Why it's a strong pick

React Developer Tools is built by Meta Platforms, the company behind React, and its code lives in the main React repository. It is open source under the MIT license. It uses Manifest V3, Chrome's current extension format. The repo shows version 8.0.0, with the latest commit to its folder in September 2026.

What it does

The extension adds React tools to Chrome DevTools. Open DevTools on a page built with React and use the new panel to look at your components. Its README says you can inspect the props and state of the React components.

Key features

DevTools panel. React tools sit inside Chrome DevTools, where you already debug.
Component inspection. Look at the props and state of React components.
Standalone app. A separate package covers React Native, embedded webviews and Safari.
Open source. The code is public under the MIT license.
Manifest V3. It uses a service worker, as Chrome now expects.

Who it's for

React Developer Tools is for React developers who debug apps in Chrome. If you do not write React, you will not need it. The standalone package is for other targets, such as React Native.

What permissions does React Developer Tools ask for?

Its manifest asks for scripting, storage and tabs, plus clipboardWrite as an optional permission. It also lists access to all sites, and a content script that runs on all pages. It needs Chrome 114 or newer. We could not read the developer's privacy policy when we checked; read it before installing.

Why does it need access to all sites?

The manifest lists all URLs as host access and runs a content script on every page at document start. That lets the extension find React on whatever site you open. If you only debug your own app, keep that access in mind. You can review it in Chrome's extension settings.

What if the React tab does not show up?

The README FAQ says that if the extension shows "service worker (inactive)", you may need to disable and re-enable it. Then reload the page and reopen DevTools. For local file:// apps, turn on "Allow access to file URLs" for the extension.

FAQ

Is it open source? Yes, under the MIT license.

Does it work for React Native? Not as this extension. A separate standalone package covers React Native, embedded webviews and Safari.

Who makes it? Meta Platforms, per the repo's license file.

Good to know

If the panel is missing, try the fix above before anything else: disable and re-enable the extension, reload the page and reopen DevTools. For local files, check the file URL setting first.

Other developer tools to compare

React Developer Tools is one of 13 picks in our developer tools guide:

Redux DevTools: debug Redux state.
Apollo Client Devtools: inspect Apollo Client apps.
Preact Developer Tools: inspect Preact components.
Lighthouse: audit page speed and quality.
JSON Formatter: read JSON responses.
Vue.js devtools: inspect Vue 3 apps.
Requestly: Open-source HTTP interceptor: redirect URLs, modify headers and mock requests while you test.
Solid DevTools: debug SolidJS reactivity.
Ember Inspector: inspect Ember.js apps.
MobX Developer Tools: debug MobX apps.
Refined GitHub: Simplifies GitHub and adds 100+ small improvements for repos and pull requests. Works on GitHub.com only. Open source.
Header Editor: Rewrites request and response headers, redirects and blocks requests with rules you set. The Chrome build is the Lite version. Open source.