A Session Buddy alternative with automatic, verified backups
Automatic restore points, a dated timeline and a preview of exactly what's missing, and you can bring your Session Buddy sessions with you.
Session Buddy is one of the best-known Chrome session managers, built around saving sessions and collections of links. If you're looking for an alternative, it's usually for one of three reasons: you want saves to happen automatically in the background, you want to see exactly what's missing before you restore, or you want an encrypted backup you control.
Workspace Recovery Vault is built for exactly that, and it imports your Session Buddy export so you can switch without losing anything.
What you get with Workspace Recovery Vault
Automatic restore points
Windows, tabs, pinned tabs and tab groups are saved every 5 minutes and after changes. Nothing to remember.
A dated timeline
Restore points grouped by day and searchable by title or address. Go back 7 days free, or up to a year with Pro.
Preview the difference
See which tabs are missing, added or moved compared with what's open now, then tick only the ones you want.
Safe recovery
Recovered tabs open in new windows with their groups and pins. Your current tabs stay open.
Verified saves
Every restore point has a checksum, so a damaged save is flagged instead of restored.
Encrypted backups
Export passphrase-encrypted archives, or turn on Pro encrypted cloud recovery across up to 5 devices.
How to move from Session Buddy
- In Session Buddy, export your sessions or collections as a JSON file.
- Open Workspace Recovery Vault and click Import backup.
- Choose the JSON file. Both older Session Buddy session exports and newer collection exports are supported.
- Each session or collection becomes its own restore point, named after the original. Preview any of them and recover the tabs you want.
The Vault only reads your export file, so your Session Buddy data isn't changed. Imported restore points are kept until you delete them, even on the free plan. Links that aren't normal web addresses are skipped, and the import tells you how many.
Private by design
Restore points stay in your Chrome profile. The Vault stores tab addresses, titles and window organisation only. No page contents, cookies, passwords or Incognito tabs, no ads, no analytics and no remotely loaded code. Read the privacy policy.
Questions
Is Workspace Recovery Vault a good Session Buddy alternative?
Yes, especially if you want automatic background saves, a dated timeline of restore points, a preview of what's missing before you restore, and encrypted backups. It also imports Session Buddy exports.
Can I import my Session Buddy sessions and collections?
Yes. Export them from Session Buddy as JSON and use Import backup in the Vault. Older session exports and newer collection exports are both supported, and each becomes a named restore point.
Does it restore tab groups?
Yes, for restore points the Vault saves itself: tab groups come back with their names and colours, and pinned tabs stay pinned.
Is it free?
Yes. Automatic restore points, 7-day history, recovery preview, search, and import and export are free with no time limit. Pro adds longer history, filters, scheduled encrypted downloads and encrypted cloud recovery.