Monica
Browser sidebar assistant that docks a chat model next to every page you open.
why this verdict
Cancel it — switch to Gemini in Chrome
Gemini in Chrome and Perplexity now cover the same core job on a free tier, so the $8/mo is optional.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Gemini shipping natively inside Chrome's side panel and address bar. Google, May 20, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers all of it editorial call
- The whole core job — the thing the subscription was actually for.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 2 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Gemini in Chrome and Perplexity.
- What the call is worth $96/yr
- $8/mo at the entry paid tier — $96 a year per seat.
- Threatened by
- Since
- May 20, 2025
- List price
- $8/mo
- Per year
- $96
The backstory
Monica is a browser extension that puts an AI chat panel beside whatever page you are reading, so you can summarise, translate or rewrite without switching tabs. Its entire value was routing you to a frontier model you did not otherwise have handy. Chrome now bundles Gemini in the browser itself, and every major lab ships its own free extension. When the host browser gives away the sidebar, a paid wrapper has nothing left to charge for.
Escape hatches
switching could free up $96/yrBuilt into the browser, no extension required
google.com open_in_newSimilar sidebar with multi-model switching
sider.ai open_in_newSearch-first assistant with a browser extension
perplexity.ai open_in_new2 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.