⭐ Boost vs Regular Tabs - When and How to Choose.

Last updated on 29 Oct 2025

Understanding when to "boost" a tab into an app versus keeping it as a regular tab is crucial for an organized, efficient Wavebox workflow. Boost is the quickest way of adding a new app to the current Group on-the-fly, especially when creating a custom app. This guide explains the differences, benefits, and decision-making process.

What Does 'Boosting' Mean?

Boosting a tab transforms it from a standard browser tab into a powerful, persistent app. This process unlocks enhanced features that make your most-used sites easier to access and manage.

Regular Tabs: The Temporary Workers 📄

Regular tabs work in the same way as in any other browser. They’re ideal for quick, disposable browsing sessions, letting you open/close/move sites without long-term commitment or extra features.

Regular Tab Characteristics

✅ Lightweight: Use minimal system resources
✅ Disposable: Easy to close without consequences
✅ Fast: Quick to open and navigate
✅ Pinned: Can be pinned to the tabstrip
✅ Space: Can be isolated in a space
✅ Split: Can be split with another tab in the group
❌ Temporary: Disappear when closed
❌ No persistent logins: May need to sign-in each time
❌ No notifications: No guaranteed desktop alerts
❌ Poor navigation: Cannot apply link engine rules
❌ No unread badges: No live counts on badges or in the Mini
❌ No saved state: Potential to lose scroll position, form data, etc.

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Pro Tip: It's okay to keep lots of tabs open in Wavebox. Tabs live in the Group tabstrip so they are always kept in context. They also inherit the sleep settings of the parent app so they will probably sleep to save memory when you're not using them.

When to Keep as Regular Tabs

Not every site needs to become an app. For one-time visits, research, or temporary tasks, keeping pages as regular tabs keeps your workspace uncluttered and your workflow fast and flexible.

One-time browsing: Reading articles, quick lookups
Research sessions: Temporary information gathering
Shopping: Browsing products you're not buying today
Entertainment: YouTube videos, social media browsing
Testing services: Trying out new tools before committing
Reference materials: Documentation you'll read once
Temporary tasks: Forms, downloads, quick actions

Examples of Tab-Only Usage:

Reading a news article from a shared link
Checking weather or traffic
Online shopping comparison
Looking up a recipe
Watching entertainment videos
Reading blog posts or documentation
Filling out one-time forms

Boosted Tabs: The Permanent Residents ⭐

Boosted tabs, also known as apps, are your most important web services. They stay signed in using spaces, support unread badges and notifications, and offer persistent access, making them perfect for daily tools and long-term projects.

Boosted Tab (App) Superpowers

✅ Persistent: Always accessible, survive Wavebox restarts
✅ Dedicated/customized icon: Permanent spot in your webdock/tabstrip
✅ Maintained logins: Stay signed in, even multiple accounts
✅ Desktop notifications: Pop-up alerts for important updates
✅ Unread badges: Red dots or badges with counts, included in the Mini
✅ Custom Sounds: To help distinguish alerts from different apps
✅ Saved state: Remember position, data, preferences
✅ Auto-wake capability: Can check for updates while sleeping
✅ Navigation: Included in the Quick Switch
✅ Search: Easily found in Global Search
✅ Enhanced features: Tooltips, saved items, custom settings
✅ Workflow tools: Can be included in link engine rules
✅ Priority treatment: Better performance and resource allocation

When to Boost Tabs to Apps

Consider boosting tabs to apps when you need persistent logins, notifications, or frequent access. This approach streamlines your workflow and ensures your essential services are always just a click away.

Daily usage: Services you access regularly
Login-sensitive: Services where re-authentication is painful
Spaces: Services that require multiple sign-in credentials
Communication tools: Email, chat, messaging platforms
Work applications: Project management, CRM, productivity tools
Important accounts: Banking, healthcare, official services
Notification-critical: Services where you need instant alerts
Persistent workflows: Long-term projects, ongoing tasks

Examples of Boost-Worthy Services

Email accounts (Gmail, Outlook, Zoho)
Communication platforms (Slack, Teams, Discord)
Project management (Asana, Trello, ClickUp)
File storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive)
Social media for business (LinkedIn, Twitter for work)
Banking and financial services
Health portals and medical accounts
Client-specific tools and dashboards

Decision Framework: Tab or Boost?

Deciding whether to boost a tab or keep it regular depends on your needs. Use this framework to evaluate notifications, login frequency, persistence, and workflow integration for each web service.

🔔 The Notification Test

Notifications can be crucial or distracting. If you need instant alerts, boost the tab into an app. That way you can use Focus Mode and custom sleep settings to control them. If not, or if notifications would interrupt your focus, keep it as a regular tab.

Need instant alerts/update? → Boost to App
Don't need badges or notifications? → Keep as Tab
Notifications would be distracting? → Keep as Tab

Frequent logins can be a hassle. Boost tabs into apps for services where staying signed in matters, especially if you use multiple accounts (using Spaces).

Painful to log in repeatedly? → Boost to App
Sign-in using different credentials? → Boost to App
Rarely sign-in? → Keep as Tab
Don't need to stay logged in? → Keep as Tab

⏰ The Frequency Test

How often you access a service should guide your choice. Daily or weekly use favors boosting to an app, while occasional or one-time visits are best left as regular tabs.

Daily/Weekly Access → Boost to App
Monthly/Occasional Access → Keep as Tab or Boost
One-time/Rare Access → Keep as Tab

📌 The Persistence Test

If you need to preserve your session, data, or workflow state, boosting to an app is best. For temporary browsing or low-risk sessions, regular tabs are more efficient and disposable.

Need to preserve state/data? → Boost to App
No risk if accidentally closed? → Keep as Tab
Temporary browsing session? → Keep as Tab
Incognito mode? → Keep as Tab

🚀 The Workflow Test

Apps are ideal for services integral to your workflow. If a site is only referenced occasionally or interrupts your main tasks, keeping it as a tab may be the better option.

Part of regular workflow? → Boost to App
Occasional reference only? → Boost or Keep as Tab
Interrupts main workflow? → Keep as Tab

How to Boost a Tab to an App

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Boosting a tab is simple in Wavebox—right-click the tab and select “Boost into App.” Then customize the settings and enjoy enhanced features like notifications, persistent logins, and a dedicated app icon.

Right-click on any tab, or the page itself.
Select 'Boost into App'.
In the pop-up:
- EITHER choose a matched app from the store, if found.
- OR click on 'Create Custom Weblink App'.
Edit the app details:
- Change the app name
- Change the Group from the dropdown (if required)
- Choose a different Space from the dropdown (if required)
Click [Boost] button to finish.
The app appears as an icon in the tabstrip.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Using Boost effectively means finding balance. Avoid cluttering your workspace by only boosting essential services, and don’t miss out on productivity by neglecting to boost your most-used sites.

Mistake 1: Boosting Everything

Problem: Webdock becomes cluttered, too many notifications
Solution: Be selective - only boost services you use regularly
Rule of thumb: If you haven't used it in 2 weeks, consider keeping it as a tab

Mistake 2: Never Boosting Anything

Problem: Constantly losing login sessions, missing important notifications
Solution: Boost your 5-10 most important daily services
Start with: Email

Balance Flexibility and Persistence

In summary, choosing between regular tabs and boosted apps in Wavebox is all about balancing flexibility and persistence. Use regular tabs for temporary, disposable browsing, and boost your most important, frequently used sites into apps for maximum productivity and convenience.

By following the decision framework above, you can keep your workspace organized, efficient, and tailored to your workflow. If you have any questions or need further guidance, feel free to reach out to support@wavebox.io.