Show HN: Tab Freezer – Saved 3.1GB swap with 84 tabs open

3 points by tech_builder_42 2 hours ago

Hey HN,

At 58, I'm finally leaving corporate to build what I should have built years ago. First project: solving my own terrible habit.

PROBLEM: Chronic tab hoarder. 100+ tabs open constantly. MacBook drowning - 7.2GB RAM, 6.3GB swap thrashing, fans screaming like jet engines.

SOLUTION: Tab Freezer "freezes" inactive tabs using chrome.tabs.discard() API. Tabs stay in tab bar but stop consuming resources.

REAL TEST RESULTS (84 tabs): • Before: 7.2GB RAM, 6.3GB swap • After freezing: 6.6GB RAM, 3.2GB swap • Total saved: 3.1GB swap

The surprise: I closed all 84 tabs to compare - got almost identical numbers to the frozen state.

Frozen tabs ≈ closed tabs, except you keep your workflow.

KEY INSIGHT: Swap reduction matters more than RAM for most people. If you're still on HDD (many are), 3GB less swap = massive performance difference. Even with SSD: better battery, less disk wear.

FEATURES: • Auto-suspend after X minutes inactivity • Whitelist for sites that should never freeze • Works on Chrome/Edge/Firefox • No tracking, all local

TECH: Simple browser API usage - chrome.tabs.discard() does the heavy lifting. No AI, no blockchain, just solid browser APIs doing what they're meant to do.

€9.99 one-time (early bird for 2 weeks).

Chrome: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/tab-freezer/ajocdmn... Edge: https://microsoftedge.microsoft.com/addons/detail/tab-freeze... Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tab-freezer-p...

Feedback welcome - especially on whitelist UX.

Fellow tab hoarders, be honest: how many tabs do you have open right now?