Sider, Joute's review

The Essentials

• AI sidebar in Chrome, access to GPT-4, Claude, Gemini
• Starting at $10/month
• Page summarization, translation, contextual chat, multi-model
• Built for users who want AI without leaving their browser

What is Sider?

Sider is a Chrome extension that adds an AI sidebar to your browser. Select any text on any webpage and you can instantly summarize, translate, explain, or ask questions about it. The tool gives you access to multiple models: GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini from a single interface. The value prop is simple: keep your browsing flow intact by bringing AI where you work, not in a separate tab.

Strengths

Multiple models in one extension

Switching between GPT-4o, Claude, and Gemini without changing tabs or accounts is Sider's core pitch. If you regularly compare answers across models, it's a real time-saver.

Web page and PDF summarization

Open a long article and ask Sider to summarize it in five points in under ten seconds. Same goes for PDFs open in Chrome. Summary quality is solid for both English and French content.

Contextual by design

Unlike a separate ChatGPT tab, Sider stays anchored to the page you're reading. The model sees the page content and can respond directly without you having to copy-paste anything.

Limits

Chrome-only

Sider only works as a Chrome or Chromium extension. No Firefox version, no standalone desktop app. If you work across multiple browsers, that's a constraint.

Token credits burn fast

The free plan is very limited on message count. With heavy use, you'll hit the ceiling by midday and the paid plan becomes necessary.

Less powerful than native apps

For complex conversations or agentic workflows, the native Claude or ChatGPT apps are still better. Sider is a browsing productivity tool, not a deep-work tool.

Pricing

Starting at $10/month for the paid plan. A limited free tier is available. Check sider.ai for credits and models included per plan.

Alternatives

For multi-model access without an extension: Poe. For a similar sidebar: Merlin. For heavy PDF usage: ChatPDF.

Verdict

Sider is useful for Chrome power users who want contextual AI without friction. The multi-model plus browser integration combo is genuinely differentiated. It's not a deep-work tool — but it's an excellent browsing assistant.

FAQ

Does Sider work on Firefox?

No, Sider is Chrome-only. Alternatives like Merlin or Monica also have Firefox versions.

Can I use Claude through Sider without an Anthropic subscription?

Yes. Sider routes requests to model APIs. You don't need a direct subscription to Anthropic or OpenAI — credits are included in your Sider plan.

Can Sider read pages behind a login?

Sider reads content visible in the browser. If you're logged into a site, it can see the loaded content. It doesn't have access to data behind an API.

Is there a conversation history?

Yes, Sider keeps conversation history. Check sider.ai for data retention policies.

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