Inside Vesti AI: Building a Free AI Virtual Try-On Chrome Extension

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Building Vesti AI: A Free Chrome Extension Bringing AI Virtual Try-On to 99% of Online Clothing Stores

Introduction

Virtual try-on is quickly becoming one of the most exciting applications of AI in e-commerce. While most solutions are locked to a single retailer, require expensive integrations, or come with paywalls, Vesti AI takes a different approach.

It’s a free Chrome extension that works across 99% of online clothing stores, allowing users to instantly see themselves in any outfit they find while shopping. Soon, it will even offer discounts and cashback on purchases.

In this post, I’ll share how we built it, the tech stack behind it, and why we believe browser-based AI is the key to scaling virtual try-on technology.

Core Features

Free & Unlimited Try-Ons – No subscriptions, no usage caps.
Cross-Store Compatibility – Works on nearly all clothing retailers.
Realistic AI Renderings – High-quality, accurate previews.
Upcoming Rewards – Discounts and cashback built into the shopping flow.

The Tech Stack

1. Chrome Extension (Manifest V3)

We built Vesti AI as a Manifest V3 Chrome extension for better performance, security, and long-term support.

Content Scripts: Inject a “Try On” button into compatible e-commerce sites.
Background Service Worker: Handles API calls and data management securely.
Permissions: Minimal host permissions to keep privacy tight.

2. AI Pipeline for Virtual Try-On

The AI workflow involves:

Body Segmentation – Identifying the user’s silhouette and clothing regions using computer vision models.
Garment Mapping – Matching item images from the retailer’s site to the body segmentation output.
Texture Fitting – Adjusting scale, lighting, and perspective for realism.
Final Rendering – Merging the garment layer with the user photo in a natural way.

3. Privacy-First Design

We process try-on requests in a stateless pipeline so user photos are never stored long-term. Every transformation is processed in real time and discarded immediately afterward.

Why Browser-Based AI Works for Virtual Try-On

Most virtual try-on systems are either:

Retailer-specific – requiring backend integration and limiting reach.
App-based – creating friction for desktop shoppers.

By putting the AI directly into a browser extension, we:

Remove integration overhead for each store.
Give users instant access anywhere they shop.
Keep all processing on-demand without requiring a separate app.

Challenges We Faced

DOM Variability – Every clothing store has a different HTML structure, so the injection logic needed to be adaptive.
Performance – AI image processing had to be optimized for near-instant results.
UX Balance – Keeping the extension lightweight without sacrificing realism.