Auto Tab Discard vs The Marvellous Suspender
Both put idle tabs to sleep to give memory back. Auto Tab Discard keeps it light: it uses Chrome's own tab discarding and adds many keyboard commands. The Marvellous Suspender does more: a tunable timer, whitelists, tab-group controls and scheduled session backup. The price of the extra features is a longer permission list. Both ask for access to all sites.
Auto Tab Discard vs The Marvellous Suspender at a glance
| Feature | Auto Tab Discard | The Marvellous Suspender |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Gives memory back from idle tabs | Gives memory and CPU back from idle tabs |
| Method | Chrome's native tab discarding | Suspends tabs after an idle time you can set. The README does not say how |
| Maker | rNeomy | gioxx, under the Marvellous Codeworks project. Based on The Great Suspender, cleaned up |
| Tab stays in the strip | Yes | Yes, shown as suspended |
| Controls | Keyboard commands to discard the current tab, a tree, a window or tabs to the left or right. Popup and options page | Idle timer, whitelist, always-suspend list, tab-group suspend and unsuspend, battery-power timeout |
| Session backup | Not stated | Yes, with scheduling and an optional Google Drive link |
| Licence | Open source (MPL-2.0) | Open source (GPL-2.0) |
| Manifest V3 | Yes | Yes. Needs Chrome 110 or newer |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera | Chrome 110+. Others not stated |
| Latest release we saw | 0.7.3 (24 August 2026) | 9.0.3 (17 September 2026) |
| Permissions | Fewer: idle, storage, context menus, notifications, alarms, scripting. All sites | More: adds tabs, history, tab groups, unlimited storage, offscreen and others. All sites. Optional Google Drive and downloads access |
| Cost | Open source. Price not stated in its README | README says free, open source, no ads, no tracking |
| Best for | The lightest job, with keyboard control | More control and optional backup |
Which is better, Auto Tab Discard or The Marvellous Suspender?
Neither wins outright. Pick Auto Tab Discard if you only want memory back and like keyboard commands. Pick The Marvellous Suspender if you want a tunable timer, an always-suspend list, tab-group controls and scheduled backup. The trade is a longer permission list. Both ask for access to all sites, so we do not call either one safer.
How does each one free up memory?
Auto Tab Discard uses Chrome's built-in tab discarding. Its README says this is more efficient and less buggy than extensions that replace the page content. That is the developer's claim, and we have not tested it. The Marvellous Suspender suspends tabs that sit unused past a time you set. Its README does not say how it does this.
Which has more controls?
The Marvellous Suspender. It has a whitelist, an always-suspend list, tab-group suspend and unsuspend, a battery-power timeout, a Tab Health page and 18 languages. Auto Tab Discard has fewer settings but many keyboard commands: discard one tab, a tree, a window, other windows, or tabs left and right. It also has a managed-storage schema for admins.
Can either one back up my sessions?
Only The Marvellous Suspender says so. Since version 9.0.0 it can back up and restore sessions on a schedule, with an optional Google Drive link. Auto Tab Discard has no backup feature that we could find. If saving tab lists is what you need, a tab manager such as Tab Session Manager does that job instead.
Which one asks for more permissions?
The Marvellous Suspender. Its manifest lists tabs, history, tab groups, unlimited storage, offscreen pages and more, plus optional Google Drive and downloads access. Auto Tab Discard asks for fewer. Both request access to every http and https site. Auto Tab Discard also runs a content script on all pages.
Are both still updated?
Yes, by the dates we saw. Auto Tab Discard's latest release was 0.7.3 on 24 August 2026, with a repository commit on 5 September. The Marvellous Suspender's was 9.0.3 on 17 September 2026, with a commit on 1 October. These are GitHub dates, not Chrome Web Store dates. Both are Manifest V3 extensions.
Good to know
Tip: run one of them, not both. They do the same job, so a second one only adds permissions. Limit of this page: we did not read either privacy policy, and neither README says whether unsaved form data survives a sleeping tab. Test with a draft you don't mind losing before you rely on it. We also ran no speed or memory tests.
FAQ
Is The Marvellous Suspender the same as The Great Suspender?
No, but it is related. Its project says it is based on The Great Suspender, cleaned up. It is a separate project by gioxx.
Is Auto Tab Discard free?
It is open source under MPL-2.0. Its README does not state a price, so check the Chrome Web Store listing.
Will a sleeping tab close?
No. In both, the tab stays in your tab strip.
Read more
Both are third-party extensions, not built by Xplorekit. We link to the official Chrome Web Store listings. We don't show ratings or user counts because we can't verify them.