# ActiveTab — See which tab is active

> Highlights the active Safari tab on Mac with a visual indicator. (iPhone/iPad app by And a Dinosaur.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/activetab/id1588852241 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [And a Dinosaur](https://appshunter.io/developer/475577301)
- Category: Utilities
- Price: $1.99
- Rating: 3.60/5 from 5 App Store ratings · 18 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 3 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2021-10-05
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/activetab/id1588852241/reviews.md

## What is ActiveTab?

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ActiveTab makes it easier to spot the active tab in Safari on Mac by drawing a line below it. It works by predicting the position of the active tab based on the size of your browser window and the number of tabs.

"The extension [...] undeniably makes it easier to spot the active tab in Safari." - MacStories
"It's worth every penny." - iMore
"ActiveTab simply makes it easier to spot the active tab in Safari." - MacRumors
"It makes the tab instantly recognizable, even when you’re not looking directly at it" - Cult of Mac
"It solves the problem of creating enough visual contrast between active and inactive tabs" - iDownloadBlog

Caveats:
• It only works with “Separate Tab Bar”.
• It works best if you hide the Favorites Bar and turn off “Show Color in Tab Bar.”
• It will not work reliably if you have so many tabs in a window that the tab bar becomes scrollable.
• It also won’t work if you change the zoom level of web pages.

The "can read and alter webpages" text in the permission section is just unfortunate wording. ActiveTab needs access to the web page to draw the line below tabs. It's not doing anything creepy!

## Key features

- Draws a line below the active Safari tab
- Improves active tab visibility
- Works with Safari on Mac
- Predicts tab position
- Requires specific Safari settings for optimal use

## Recent user reviews (10 of 18)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/activetab/id1588852241/reviews.md

### 2/5 — DOES NOT WORK SAFARI VERSIONS 16 and beyond

*2023-04-22*

My fault for not reading the description, AND probably costing others money too. Maybe this rating will help you avoid wasting $1.99

### 1/5 — This extension does not work for me

*2022-06-11, version 1.1.4*

It does not highlight the active tab when switching between tabs. I would like to request money back due to the fact that this extension does not work. Thank you.

### 5/5 — iPad Pro

*2021-12-29, version 1.1.3*

Works great on my iPad Pro. No more trying to spot the little gray x to figure witch tab is open. Thanks

### 5/5 — Works great with Safari 15.1

*2021-10-31, version 1.1.3*

Works as advertised ... another life annoyance solved for only $2.  I have all my websites zoomed to 115% and the highlighting still tells me which tab is the active one.  I also really like the "Improve visibility" option, so for example I can see the blue line on a site with a black background and the black line on a site with a blue background!  Wonderful.

### 5/5 — Helpful

*2021-10-29, version 1.1.3*

Underline is a quick way to see where I am.

### 3/5 — Great idea - just needs some more iteration!

*2021-10-18, version 1.1.2*

Works and very happy to have this as an option, but the alignment seems to be off when used with Safari with Pinned Tabs along with Regular Tabs.

Would also be great if it had some ability to switch display color based on the tab color theme. For example, a dark color works well for light colored tabs, but is much harder to see on a dark colored tab.

**Developer response:** Enabling "Improve visibility" in the settings should make it easier to see the indicator in both light and dark mode. You can also play around with the custom colors.

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work

*2021-10-12, version 1.1.1*

Cannot get it to do anything

**Developer response:** Can you please contact me so I can help you to get it to work?

### 3/5 — read this first, first

*2021-10-10, version 1.1.1*

I bought this after seeing it on MacStories.  I did not read the fine print at the top of the description. The last 2 items are important. On the mini, will a few too many tabs, the bar does not line up with the active tab. 

Will see how well it works on the mac tomorrow.

**Developer response:** The app is a band-aid solution and I have very little to work with: just the screen size and the number of tabs. From this 2 numbers I have to predict the position of the active tab and draw a line below it.

It becomes impossible if the tab bar is scrollable (i.e. users can change the position of tabs) or the page zoom level has changed.

### 5/5 — Quick update!

*2021-10-08, version 1.0.3*

I complained yesterday that this extension was slowing down Safrai in a aprticular way.
Today the developer has released a fix!

That's the sort of attention to detail and complaints that we'd like to see in all software :-)
Five stars.

**Developer response:** Thank you!

### 3/5 — Somewhat effective, but kludgy

*2021-10-07, version 1.0.3*

Not an indictment—this is a clever attempt at fixing Apple's atrocious tab UX. Unfortunately, the more tabs you have open, the more the highlights are offset and shrunk, to the point that they disappear altogether.

**Developer response:** Are you setting the zoom level of the web pages to more than 100%? The tab indicator is part of the web content and won't be accurate if your zoom level is not 100%.

## Frequently asked questions about ActiveTab

### How much does ActiveTab cost?

ActiveTab is a paid application, priced at $1.99. This one-time purchase grants you access to the tab highlighting feature for Safari on your Mac.

### What devices does ActiveTab support?

ActiveTab is designed to work on both iPad and Mac devices. Its primary function is to enhance the Safari browsing experience on these Apple platforms.

### How often is ActiveTab updated?

The latest version of ActiveTab is 1.1.4, released on January 27, 2022. While specific update frequency isn't detailed, this indicates recent maintenance and improvements.

### What is the age rating for ActiveTab?

ActiveTab has an age rating of 4+. This suggests it is suitable for a wide range of users and does not contain mature content.

### What are the limitations of ActiveTab?

ActiveTab only works with Safari's 'Separate Tab Bar' setting. It also functions best when the Favorites Bar is hidden and 'Show Color in Tab Bar' is off. It may not work reliably with very large numbers of tabs or if web page zoom levels are changed.

### Why does ActiveTab need to read and alter webpages?

The permission to 'read and alter webpages' is necessary for ActiveTab to draw the visual line below the active tab. This is a standard requirement for browser extensions that modify the display of web content.

### What do users like about ActiveTab?

Reviews from MacStories, iMore, MacRumors, Cult of Mac, and iDownloadBlog highlight that ActiveTab effectively makes the active tab easier to spot and instantly recognizable, solving the contrast issue between active and inactive tabs.

### What is the user rating for ActiveTab?

ActiveTab has an average rating of 3.6 stars from 5 ratings. This indicates a generally positive reception, though there is room for improvement based on user feedback.

## Version history (last 1 release)

### 1.1.4 — 2022-01-27

The new tab page now has a black background in dark mode.

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All apps by And a Dinosaur: https://appshunter.io/developer/475577301

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*