When Microsoft made Internet Explorer free in the early 2000’s, it undermined the then-dominant Netscape and destroyed the notion of a paid internet browser.
Now, Mozilla is planning to shake things up with a premium version of their flagship Firefox internet browser. Mozilla CEO Chris Beard said that ‘Firefox Premium’ will be available by Christmas 2019.
The biggest features the premium version will have include cloud storage and access to VPN’s. Firefox has previously experimented with offering monthly VPN subscriptions to its users via ProtonVPN.
It is also rumoured that Firefox Premium will also allow third parties to host premium tools that can make your browsing experience faster and more secure.
The cost of Firefox Premium is still unknown, but some have speculated it could cost around $4-6 USD a month or around $100 a year. Depending on the quality of the in-built VPN, Firefox Premium may replace dedicated VPN subscriptions for many.
Mozilla has stated that there are no plans to strip features from the free version and charge for them. The full functionality of the original Firefox won’t be affected according to Beard.
It is safe to assume that other big players like Google will be watching the Firefox Premium experiment very closely to see if there’s any room for them to introduce a premium browser.
Kevin has been contributing to multiple news websites since 2015. He started his blog back in 2016 tackling technology and business tips. His passion towards journalism and sharing relevant information with global readers pushed his to take journalism major at Boston University. He is now a full-time contributor to Kev’s Best.