---
title: "4 WhatsApp Web Privacy Extensions Compared (2026)"
description: "Privacy Extension For WhatsApp Web, WA Web Plus, WAExport and Kaption compared: blur, screen lock, what data each collects, prices and store ratings."
canonical: "https://kaptionai.com/blog/en/whatsapp-web-privacy-extensions-compared/"
lang: "en"
---

# 4 WhatsApp Web Privacy Extensions Compared (2026)

> Privacy Extension For WhatsApp Web, WA Web Plus, WAExport and Kaption compared: blur, screen lock, what data each collects, prices and store ratings.

Canonical: https://kaptionai.com/blog/en/whatsapp-web-privacy-extensions-compared/

WhatsApp Web shows every name, photo and message to anyone who walks past your screen. A privacy extension fixes that by blurring the chat until you hover over it, locking WhatsApp Web when you step away, or keeping your data off other people's servers. This guide compares four extensions people install for privacy, and is honest about which ones collect less data than ours.

*Updated November 7, 2026. Competitors' prices and store figures checked on November 3, 2026; Kaption's prices are its 2027 plans.*

Kaption is our product; we list where others are better.

## TL;DR: which privacy extension should you pick?

- **Best free blur plus screen lock:** Kaption. Privacy mode and screen lock are free on every plan, and the same extension transcribes voice notes.
- **Best if you want an extension that collects nothing:** Privacy Extension For WhatsApp Web. It's free, open source (MIT) and says it doesn't collect information about you or your messages. It only blurs; it has no screen lock, and its rating is low.
- **Best known all-in-one:** WA Web Plus by Elbruz Technologies, with 2 million users, privacy tools and paid broadcasts.
- **Best for keeping a local copy of your chats:** WAExport, whose listing says "Zero data collected." It exports chats; it doesn't blur them.

## How do the four extensions compare?

The table uses each Chrome Web Store listing and each vendor's site as of Nov 3, 2026. Store user counts are rounded by the store.

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr><th>Tool</th><th>Free plan</th><th>What it does best</th><th>Price (as of Nov 3, 2026)</th><th>Chrome store users / rating</th><th>Best for</th></tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr><td>Kaption</td><td>Yes: privacy mode and screen lock are free</td><td>Blur with hover to peek, PIN or password screen lock, plus AI tools</td><td>Free; Pro US$11.99/mo (US$7.99/mo yearly); Business US$19.99/mo</td><td>About 50,000 users; 4.8 from 5.5K ratings</td><td>Shared desks and screens, with voice notes too</td></tr>
    <tr><td>Privacy Extension For WhatsApp Web</td><td>Yes, fully free (MIT license)</td><td>Blur that collects no data</td><td>Free</td><td>1,000,000; 2.7 from 1.2K ratings</td><td>People who want blur and nothing else</td></tr>
    <tr><td>WA Web Plus (Elbruz)</td><td>Yes; free feature list not published on its site</td><td>Privacy tools plus broadcasts and auto-replies</td><td>Starter US$14.99/mo; Professional US$34.99/mo; Expert US$49.99/mo</td><td>2,000,000; 4.7 from 52.8K ratings</td><td>Small businesses that broadcast</td></tr>
    <tr><td>WAExport (WA Chat Export)</td><td>Yes; a reviewer reports 30 free extractions</td><td>Exporting chats and contacts to files</td><td>Max plan (price not published)</td><td>80,000; 4.9 from 7.3K ratings</td><td>A local copy of chats in a spreadsheet</td></tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

For a step-by-step setup of blur and screen lock, see our guide to the [privacy extension for WhatsApp Web](/blog/en/privacy-extension-whatsapp-web-blur-chats-lock/).

## What should a WhatsApp Web privacy extension do?

It should hide what's on screen and make clear what data it handles. In practice that means three things:

- **Blur:** names, photos and messages stay blurred until you hover over them, so people nearby or on a screen share can't read them.
- **Lock:** WhatsApp Web asks for a PIN or password when you come back, so a colleague can't open it while you're away.
- **Data:** the listing or privacy policy says what leaves your computer. An extension that blurs your chats can read them, so this matters.

## 1. Kaption: what's free?

Privacy mode and screen lock are free, with no card, and stay included on every plan. Kaption is a browser extension for WhatsApp Web in Chrome and Edge, and a desktop app for Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows 10/11.

**What it does well:**

- Privacy mode blurs names, photos and messages in WhatsApp Web until you hover over them.
- Screen lock protects WhatsApp Web with a PIN or password and locks itself when you step away.
- The desktop app adds App Lock: Touch ID or a password on Mac, a password on Windows.
- The same extension transcribes voice notes (unlimited for your first 60 days, then on your device with limits on Free), summarizes chats, translates and sets reminders (on the paid plans after the first 60 days), which the other three extensions here don't advertise.
- Kaption Pro costs less than WA Web Plus Starter (US$14.99 a month): US$11.99 a month, or US$7.99 billed yearly. Business, with 2 WhatsApp numbers, is US$19.99 a month.

**Limits:**

- It handles more data than a blur-only extension. On Pro and Business, transcription and translation run in Kaption's cloud (Free and Lifetime local AI transcribe on your computer): only the audio or text you choose to process leaves your computer, without your name, number or contacts, and it isn't kept afterwards or used to train AI models. Reminders and scheduled messages are stored in Kaption Cloud. If you want an extension that sends nothing anywhere, Privacy Extension For WhatsApp Web is the closer fit.
- On-device transcription (Free, with limits) and Lifetime local AI use smaller models; the best quality is on the cloud plans.
- Chrome and Edge only; no Firefox or Safari.

**Price:** Free (every account starts with 60 days of Business, unlimited); Lifetime local AI US$99 once; Pro US$11.99 a month (US$9.99 billed every 3 months, US$7.99 billed yearly); Business US$19.99 a month. See [pricing](/pricing/).

**Store figures:** about 50,000 users, rated 4.8 from 5.5K ratings on the Chrome Web Store.

## 2. Privacy Extension For WhatsApp Web: is open source enough?

For blur alone, it may be: it's free, MIT-licensed open source, and its listing says it "does not collect information about you or your messages." On data collection, it beats Kaption.

**What it does well:**

- Blurs messages, previews, media and photos until you hover.
- No data collection, per its listing, and code you can inspect.
- Completely free.

**Limits:**

- Blur only: there's no screen lock.
- A low rating for its size: 2.7 from 1.2K ratings on a 1-million-user listing.
- Recent reviews report problems: a 1-star review from July 15, 2026 says it "doesnt work anymore," and a 3-star review from July 27, 2026 says it doesn't blur profile pictures.

**Price:** free.

**Store figures:** 1,000,000 users, 2.7 from 1.2K ratings, last updated August 3, 2026 (version 3.4.4.1).

## 3. WA Web Plus: what do you get beyond privacy?

You get the best-known WhatsApp Web add-on, with privacy tools free and broadcasts, auto-replies and exports on paid plans. This is the WA Web Plus by Elbruz Technologies, with 2 million users.

**What it does well:**

- The largest install base in this group: 2,000,000 users and a 4.7 rating from 52.8K ratings.
- Privacy tools, plus a restore-deleted-messages option.
- Its site says: "We never transmit, store, or process your WhatsApp data on any server."
- Paid plans add broadcasts, smart replies, templates, scheduled messages, exports and webhooks.

**Limits:**

- The free feature list isn't published on its site, so check the listing before relying on a specific privacy tool.
- Its site's no-server claim sits next to a Chrome Web Store privacy panel that says it handles personally identifiable information.
- A 2-star review from November 1, 2026 says the "restore deleted messages option is not working."
- No voice-note transcription or translation is advertised.

**Price:** Starter US$14.99 a month (1 user), Professional US$34.99 a month (5 users), Expert US$49.99 a month (10 users), as of Nov 3, 2026.

**Store figures:** 2,000,000 users, 4.7 from 52.8K ratings, last updated October 17, 2026.

A different extension uses a similar name: "WA Web Plus – Privacy Blur, Lock Screen & Chat Translator for WhatsApp Web" (20,000 users, 4.7 from 84 ratings). It isn't the Elbruz product, so check the developer before you install. If you're moving from WA Web Plus, our [WA Web Plus switching guide](/switch/wa-web-plus/) maps each feature.

## 4. WAExport: how does an export tool help with privacy?

It helps if your privacy concern is where your chat history lives: WAExport saves chats and contacts to files on your computer, and its listing says "Local, Secure, Private. Zero data collected." It doesn't blur or lock anything.

**What it does well:**

- Exports chats to HTML, Excel or CSV with a date range, and contacts and group members to Excel, CSV or VCF.
- Filters exports by WhatsApp labels.
- A strong rating: 4.9 from 7.3K ratings.
- By its listing's claim, it collects less data than Kaption.

**Limits:**

- No blur, no screen lock: it's a different kind of privacy tool.
- A 1-star review from August 4, 2026 says "Only 30 extractions are free," and media export needs the Max plan, whose price isn't published.
- A 1-star review from September 16, 2026 says it "doesn't work at all."

**Price:** free tier plus a Max plan; Max price not published as of Nov 3, 2026.

**Store figures:** 80,000 users, 4.9 from 7.3K ratings, last updated November 2, 2026.

## Which privacy extension should you choose?

Match the extension to the risk you're worried about:

- **People reading your screen, and colleagues opening WhatsApp Web while you're away:** Kaption, for free blur and screen lock in one extension.
- **Any extension seeing your messages at all:** Privacy Extension For WhatsApp Web, open source and with no data collection, if you can live with blur only and the reported bugs.
- **You want privacy tools and also broadcast to customers:** WA Web Plus.
- **Keeping a copy of your chats on your own computer:** WAExport.

You can also see every tool side by side on the [WhatsApp Web tools comparison](/compare/).

## When isn't Kaption the right pick?

Kaption isn't the right pick in these cases:

- **You want an extension that sends nothing to any server.** Kaption's cloud plans transcribe and translate in its cloud, and reminders are stored there. Privacy Extension For WhatsApp Web says it collects nothing.
- **You only want blur.** A single-purpose, open-source extension is simpler.
- **You need broadcasts or campaigns.** Kaption deliberately doesn't do bulk messaging, and its terms forbid it. WA Web Plus offers broadcasts.
- **You need to export chats to Excel or VCF.** WAExport has more formats and filters.
- **You use Firefox or Safari.** Kaption runs in Chrome and Edge, plus its desktop app.

## FAQ

### How do I blur WhatsApp Web?

Install a privacy extension and turn on its blur mode. In Kaption, privacy mode blurs names, photos and messages until you hover over them; it's free.

### Can I lock WhatsApp Web with a password?

Yes, with an extension. Kaption's screen lock protects WhatsApp Web with a PIN or password and locks itself when you step away; it's free. The Kaption desktop app adds App Lock with Touch ID on Mac.

### Which WhatsApp Web privacy extension collects the least data?

Privacy Extension For WhatsApp Web says it doesn't collect information about you or your messages, and it's open source. WAExport's listing also claims zero data collected. Kaption sends only the audio or text you choose to transcribe or translate, without your name or number.

### Is Privacy Extension For WhatsApp Web still working?

Some users say no: a July 2026 review reports it stopped working, and another says it doesn't blur profile pictures. Its overall rating is 2.7 from 1.2K ratings. It was last updated August 3, 2026.

### Is WA Web Plus free?

Its site advertises free and premium plans but doesn't publish the free feature list. Paid plans start at US$14.99 a month (Starter), as of Nov 3, 2026.

### Do privacy extensions protect me on a screen share?

Blur helps: blurred names and messages stay unreadable until you hover. Check the profile pictures, since one review says Privacy Extension For WhatsApp Web doesn't blur them; Kaption's privacy mode blurs names, photos and messages.

### Does a privacy extension work with WhatsApp Business?

These extensions act on WhatsApp Web, so they work with whichever account is signed in. Kaption works with personal and WhatsApp Business accounts.

### Can an extension read my messages?

An extension that changes how WhatsApp Web looks can access the page, so read its listing and privacy policy before installing. Look for what leaves your computer, what's kept, and whether content is used to train AI models.