Do I need both the extension and the website?
No. Use the extension if you only listen in Chrome. Use the website only when you have a file and want a new version. Many people use only one of them.
Chrome Extension vs Website Tools
Sound Booster is both a Chrome extension and a website. They share a goal — clearer, louder, more usable sound — but they work on different things.
Extension: live sound in a tab
Use the extension when audio is already playing in Chrome: YouTube, course platforms, web players, some web calls. You are not creating a new file; you are changing how loud that tab sounds on your machine right now.
Website: files on your device
Use the site when you have (or can download) a file: boost and export, trim, check LUFS, convert, remove vocals, extract audio from video. Processing is designed to run in the browser tab so you can download a result.
Choose quickly
- Watching a quiet video online → extension.
- Need a louder MP3 to keep → website Volume Booster.
- Publish / podcast prep → website workflow (publish-ready recipe).
- Measure loudness → Audio Quality Check on the site.
Privacy in one sentence each
Extension: acts on tab audio in the browser for listening. Website file tools: are built so your file can be processed locally in the page without an account. Sensitive material should still be handled with the same care you use in any editor.
They work well together
Discover a quiet upload with the extension while browsing, download the source when allowed, then run Quality Check and a careful boost on the site for an archived copy. Or use the extension daily and the site only when you must deliver a file.
A side-by-side comparison
- What it works on: the extension changes the sound of a Chrome tab; the website works on audio or video files you choose.
- What you get: the extension gives you louder listening right now; the website gives you a new file to download.
- When it ends: the extension effect stops when you close the tab; a processed file stays on your device.
- Where it runs: the extension runs inside desktop Chrome; the website runs in any modern browser tab.
Typical situations and the right tool
An online lecture is too quiet. The extension is the quick answer: open the tab, raise the slider, keep watching. You do not need a file at all.
You downloaded a video that you own and want a permanently louder copy. Use the website. Boost or normalise the file, check it with Audio Quality Check, and export a new version.
You are preparing a podcast episode. Use the website workflow. Podcast delivery needs consistent loudness and clean peaks, and those are properties of a file, not of a live tab.
A call runs in a browser tab. The extension can help if the call plays in Chrome, but the meeting app’s own volume should come first.
What the extension cannot do
- It cannot save or export a louder file.
- It cannot change audio coming from other apps, such as a desktop media player.
- It cannot run on Chrome’s internal pages or the Chrome Web Store.
- It cannot repair a recording that was captured too quietly or too far from the microphone.
What the website cannot do
- It does not change what a streaming tab sounds like while you watch it.
- It needs an audio or video file that you have the right to process.
- It is not a live system-wide volume control.
A workflow that uses both
Many people use the extension every day for casual listening and keep the website for deliverables. For example, you can find a quiet recording with the extension while browsing, download the original if the rights allow it, measure it on the website, apply a careful boost, and archive the result. The extension gives convenience; the website gives control and a finished file.
Frequently asked questions
Can the website boost a YouTube video directly?
The website works on files, not on a live tab. If you have the right to download and edit a video, you can process the file; otherwise the extension is the tool for listening.
Is audio sent to a server when I use the extension?
The extension is meant to change how a tab sounds on your machine while you listen. For exact data handling, read the Privacy Policy and the permissions article in this help center.
Which one gives better quality?
They solve different jobs. The extension is for convenient listening, while the file tools let you check peaks and loudness before exporting a result you will keep.
Why does the website have more tools than the extension?
A file has a beginning, an end and measurable levels, so many edits make sense: trim, convert, normalise and analyse. A live tab has none of those, so the extension stays simple.