X

Mozilla may start offering premium services this fall

In an interview with a German magazine, CEO Chris Beard says Mozilla wants to add more subscriptions services to its mix.

Shelby Brown Editor II
Shelby Brown (she/her/hers) is an editor for CNET's services team. She covers tips and tricks for apps, operating systems and devices, as well as mobile gaming and Apple Arcade news. Shelby also oversees Tech Tips coverage. Before joining CNET, she covered app news for Download.com and served as a freelancer for Louisville.com.
Credentials
  • She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
Shelby Brown
2 min read
A simplified new Firefox icon

Mozilla might expand into premium services. 

Mozilla

Chris Beard, CEO of Firefox browser maker Mozilla, reportedly wants to offer 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.

Mozilla acknowledges the potential benefits of premium services.

"We were founded on the belief that the internet should be open and accessible to all," Dave Camp, senior vice president of Firefox, said in an emailed statement Tuesday. "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." 

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.

Last October, Firefox introduced a VPN service for $10 per month.

On Tuesday, Mozilla unveiled a new family of Firefox logos which would be used to identify a growing suite of products and services. 

Originally published June 10.
Update, June 12: Adds comment from Firefox and background.

Watch this: Sticker shock over Apple's $1,000 stand, Firefox blocking cookies