# Best by Date

> Automatically close, discard, or deduplicate matching Firefox tabs after a configurable period of inactivity.

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/best-by-date](https://chrome-stats.com/d/best-by-date)

## Overview

- **ID:** `best-by-date`
- **Platform:** Firefox
- **Type:** Firefox add-on
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** BB
- **Category:** tabs
- **Daily users:** 1
- **Version:** 1.10.3
- **Last updated:** 2026-08-27
- **First published:** 2026-08-13
- **Size:** 89 KB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-09
- **Store listing:** [Firefox Add-ons Store](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/best-by-date/)

## Description

Automatically close, discard, or deduplicate matching Firefox tabs after a configurable period of inactivity.

<strong>Best by Date keeps Firefox tab clutter under control with customizable cleanup rules for inactive tabs.</strong>

Match tabs by exact URL, URL pattern, exact page title, or regular expression. Give each rule its own expiration period in minutes, hours, or days, then choose what happens:
<ul><li><strong>Close tabs</strong> automatically.</li><li><strong>Discard tabs</strong> to release resources while keeping them available.</li><li><strong>Close oldest duplicates</strong> gradually until only one matching tab remains.</li></ul>
<strong>Protect what matters</strong>

Best by Date can protect:
<ul><li>Active and pinned tabs</li><li>Tabs playing audio</li><li>Selected or attention-requesting tabs</li><li>Tabs inside Firefox tab groups</li><li>URLs and page titles covered by permanent safety rules</li></ul>
<strong>See what will happen</strong>

The Preferences dashboard shows every managed tab, including:
<ul><li>Its inactivity deadline</li><li>Its scheduled action</li><li>Why it is currently protected</li><li>What will happen during the next automatic check</li></ul>
You can filter and sort managed tabs, run actions manually, reopen recently closed tabs, or undo the latest cleanup sweep.

<strong>Convenient controls</strong>
<ul><li>Pause or resume automatic cleanup.</li><li>Trigger applicable rules immediately.</li><li>Require minimum open-tab or matching-tab counts.</li><li>Protect the current page from the toolbar menu.</li><li>Left-click the toolbar button to cycle through audible tabs.</li><li>Configure Firefox keyboard shortcuts for common actions.</li></ul>
<strong>Private by design</strong>

Best by Date runs locally and makes no network requests. It contains no analytics, notifications, or remote code. Your rules, activity records, settings, and recently closed history remain inside your Firefox profile.

## Rankings

- #101,618 — Overall
- #71 — best vpn
- #97 — date
- #104 — best

## Permissions and access

### Permissions

- `alarms`
- `menus`
- `sessions`
- `storage`
- `tabGroups`
- `tabs`

## Safety

- **Risk impact:** Moderate risk impact
- **Risk likelihood:** High risk likelihood

### Analysis details

- Grants access to browser tabs, which can be used to track user browsing habits and history, presenting a privacy concern.
- This extension was recently updated in the past month. New updates may not be stable or safe.

> Some risk analysis details are omitted from this free response. [Upgrade to view the full analysis](https://chrome-stats.com/pricing).

## Similar extensions and apps

- [Auto Close Tabs](https://chrome-stats.com/d/autoclosetabs1) — 4 users
- [Auto Close Tabs](https://chrome-stats.com/d/auto-close-tabs1) — 26 users, 5.00 / 5
- [Automatic Tab Discarder](https://chrome-stats.com/d/automatic-tab-discarder) — 118 users, 5.00 / 5
- [Tabs De Clutter](https://chrome-stats.com/d/tabs-de-clutter)
- [Tab Wrangler](https://chrome-stats.com/d/tabwrangler) — 1,535 users, 4.29 / 5
- [FFTabClose - Auto Tab Closer](https://chrome-stats.com/d/fftabclose-auto-tab-closer) — 18 users
- [Tab Auto-Closer](https://chrome-stats.com/d/tab-auto-closer) — 5 users
- [Better Tab Groups](https://chrome-stats.com/d/better-tab-groups) — 304 users, 5.00 / 5
- [Close Inactive Tabs](https://chrome-stats.com/d/close-inactive-tabs) — 9 users
- [Tab Cleaner](https://chrome-stats.com/d/tab-cleaner-atr)
- [Unload Tabs After Inactivity](https://chrome-stats.com/d/unload-tabs-after-inactivity) — 14 users
- [Tab Options - Open source](https://chrome-stats.com/d/tab-options-open-source) — 4 users, 4.00 / 5

---

Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/best-by-date)