Mozilla may start offering premium services this fall – CNET

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 didn’t immediately respond to request for comment but told t3n it would think carefully about paid models for services.

“We will probably launch some new services first and then we will Think carefully about which model makes the most sense, while ensuring the best user safety,” a Mozilla spokesperson told the German publication. “Firefox and many security features and services, like ETP [Enhanced Tracking Protection], will still be free, but that’s for sure.” 

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.