Google Chrome is based on the Webkit layout engine, which is known for its excellent rendering speeds. Besides that, Google has introduced a number of other features and enhancements such as the JavaScript processing engine V8, and insanely fast loading speeds along with other improvements such as sandboxing and private browsing mode for improved security. Even though Chrome had all the ingredients for a perfect browser, it still lacks when it comes to add-ons or extensions.

While Google Chrome is still no where near Mozilla Firefox when it comes to extension support, there are still some pretty good add-ons out there which can greatly enhance your browsing experience. Here is our list of the top 5 extensions that are a must have if you are a Google Chrome user.

IETabs:

IE Tabs is neat extension that can open Internet Explorer tabs right inside Google Chrome using the native Trident engine built into Windows. Now the obvious question that arises is, “why would I need to have anything IE when I got Chrome?”. Well the answer is pretty simple.

IE is still one of the most dominant web browsers in the world and consequently a lot of new and legacy web applications are designed specifically for Internet Explorer such as the new Microsoft Office Web Apps. These apps wont run in Google Chrome, so if you do not have IE Tabs installed, you’d have to launch Internet Explorer separately to use them.

Google Wave/Mail Notifier:

These two extensions show notifications if you have received a new email or wave on your Google Account. A very basic functionality but very useful so you do not have to keep mail and wave open in separate tabs all the time. You can also configure them to use with Google Apps for Domains.

AdThwart:

AdThwart is a very effective ad blocker extension that can detect and hide advertisements from a number of sources including Google Adsense, Facebook, and most types of Flash advertisement.

Xmarks Bookmarks Sync:

It was known as Foxmarks when this was a Firefox exclusive extension. Xmarks brings cloud based bookmark sync to your browser. It is a cross-platform and cross-browser meaning that all your favorite bookmarks stay in sync on all the browsers you have on all the operating systems and computers you use.

Facebook for Google Chrome:

Facebook for Google Chrome is a handy extension that pulls your Facebook live feed, wall, notifications and do some regular stuff like updating your status.

Do let us know if you liked our compilation of Google Chrome extensions through comments!!