Sprout SEO Extension is free and installs from your browser’s own extension store. No account, no licence key, no sign-up.
Install
| Browser | Install from |
|---|---|
| Chrome | Chrome Web Store |
| Firefox | Firefox Add-ons |
| Edge | Edge Add-ons |
After installing, a welcome page opens once with a short tour. When the extension updates, the changelog opens instead.
Pin It
Do this first. Everything in the extension starts from the toolbar icon, and an unpinned extension is hidden behind the puzzle-piece menu.
- Chrome and Edge: click the puzzle-piece icon in the toolbar, find Sprout SEO Extension, click the pin.
- Firefox: click the extensions icon, then the gear next to Sprout SEO Extension, then Pin to Toolbar.
Turn On SERP Enhancements
The in-Google widgets (search trends, keyword ideas, per-result Core Web Vitals, the local search simulator, the People Also Ask extractor) are switched off by default. They will not appear until you enable them once:
- Run any Google search.
- Find the Sprout panel in the right-hand column.
- Flip the switch in its header.
The setting is remembered. See SERP Enhancements.
Browser Differences
Almost everything works identically across all three. Two things do not:
Local search simulator location override. Works on Chrome and Edge. It relies on rewriting a request header, and Firefox does not expose the API that needs, so on Firefox the language and device overrides still apply but the location override has no effect.
AI capture mechanism. ChatGPT and Gemini capture works on all three, but Firefox uses a different technique under the hood because of its extension platform. This is an implementation difference, not a feature difference: the same data is captured.
Firefox is also excluded from the anonymous install and uninstall counts described in Data and Privacy, which keeps the extension’s “collects no data” declaration on Firefox Add-ons accurate.
Language
The interface follows your browser’s language and ships in seven: English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese. See Languages.
Keyboard Shortcut
One shortcut ships by default: Alt+Shift+J toggles JavaScript on the current tab. Rebind it on your browser’s extension shortcuts page (chrome://extensions/shortcuts on Chrome and Edge).
Tips & Troubleshooting
- Right-click menu missing? Reload the extension from your browser’s extensions page. The menu is rebuilt on install and on startup.
- Popup blank on a browser settings page or a web store? Those pages block extensions from reading them. Try any regular HTTPS page.
- JavaScript toggle not in the menu? It only appears when the browser exposes an API that can do it. On the three supported browsers it should always be there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sprout SEO Extension: Common Questions
Why is the right-click menu missing?
Reload the extension from your browser’s extensions page. The context menu is rebuilt when the extension installs and when the browser starts, so a reload restores it.
Also check where you are right-clicking. The menu is registered for the page itself, so it does not appear when you right-click a link, an image, or selected text. Right-click blank page area.
What data does the extension send off my machine?
Almost nothing. Everything read off the page you are on, titles, meta tags, headings, links, images and structured data, is analysed locally and stays there. Your AI Insights captures also stay on your machine.
A few features need a lookup the browser cannot do alone, and those send a URL or a keyword to a Sprout service: keyword volume and CPC, Core Web Vitals, link status codes, robots.txt checks, and the redirect chain. Those are URLs and queries only. No page content, no form data, no cookies, no credentials.
There is no analytics SDK in the extension. On install it sends a one-time ping with a random identifier so installs can be counted, and Firefox is excluded from even that.
Is Sprout SEO Extension free, and do I need an account?
It is free, and there is no account, no sign-in and no licence key. Install it from your browser’s extension store and it works.
Which browsers does Sprout SEO Extension support?
Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
Almost everything works identically across all three. The one exception is the local search simulator’s location override, which works on Chrome and Edge. It relies on rewriting a request header and Firefox does not expose the API that needs, so on Firefox the language and device overrides still apply but the location one has no effect.
Why don’t I see anything on Google search results?
SERP enhancements ship switched off. They will not appear until you enable them once.
Run any Google search, find the Sprout panel in the right-hand column, and flip the switch in its header. The setting is remembered, so this is a one-time step.
If the switch is already on, check the result type. The widgets appear on standard Google results only. Images, Video, Shopping, News and Books results are excluded.