Chris Beard, CEO of Firefox browser maker Mozilla, reportedly wants to offer Firefox premium services and subscriptions as part of a new income plan. In an interview with German magazine t3n published Friday, Beard suggested this might include a secure storage solution or a VPN service.
“We want to add more subscription services to our mix and focus more on the relationship with the user to become more resilient in business issues,” Beard told t3n, according to a translation of the interview.
Beard said what’s currently free from Mozilla will remain so, but the company would like to introduce the first premium plan this fall, possibly in October.
Beard said 90% of Mozilla’s sales come from search and it has a strong motivation to build deeper customer relations outside of the search business.
Mozilla’s Firefox introduced a VPN service last October for $10 per month. The move made Firefox a bit more financially independent from Google. The year before, Mozilla introduced a revamped Firefox browser. Beard said Firefox 57 could take on Google Chrome and hinted at a membership plan that could give Mozilla fans new services and benefits.
https://www.cnet.com/news/mozilla-may-start-offering-premium-services-this-fall/