The Marvellous Suspender
Two different answers to the same problem
Both tools address the fact that Chrome tabs consume RAM. They just take opposite approaches.
The Marvellous Suspender freezes individual tabs after they've been idle for a configurable period. The tab's thumbnail stays visible, but the page is unloaded from memory. Click it and it reloads from scratch — your scroll position, form state, and any in-page work is gone.
Duotang's approach is different. When you close a workspace window, every tab in that workspace is unloaded simultaneously. When you reopen the workspace, Chrome reloads the tabs from where they were. You're not suspending individual tabs one by one — you're parking entire workspaces.
Chrome's Memory Saver already handles most of this
Since Chrome 108, Chrome has a built-in Memory Saver (Settings → Performance) that automatically discards inactive tabs after a configurable period. It does most of what The Marvellous Suspender does without requiring an extension, and it has Chrome's full permission model behind it rather than a third-party extension.
For most users, enabling Chrome's Memory Saver makes The Marvellous Suspender unnecessary. If you're evaluating tab management tools primarily for memory reasons, check Memory Saver first.
What Duotang adds
Duotang's memory benefit is a side effect of workspace architecture, not its purpose. The goal is to let you switch between projects without reloading tabs. The RAM saving comes from the fact that inactive workspace windows are closed — those tabs are genuinely unloaded, not just suspended.
Duotang also has a Minimize feature that lets you hibernate individual tabs within a workspace, similar to suspension, while keeping their place in your workspace intact. It's not an auto-suspend timer — it's an intentional action for tabs you don't need loaded right now.
When The Marvellous Suspender is the right choice
- You have a lot of tabs open in a single window and want automatic idle suspension
- You need fine-grained control — specific domains or tabs whitelisted from suspension
- You don't need workspace organization, just memory management
- Chrome's built-in Memory Saver isn't enough for your usage pattern
When Duotang is the right choice
- You want to switch between projects without reloading tabs
- You want RAM savings as a consequence of closing workspace windows, not suspending individual tabs
- You want named, persistent workspaces alongside any memory benefit
Workspace switching that keeps tabs alive — free, no account.
Install Duotang