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How Substly's browser extension works

What data is (and isn’t) logged, and how it helps optimizing your digital work environment.

Ola Stål avatar
Written by Ola Stål
Updated today

What is the Substly Extension

The extension monitors usage of B2B SaaS tools access via your web browser, such as ChatGPT, Trello, Slack, etc.

If you read your local online newspaper or access any other website on the internet that is not business software, the extension will not track that activity, and no data will be sent to or stored by us.

Substly doesn’t capture any content on the pages you visit; if there is a match against our database, the only information captured is the first part of the URL (up to the query; see the image below for more details).

The data sent from the extension to Substly provides your company's management team with usage insights, enabling them to understand and optimize your digital work environment.

📘 How Substly’s Extension Works and What It Logs

Substly helps companies gain insights into which B2B services employees use in their browsers—strengthening both information security and compliance.

It’s essential to understand what is logged and how:

  • ✅ Substly logs as little data as possible, just enough to assess whether a service is actively being used. For example, we do not log how much time an employee spends using a service—only if a specific service was used by a specific employee on a specific day.

  • 🔒 All matching happens locally in the browser. This means we don’t monitor general web browsing; instead, we only track visits to B2B services.

  • 🧩 When a match occurs, only the first part of the URL (up to the query string) is sent to Substly. This minimizes the risk of logging sensitive data or revealing user behavior.

  • 💼 Substly only monitors B2B SaaS tools. Suppose a SaaS service can be used for both personal and business purposes. In that case, we only monitor the business-relevant parts of the tool, and only if we can reliably separate them.

  • 🧘‍♀️ If you want to use your work computer without Substly monitoring your use of B2B tools—for example, during breaks or when using the device for personal tasks—you can do so by:

    1. Using a different browser than the one(s) with the Substly extension installed

    2. Using a separate browser profile (e.g., in Chrome or Edge)

    3. Using incognito/private mode


🧠 How the Logged Data Is Used

The insights from the extension help your organization:

  • Identify opportunities to improve your digital work environment

  • Spot knowledge gaps and training needs

  • Reduce tool overlap and prevent data sprawl

  • Increase your organization's security and compliance posture

  • Identify unused licenses and free up budget for more fun stuff 🎉

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