgpa.com/tools/detailed-seo-extension): Free Chrome and Firefox extension for one-click on-page SEO checks. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/detailed-seo-extension-vs-view-rendered-source) - [META SEO inspector](https://toolgpa.com/tools/meta-seo-inspector): Free Chrome extension that lays out a page's hidden metadata. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/meta-seo-inspector-vs-view-rendered-source) - [Redirect Path](https://toolgpa.com/tools/redirect-path): Free Chrome extension that shows every redirect and status code. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/redirect-path-vs-view-rendered-source) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026: - https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/view-rendered-source/ejgngohbdedoabanmclafpkoogegdpob Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/view-rendered-source Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).