Arc Browser is a relatively recent web browser that is based on Chromium. About a year ago, the CEO of the Browser Company, Josh Miller, answered a question in a video that has been on the mind of many: how will the company make money with Arc Browser.
Part of the answer included revenue opportunities that the company would not pursue. This included selling user data. Among the listed possibilities that Arc was pursuing was specific Enterprise editions and also a feature called Boosts.
Boosts are small modifications to certain features on websites. There are boosts to increase the interface of AI chat clients, to blur information in chats, or to localize game times on sports websites.
This may remind veteran Internet users of userScripts, which use a combination of JavaScript and CSS for changing functionality on websites.
Some Arc features may require a subscription
New information about future monetization came to light in an interview with Josh Miller at The Verge.
Here are the main takeaways:
- Current functionality will remain free. Nothing is going to be taken away to justify paying for the product.
- Subscriptions are one option, but nothing has been decided on yet.
- Other options are “usage-based” or “some sort of token system” according to Miller.
The idea seems to be to introduce new features that are either exclusive to paying users or less limited than a free version.
Closing Words
I tried Arc Browser several times. While I like some features, It is clearly lacking features in other departments that I want in a browser. I do dislike the forced account registration on start.
It seems at least that the company won’t remove features from the browser to put them behind a subscription or other form of payment.
It remains to be seen what the future will hold for Arc. It will get interesting if the monetization plans to not lead to the required results from investors.
Have you tried Arc Browser? Feel free to write a comment down below.
1- “revenue opportunities that the company would not pursue”. Forgiving is one thing, trusting is another.
2- “I do dislike the forced account registration on start.”. So do I.
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As a side-note, speaking of browsers and subscriptions, I’d be ready to consider a subscription, even a substantial one, for a new, paradise-like advanced browser 100% built on the total respect of user’s privacy for itself and for the built-in tolls it would provide to navigate in the ultimate of privacy and security. When you consider, a) that the browser is the most used software, b) the number of tweaks, extensions and scripts you need to implement (for removing/disabling bad stuff and for adding/enabling good stuff in order to have decency in your web sessions, a browser that would fulfill all of that out of the box would be welcomed and worth a subscription IMO. I have in mind, say $10/month, but I’d go up depending on what such a browser would achieve.
So they are not be getting enough $$$ form the mandatory create a account and sign on, tracking users, and data harvesting.