What are the paths to monetize a browser extension? I've seen discussion on the various bad actors seeking to acquire extensions for access to their user base. My question is, what are the other paths to monetization? How much reliable income can one earn on an extension with a few thousand users? |
I doubt Pocket did that well even being baked into the browser and constantly pushed by Mozilla.
Mozilla VPN might do a bit better since it seems to provide a somewhat useful service that might be more trustworthy than some alternatives.
Brave has some kind of thing that's baked into the browser, and I ignore or disable it whenever possible.
The only browser extensions I've ever paid for were Safari extensions via Apple's App Store, usually just for technical curiosity reasons since the free alternatives tend to be just as good. I doubt they make much money either, but at least there is a way to buy them and an audience of people who sometimes pay for things. So probably Safari or Chrome app stores are your best bet.
I think you need a really good USP for people to pay.
Or tie it to a subscription?
Or try donations. But don’t expect too much from donations.
I would wager ... between "nothing" and "not much"
On the service the extension ties to?
Depends on how much you can reasonably charge for what the service does - and if you are doing something that is already being done (for free/cheap), how are you different/better than the competition?