Daniel Glazman presented on monetizing Firefox extensions. There are over 7,000 extensions but only a handful generate revenue. Glazman outlined three models for monetization: free extensions supporting a business model, selling add-ons, and linking add-ons to extra software sales. However, the Mozilla Add-ons site is not currently set up as a sales platform. Glazman argued that the site needs to evolve to better support monetization through the addition of sales, donations, and improved discoverability of extensions. With millions of Firefox users, even a small percentage purchasing an extension could generate meaningful revenue for developers.

1. Monetizing
Firefox Extensions
Daniel Glazman
Disruptive Innovations
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009

2. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
Numbers
• ~ 900 million downloads of Firefox
• > 7,000 Firefox extensions on
addons.mozilla.org (~4,000 experimental)
• all free, 600 million downloads in 2007...
• only a handful generating revenue
• example: PageSaverPro, $15 per copy
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
2

3. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
iNumbers
• ~15 million iPhones ?
• more than 15,000 apps on App Store in 8
months
• more than 500 million downloads in 8
months
• a lot of commercial apps
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
3

4. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
Geeks
• Most of extension authors do that on spare
time, have an unrelated job otherwise
• Firefox extensions should attract more
authors given the downloads metrics
• Coolness factor is here but too hard to
monetize
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
4

5. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
QOTD
“There are times where I wish I could turn Adblock Plus at least
into a part-time job rather than struggling with finding time to
do everything necessary. I know that some other extension
developers have their extension as a full-time job and that
makes them dependent on money sources. Given the market
value of their user base, it is hard not to sell out.” -- Vladimir
Palant
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
5

6. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
Three models
1. free extension that serves a business model
not based on software sales
2. add-on sales
3. add-on linking to extra software sales
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
6

7. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
Issues
• AMO is not a sales platform
• no PayPal button or equivalent
• Open Source philosophy (we do like it but
it fills too rarely an individual’s wallet)
• Firefox’s extension manager (if I look for
“zoom”, I don’t even find my glazoom ext)
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
7

8. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
Sell
Key factor: AMO should evolve at least a bit
• sales platform or links to commercial web sites
• possibly donation buttons in AMO and/or
extension manager
• better home page, a bit less visibility for
“recommended” extensions, email subscriptions
for new extension announcements, etc.
• in short: way better than App Store...
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
8

9. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
Numbers again, sorry...
• One million people download Firefox every
22 hours...
• How many of these do you need as
customers to make a decent living with a $2
extension ?
0.00006 % !!!!
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
9

10. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
Protect ?
• Should you “protect” your extension?
• Very difficult to protect readable chrome JS
• Complexity of c++ code but, hey, you’re a
geek, aren’t you?
No, unless...
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
10

11. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
Example: FullerScreen
• 310,000 downloads
• free version and a “pro” one for $2 (i.e.
nothing...)
• ~$1.7 in author’s pocket (before taxes)
• expectation is 3,000 sales = $5,100 for a
month of fun work... Not that bad, eh?
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
11

12. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
Appz & widgets
• Use firefox as xulrunner...
• AMO should host/link-to app packages too
• Games (Khronos),Video effects (Paul...),
filezilla, etc.
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
12

13. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
Appz & widgets #2
• Crucial need for a license ID verification
system
• Must be c++-based
• Could be used for extensions too
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
13

14. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
In the meantime
• Ads, keywords and paid links in your add-
on
• Donation button in your add-on (average
$7)
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
14

15. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
Tentative summary
• Nothing will ever replace time-to-market
• Coolness factor does matter
• AMO and Firefox extension manager not
tailored for that at this time
• But the browser becomes the global
platform so the question is not if this will
happen but when it will happen
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
15

16. Monetizing Firefox Extensions
• QUESTIONS ?
MAOW Berlin 28-mar-2009 -- Daniel Glazman
16