Where to Launch a Chrome Extension: Stores, Browsers and Communities
Launch a Chrome extension in the Chrome Web Store first, because that is where people install extensions from and where Chrome checks them. Then reuse the same code on Microsoft Edge Add-ons and Firefox Add-ons, and add a free public page for the people who will never search a store. Review in the Chrome store takes from a few days to a few weeks, so submit before you announce anything.
Which browser stores should carry your extension?
An extension is installed from a store, so the store listing is your landing page whether you planned it that way or not. The three below accept largely the same code, but each has its own account, its own review and its own assets. Details here come from each browser maker’s own documentation, read on 13 November 2026.
01 Chrome Web Store
Google’s store for Chrome extensions, and the one most users search.
- To list
- A developer account with a one-time registration fee (its register page gives the current amount)
- Review
- Usually a few days, sometimes a few weeks; contact support after three weeks
- Required assets
- A 128x128 store icon and at least one 1280x800 screenshot, up to five
- Optional assets
- A 440x280 small promo tile, a 1400x560 marquee tile and a YouTube video
Reviews run longer for extensions that ask for broad host permissions such as <all_urls>, or that ship a lot of hard-to-read code. If you can narrow the permissions to the sites you really need, do it before the first submission; a narrow manifest is the cheapest way to shorten the wait.
After approval you have up to 30 days to publish, and you can untick automatic publishing to choose the moment yourself. That makes the store the one place where you control launch timing: submit, wait for approval, then publish on the day your post goes out. The Chrome Web Store submission checklist walks through the dashboard fields.
02 Microsoft Edge Add-ons
Microsoft’s add-ons site for Edge, published through Partner Center.
- To list
- A developer account registered through Partner Center
- Where you submit
- The Edge workspace in Partner Center, not the Chrome dashboard
- Check first
- Manifest field values, which become read-only on the store listing page
Edge runs Chromium extensions, so a working Chrome extension is usually a short step from an Edge listing. Microsoft’s guide tells you to inspect the manifest before uploading, because the name and description fields in it are read-only once the package is in Partner Center. Fix the wording in the file, not in the dashboard.
Treat Edge as a second store and not a second launch. It brings a separate set of installs rather than a separate audience event, so there is no reason to hold your announcement for it. We did not read its registration fee or review time, so check the registration page before you plan around either.
03 Firefox Add-ons (AMO)
Mozilla’s add-on site, with a listed route and a self-distribution route.
- Two routes
- “On this site” (listed on AMO) or “On your own” (you host the signed file)
- Signing
- Both routes end with a signed add-on, which Mozilla’s docs cover under signing and distribution
- Experimental flag
- Lists the add-on with reduced visibility until you remove the flag
Firefox uses the WebExtensions format, so most Chrome extensions need small manifest changes rather than a rewrite. Pick “On this site” if you want discovery in Mozilla’s own listing, and “On your own” if you only want a signed file to hand to a known group.
The experimental flag is useful when you are still testing: the add-on is listed, but with reduced visibility, and you can remove the flag when you are ready for general use. It keeps an early build from collecting reviews you will regret.
Where do people hear about an extension before they install it?
A store listing does not announce itself. Installs come from a link someone clicked, and these are the free places where that link can sit. Choose by the audience your extension has, not by size.
01 Show HN
Hacker News’s section for things you made that other people can try.
- Cost
- Free; an account is needed to post
- Fits when
- The extension is aimed at developers or heavy browser users
- Rule that bites
- Make it easy to try, ideally without sign-ups or emails
The guidelines ask for a non-trivial project you made and will stay around to discuss. A one-evening extension that rewrites a page’s colours will struggle; one that solves a developer’s daily irritation, with a short write-up of how, has a chance.
Link the store page and also describe what the extension does in the first comment, since readers on a locked-down work browser may not install it. Read the Show HN post templates before you write the title.
02 DevHunt
A launchpad for developer tools, with a free permanent page for each tool.
- Free route
- A free listing; links on free listings are nofollow
- Paid step
- Choosing a launch week, per its FAQ
- Fits when
- The extension is a developer tool: devtools panels, API clients, debuggers
Its FAQ says tools for developers are accepted and tools that are not for developers are not, so a general productivity extension does not belong here. A network inspector or JSON viewer does.
Voters sign in with GitHub or Google, which keeps the audience technical. The DevHunt alternatives page covers what to do if the paid launch week is out of reach.
03 Product Hunt
The largest launch site for software, with a daily ranking.
- Cost
- Free to submit; sign-in required
- Our check
- Its pages refused an automated fetch, so this entry is limited to well-known basics
Product Hunt suits an extension with a clear one-line promise and a team or network ready to show up on the day. Extensions with a visual before-and-after demo tend to photograph well.
If you have no network yet, the Product Hunt alternatives for Chrome extensions list quieter places first.
04 Post your build ideas (our board)
Our free launch board: one emailed link, no account, no queue.
- Why it fits an extension
- You can go public while the store review is still pending
- Link
- The outbound link to your site is a normal followed link
- Limit
- A logo and four images at most, so the store page still carries the full screenshots
Because the Chrome review can take weeks, point the launch at your own landing page on day one and let that page carry the store link once it is approved. A published launch cannot be re-pointed afterwards, so the landing page is the part you keep changing.
We are small and make no promise of installs. The value is a public, permanent page and early comments from people who browse the board; if you want ideas to build next, the developer tool ideas are there too.
In what order should you do all of this?
- Submit to the Chrome Web Store with publishing set to manual. The review clock starts the day you submit, and you keep control of the date.
- Launch on the free board while you wait, using your own landing page as the link, so a public page and a first round of comments exist before the store approves you.
- Publish in the store the day the review clears, then swap the link on your launch page for the store URL.
- Post to Show HN or DevHunt only if the audience fits, with the store link in the first comment.
- Submit the same package to Edge and Firefox in the following days, adjusting the manifest where each store asks.
The timeline for the whole process, with days attached, is in the Chrome extension launch playbook. For more places that list extensions by theme, see the Chrome extension directories, and for what to build, the Chrome extension ideas.
What can you skip?
Skip the promo tiles on your first submission. Only the store icon and one screenshot are required, and a first review is easier to get through with fewer moving parts. Skip any directory that asks you to pay for a link before it shows you its visitors. And skip announcing a store listing that is still “in review”: a link that does not install is worse than no link.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Chrome Web Store charge to publish an extension?
Its register page says you must pay a one-time registration fee before you can publish, and it points to the developer dashboard for the current amount. Read the dashboard’s registration screen for the figure on the day you sign up, because Google can change it.
How long does Chrome extension review take?
Google’s review page says most extensions are reviewed within a few days but some take up to a few weeks. Broad host permissions or a large amount of code can slow it down. If a submission has been pending for more than three weeks, the page tells you to contact developer support.
Can I reuse the same extension on Edge and Firefox?
Often yes with small changes. Edge accepts Chromium extensions submitted through Partner Center, and Firefox uses WebExtensions, so manifest fields and a few APIs may differ. Each store has its own account, review and listing, so plan an afternoon per store rather than a minute.
Is a free launch board enough for an extension?
It is a good first public page, not a replacement for the store. Installs happen in the browser store, so the board’s job is to give people a link and a place to comment. Bring your own traffic, because a small board cannot promise installs.
Post your build ideas publishes this page and runs a free launch board that competes with some of the sites it names. Facts about other sites came from their own pages on the date shown above; terms, queues and prices change, so confirm on their sites before you decide. About the publisher.