Best Personal Start Pages: 3 Top Website Options

Creating a Portable Browser Start Page

Frequently accessing multiple computers presents a challenge when relying on session recovery to restore your preferred websites. Bookmarks may not be available across different systems.

If syncing your data isn't feasible, or you prefer not to use a USB drive, an alternative solution exists.

The Solution: A Personalized Start Page

A practical approach involves establishing a customized browser start page. This allows you to compile all your frequently visited links onto a single page, accessible from any location.

The key is simply remembering the URL of this personalized page.

Top 3 Customizable Start Page Websites

This article will detail three websites that provide excellent options for creating a customizable internet start page.

These platforms offer flexibility and control over your browsing experience, ensuring your important links are always within reach.

Maintaining access to your favorite websites becomes significantly easier with this method.

These services are generally free to use.
They require minimal technical expertise.
Your start page is accessible from any device with a web browser.

3x3Links

Many users are already familiar with Gmail. Notably, a new account creation isn't necessary when utilizing 3x3Links, as it supports login via your existing Google credentials.

Following a successful login, navigate to and select Customize. Adding desired URLs is a manual process, though it is straightforward. Users also have the capability to establish new folders for improved link organization.

3x3Links automatically retrieves website logos for each link. However, these logos can be individually customized if preferred.

To reposition links, such as moving them into a folder, click on the link’s upper-left corner and drag it to the intended destination. A contextual menu will then appear, prompting you to select an action.

It’s important to note that during link movement, the system automatically swaps positions with another link, rather than shifting subsequent links down the list.

When managing a large number of links on your start page, switching to > list view can streamline the process. The toggle for switching between grid and list view is located in the upper-right corner of the page.

However, the list view doesn’t offer a particularly intuitive method for organizing your links.

Upon completing your edits, click > Finish Customizing, found in the top-right corner, to save your changes. Hovering over > Hotkeys will reveal available keyboard shortcuts.

Within > Options, you can personalize the page’s appearance, configure links to open in new tabs, or export your saved data.

The final result may resemble the following:

Only2Clicks: A Detailed Overview

Upon successful registration, users are directed to their personalized Only2Clicks dashboard. To add a new bookmark, simply select the > add link button located in the upper left corner. Enter the necessary details and then click > Submit to proceed.

Only2Clicks will then automatically generate a snapshot of the webpage you have added. Alternatively, users have the option to upload a custom image for their bookmark.

Organizing Your Bookmarks

Bookmarks can be arranged alphabetically, either in ascending or descending order. A drag-and-drop functionality is also available for manual reordering.

This drag-and-drop feature operates intuitively and provides a superior user experience compared to similar systems, such as that found in 3x3Links. Ensure you select the bookmark by its top menu bar when dragging.

Managing Bookmark Categories

To relocate a bookmark to a different category, hover over the pen icon situated in the top right corner of the bookmark entry. This action will reveal a menu containing the options Copy, Move, and Edit.

Category Customization

Users can modify their categories by clicking the folder icon at the end of the category list. This allows for editing existing categories, altering their sort order, removing unwanted categories, or creating new ones.

Import and Export Functionality

Only2Clicks provides both import and export capabilities for bookmarks. However, the import process can be quite lengthy.

During testing, the import was abandoned due to its duration. It was then discovered that many bookmarks, including categorized folders, had already been added, resulting in a disorganized collection. Therefore, selective import is not currently possible.

Visual Preview: The Noir Skin

Below is a demonstration of a complete Internet start page utilizing the Noir skin:

start.io

Upon registration, users are taken to a dashboard for managing both groups and links. The process is intuitive; simply select the + symbol to create a new link. Enter the desired website name and its corresponding URL, then click Add. Editing an existing entry is accomplished by clicking the wheel icon positioned to its right.

This action allows you to enable update notifications, modify the color scheme, or delete the bookmark entirely. Creating a new group is equally straightforward – input the group’s name into the designated field at the top of the page and click Create.

A significant benefit of start.io is its ability to import pre-existing bookmarks. For Firefox users, the HTML file containing these bookmarks is located within your browser profile directory. The platform will display a page listing all your bookmarks, allowing you to select those you wish to import.

Once your selections are made, click Add Links, found at the bottom of the page, to finalize the import process.

After populating the site with your preferred links, customization of the appearance becomes possible. Navigate to Settings, then Layouts, to explore the available design options. A Custom design upload feature is also present.

However, at the current time, the custom design functionality appears to be unavailable. Within the Account settings, you can also choose a personalized background color for your start.io page.

Below is a complete preview of my start.io page, utilizing the Edition layout: