Connotations of "Is there any" vs "Are there any"

Question

For countable nouns, both "Is there any  x?" and "Are there any x?" are grammatical and correct.

But what nuance / connotation differences are there between them?

For example, if we're searching for a Chrome plugin to do something, what's the connotation difference between:

Is there any Chrome plugin to do this?

vs:

Are there any Chrome plugins to do this?

Related threads (which only increases the confusion):

https://www.englishforums.com/English/IsThereAnyVsAreThereAny/vdpvg/post.htm#353324
https://english.stackexchange.com/a/113005/8278

Richard Burian · Answer

With "is there any" it implies to me that the speaker is asking for one solution; a "magic bullet" type of Chrome plugin to use your example. They're asking for a particular solution; perhaps the "best" one.

With "are there any" it implies that the speaker is asking a more open-ended question and not looking for a one-size-fits-all solution, but will evaluate the suggestions.

Connotations of "Is there any" vs "Are there any"

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