Chris Beard, CEO of Firefox, in an interview with German media site T3N, seemed to confirm that a paid tier of the browser could launch by October of this year.
Beard says the paid “premium” version of Firefox could include a Virtual Private Network (VPN), secure cloud storage, and other subscription 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,” said Beard. “Firefox and many security features and services, like ETP [Enhanced Tracking Protection], will still be free, that’s for sure.”
Mozilla has been offering the ProtonVPN service to some of their users as a $10 per month subscription. Beard says the company may begin offering a limited amount of free VPN service to free users, as well as a metered VPN service as a monthly subscription.
Following the release of Beard’s interview, Dave Camp, senior vice president of Firefox, confirmed to The Next Web that paid products are actively in development:
We were founded on the belief that the internet should be open and accessible to all. 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.
(Via MacRumors)