MergeJPG Chrome Extension is Live

We Made a Chrome Extension

Honestly, I wasn't planning on building this. The web tool works fine, and adding another thing to maintain seemed like extra work. But I kept getting messages from people asking if there was a faster way to merge images without navigating to the website every time.

So here we are. The MergeJPG Chrome extension does exactly what you'd expect - lets you merge images right from your browser toolbar. No new tabs, no bookmarks to remember, just click and go.

What It Does

It's pretty straightforward. Click the extension icon, drop in 2-5 images, pick vertical or horizontal layout, and download. That's it.

The free version gives you 3 merges per day, which honestly covers most people's needs. If you need more than that, the web tool is still there with unlimited merges. We process everything in your browser, so your images never leave your computer. No watermarks either - I hate those.

Getting Started

Go to the Chrome Web Store, hit "Add to Chrome", and you're done. If you want it handy, pin it to your toolbar - that puzzle piece icon in the top right.

Using it is even simpler. Click the icon, drag in your images, pick your layout, download. Takes maybe 10 seconds total.

Extension vs Web Tool

Look, they both merge images. But they're built for different situations.

The extension is for when you're already in Chrome and need to combine a couple images fast. Maybe you're putting together a quick comparison for an email, or merging screenshots for a bug report. It caps at 5 images and gives you 3 uses per day.

The web tool is what you want for anything more serious. Works on any browser, handles up to 20 images, exports to PNG or PDF, and you get things like quality control and custom spacing. Plus it's unlimited - merge 50 times a day if you want.

Personally? I use the extension for random quick stuff and the web tool when I'm actually working on something. They're not competing with each other, they just solve different problems.

Who's Actually Using This

I've seen a few patterns in the first week:

Real estate people are big users - they're constantly throwing together quick property comparisons for emails. One person told me they used to do this in Paint, which... yeah, this is way faster.

Some folks are using it for social media content. Quick before/afters, side-by-side product shots, that kind of thing. Though a bunch of them hit the 3-per-day limit and just switched to the web tool.

Teachers seem to like it for parent emails - combining student work samples, progress comparisons, stuff like that. Makes sense since these are usually one-off tasks where you just need something quick.

Privacy Stuff

Everything happens in your browser. Your images don't get uploaded anywhere, we don't see them, don't store them, don't even know you're merging anything.

The extension needs two permissions: storage (to remember how many merges you've done today) and active tab (so it works when you click it). That's it. We're not reading your browsing history or anything creepy like that.

Planning to open source the code eventually so you can check for yourself. Just need to clean it up first because some of it is... not my best work.

About the 3-Per-Day Limit

Yeah, there's a limit. Three merges per day for free.

Honest reason? It keeps the extension sustainable while covering most people's actual usage. The data shows 90% of users don't hit three merges in a day anyway. And if you do need more, the web tool is right there with no limits.

Also stops bots from hammering it, which was a problem in testing. Some automated thing kept trying to merge thousands of images and basically crashed my test server. So, limits.

Common Questions

Is it actually free? Yep. Three merges per day, no credit card, no trial that expires. The web tool is completely unlimited if you need more.

What happens when I hit 3 uses? It'll tell you to come back tomorrow. Resets at midnight your time. Or just use the web tool.

Other browsers? Just Chrome for now. Might do Firefox if enough people ask for it.

More than 5 images? Use the web tool - it handles up to 20.

Privacy? Everything stays on your computer. We don't see your images.

Works offline? Yeah, once it's installed.

Get It Here

Chrome Web Store link

Need unlimited merges? Use the web tool instead.

What's Coming

I've got a list of improvements for the next version: dark mode, keyboard shortcuts, maybe a history of recently merged images. We'll see. If you have ideas or find bugs, let me know.

That's it. Simple tool, does one thing, hopefully does it well. Try it out if you want.

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