14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla will launch a subscription-based service called Firefox Premium that will provide users with a series of benefits, including cloud storage and VPN support.
While it’s important to note that Firefox Premium doesn’t mean Mozilla will charge consumers for using Firefox, the company is indeed looking for an alternative source of revenue, and a subscription service seems to be the right way to go.
Firefox Premium will come with cloud storage and a VPN service, according to Mozilla CEO Chris Beard.
The CEO explained in an interview with German magazine T3N (via WF) that Firefox Premium is projected to launch in October, so unless something goes wrong in the meantime, we should be able to try out the service in just a few months.
Free version coming too
And by the looks of things, Mozilla wants to let everyone get a taste of Firefox Premium, as the service will also be released with a free version. In other words, users will be allowed to register for Firefox Premium without paying, albeit this option comes with a series of restrictions, such as a limited amount of cloud storage and bandwidth for the VPN service.
Needless to say, the main selling points of this offering will be enhanced security and privacy when browsing the web.
As the maker of the world’s second most-used desktop browser, Mozilla won’t be the first company bundling such services with their applications, albeit given how large its userbase currently is, there’s a good change a substantial share would give it a try.
Firefox is currently running on some 10 percent of the desktop computers across the world, whereas Google Chrome, which continues to be the number one, has a market share of approximately 67 percent.
Firefox, on the other hand, is seen as the main alternative to Chromium-based browsers, especially after Microsoft decided to give up on EdgeHTML and switch to the same engine as Google Chrome.
UPDATE: In a statement for Softpedia, Dave Camp, Senior Vice President of Firefox, emphasizes that Firefox browser will remain free despite the release of a premium service.
"We were founded on the belief that the internet should be open and accessible to all. A high-performing, free and private-by-default Firefox browser will continue to be central to our core service offerings. We also recognize that there are consumers who want access to premium offerings, and we can serve those users too without compromising the development and reach of the existing products and services that Firefox users know and love," he said.