SpeedGrid Turns the New Tab Into a Bookmark Workspace

A browser’s blank new tab is fine until you depend on dozens of saved sites. Then the problem is not finding somewhere to put another bookmark. It is remembering where an existing one went, deciding which links belong together, and avoiding a dashboard so crowded that it becomes another source of friction.

SpeedGrid is built around that middle ground. It replaces the default new tab with a visual workspace for bookmarks, arranged into grids and folders. The aim is not to turn the browser into a project-management tool. It is to make frequently used sites easier to see and reach.

The basic idea is visual organisation

SpeedGrid gives each collection of links its own grid. A user might create separate spaces for work, home, travel, or entertainment, then place related grids inside folders. Moving between them is meant to be quicker than searching through one long bookmark tree.

This makes the product more than a custom background for a new tab. Its central function is a different way to browse saved sites. Cards represent bookmarks, and the interface can be adjusted with themes, colours, type, card shapes, spacing, logos, and backgrounds. Those controls matter if the default browser page feels too empty, but they are secondary to the structure underneath.

The layout is also intended to adapt across screens. SpeedGrid is available on the web and through a browser extension, with support listed for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. The developer also lists macOS, Windows, and Linux among its platforms. That makes it possible to use the same workspace beyond one particular desktop setup, although the browser extension is the part that actually changes what appears when a new tab opens.

It handles more than permanent bookmarks

A useful distinction in SpeedGrid is between links that deserve a lasting home and pages that only need to be kept temporarily. Its Save for Later feature can capture the current page into a dedicated grid or another chosen grid from a supported browser. That gives an article, reference page, or half-finished task somewhere to go without forcing it into the main bookmark collection immediately.

Search works in two directions. Quick Search can send a query to services such as Google, YouTube, Reddit, and Maps without leaving the dashboard. A separate bookmark search looks through the sites already saved in the grids. The first is a way to start browsing; the second is a way to retrieve something you have already organised.

The product also supports a card with two destinations. One card could hold an ordinary public site and its related administrative page, or an inbox and a compose screen. That is a small feature, but it addresses a common source of bookmark clutter: saving two closely related URLs as separate items.

Weather and calendar information are optional additions rather than the core of the product. The landing page says Plus can add live header weather and calendar feeds, while premium backgrounds and restore points are also part of the upgrade. Users who only want a clean bookmark surface can ignore those extras.

Migration is a practical part of the pitch

For people leaving Speed Dial 2, SpeedGrid offers a direct JSON import route. That is more useful than a vague promise to support migration, because the alternative is manually recreating grids and links. The developer also describes browser bookmark import, export tools, and account-based access to a setup across devices.

This is where SpeedGrid’s intended audience becomes clearer. It is not primarily for someone starting with a handful of favourite sites. It is aimed at people who already use visual bookmark organisation and want to bring that arrangement into a less crowded new-tab workspace.

The developer says the Chromium extension does not request browsing-history permission or broad access to every website. That narrower permission model may matter to users who do not want a new-tab tool inspecting more of the browser than it needs. As with the other product claims, the practical details should still be checked during installation.

The limits are part of the decision

SpeedGrid has a free plan with a paid upgrade, and the free plan is deliberately bounded. It supports up to 500 bookmarks, three grids, and one folder. That is enough for a modest personal setup, but it may become restrictive for someone who wants separate workspaces, many folders, or a large archive of saved links. Several of the more decorative and recovery-oriented features are also reserved for the upgrade.

There is another trade-off in replacing the browser’s default new tab. The workspace becomes a required part of your browsing routine, so a user who prefers a completely blank page may find even a restrained dashboard unnecessary. The visual system also requires some initial organisation. It can reduce clutter once established, but it does not remove the work of deciding what belongs in each grid.

SpeedGrid makes sense for people who rely on bookmarks and want a calmer, more visual new-tab workspace. It is especially relevant to Speed Dial 2 users who want a direct starting point for migration. It is a poor fit for anyone who wants no interface at all, dislikes sorting links into categories, or expects the free plan to accommodate an expansive bookmark archive.