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Microsoft will get rid of ads in your email, but it'll cost ya

The software giant is trying a novel approach to that whole we-hate-ads-on-the-Internet thing.

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Ian Sherr Former Editor at Large / News
Ian Sherr (he/him/his) grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, so he's always had a connection to the tech world. At CNET, he wrote about Apple, Microsoft, VR, video games and internet troubles. Aside from writing, he tinkers with tech at home, is a longtime fencer -- the kind with swords -- and began woodworking during the pandemic.
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Remember how if something's free, then you're the product? Microsoft's offering to make email better -- for a price.

 Microsoft/Screenshot by Ian Sherr

Advertising and the Internet: It only seemed like a marriage made in heaven.

Well, Microsoft might begin offering a respite if you're willing to shell out $3.99 per month and use its email service, Outlook.com. You'll get other features too, like personalized email addresses (you@yourname.us).

This is all according to a page on Microsoft's website, first spotted by Thurrott.com, for a service called "Outlook.com Premium." The program is still in its "pilot" or beta stage. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley first reported about the service in February.

Microsoft already offers an ad-free version of Outlook.com to people who pay $19.95 per year. This Premium service, which works out to nearly $48 per year, seems to offer extra features like personalized email, and a suggestion it can even work in a company environment.

A Microsoft spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.