Mozilla’s VPN service is still in a closed beta

Feb 19, 2020 09:31 GMT  ·  By

The official Firefox VPN app for Android is now available for download, even if the VPN service itself continues to be offered as part of a closed program.

Firefox VPN is a service which Mozilla is betting big on for increased revenues, as it’ll be offered to subscribers with a $4.99 per month fee. A monthly subscription provides you with access to servers in more than 30 countries, according to Mozilla, and enables VPN connections on up to 5 devices.

For the time being, however, the only thing you can do is join a waitlist and hope for Mozilla to provide you with an invite, which you can use to activate your account in the Android or Windows 10 app.

Mozilla services

The VPN service is a critical part of Mozilla’s efforts to find more income sources and increase revenue. Earlier this year, the company acknowledged that its money-making plan didn’t work exactly as anticipated, albeit it would continue to invest in this area.

As a result, Mozilla laid off tens of employees in an attempt to reduce expenses.

“You may recall that we expected to be earning revenue in 2019 and 2020 from new subscription products as well as higher revenue from sources outside of search. This did not happen. Our 2019 plan underestimated how long it would take to build and ship new, revenue-generating products. Given that, and all we learned in 2019 about the pace of innovation, we decided to take a more conservative approach to projecting our revenue for 2020. We also agreed to a principle of living within our means, of not spending more than we earn for the foreseeable future,” Mozilla chairwoman and interim CEO Mitchell Baker said.

Firefox VPN still doesn’t have a release date, but given an Android app is now available, more users should be accepted in the program throughout the year.