We love Craigslist but the site design itself is a little clunky and uninspired. Clicking headlines individually to see each picture is cumbersome. Don't fret, though, there are better ways to browse Craigslist…
Craigslist Helper
Available on Safari, Firefox, Chrome browsers
This popular extension is filled with useful features and powerful functionality. The first thing you'll notice is the image previews that'll display all the pictures in the post below the headline - super time-saver. Ad previews are also a big help as you can see the whole ad by just hovering over the ad title. Craigslist Helper also allows you to make alerts for a particular search, and search multiple CL sites at once - great if you live in or around a metroplex. The extension rounds up other features such as note-taking, favorites marking, and map popups as well. They really have thought about everything and somehow incorporated into this extension.
Craigslist Preview
Available on Chrome browser
You may find that the Craigslist Helper extension a bit laggy and bloated however, as all those features come at the cost of some extra processing power. Maybe all you simply want is image previews on your search results. If that's the case, then the Craigslist Preview is your solution — and the solution used by yours truly. It's fast, easy, responsive, and doesn't throw too much at you.
Craigslist Pro
For iPhone or iPad
This is a great app that makes browsing Craigslist a joy on the couch or on the fly via your mobile device. Like the extensions above, this app shows image previews next to the listings. It also has a Photo Wall option that just shows a gallery of images you can swipe and browse through. We also like how you can do a location-based search (utilizing the built-in GPS) and find nearby Craigslist locations. Perhaps the best part of the experience though is getting all your results (even multiple cities) presented to you on one page you can quickly flick and swipe through. This could very well be your new go-to for all your future Craigslist hunts.
Craigslist Notification or Craigslist HD
For Android phones and tablets, respectively
These apps are similar to what you'll find on iOS in that you'll get all your results on one big scrollable list. The Craigslist HD app is optimized for your Android tablet and allows you to save prospective ads, and track which ones you've attempted to reach out to. The Craigslist Notification app for your mobile phone as you might have guessed will also let you save searches and get notifications when new listings pop up that match your search criteria. Now you'll be able to act fast when that classic Eames chair is posted in your area.
• Find other Craigslist tips and tricks here
What extensions and apps do you use for scouring the pages of Craigslist?
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I've been using CraigsEasy but I love having options.
Thanks for these! I've been doing it the hard way...
I'm all about craiggers.com. I like the multi-city search and the multi-column navigation.
Be careful, CL is notorious for sending cease and desist letters to search sites that get too popular.
I'm a huge fan of the craigslist notification app. Makes it easy to keep an eye out for things without spending a lot of time on it.
I'm not saying these probably aren't better ways than straight CL, but you don't have to click on the headers to see preview photos, and haven't had to do so for like 2 years already. Pay attention/do some basic research before blogging please.
Perhaps you can tell us Lepidoptery, instead of being snarky?
I'm fairly certain that Lepidoptery was talking about being able to hover over any listing with images and it will blow up the first picture.
I tried to do that, where I went to Craigslist and hover overed listings with images, but no pictures popped up without clicking on the header.
@lepidopstrey Are you certain you don't have an browser extension installed to accomplish this? I don't view craigslist online very often (I use an app typically) but when I visit the website I'm not able to see picture previews either. I know their are several browser extensions that would allow for this but it not standard.
There is a 'show images' button in the top right corner that will show a preview of the first pic of each post. Hovering over the picture enlarges it. I just discovered this recently, a big help!