Ask HN: Make money on browser extension – possible?

[jasiek-net]

Is there anybody out there making money on browser extensions? I wonder if any business models are based on that (most browser extensions are free / just an addition to the main product).

[8organicbits]

Products making money from browser extensions aren't traditionally thought of as browser extensions. 1password, bitwarden, and others are a good example. These are password managers, but the most common way of using them is via an extension.

[jasiek-net]

Thanks! That's exactly my point! Browser extensions are rarely an independent business model, they are usually connected with some bigger project / platform and the extension is just an additional thing.

[wwwlouishinofun]

I am willing to pay for this translation plug-in I use. For example, if I type this word and click the space three times, you can see it in English.

[wwwlouishinofun]

In this reply box, I just need to press space three times

[jasiek-net]

Yep, I use Grammarly and it has similar functionality

[eimrine]

How about developing and supporting a browser extension for some company?

Have you researched what extensions are able to do? For example extensions for VPN service which is never free.

I would like to pay for adBlock if it becomes paid, I do not use any other extension regularly.

[jasiek-net]

VPN and adblock are good examples of extensions that give real value to the user. When it comes to writing code for someone, I was more interested in the idea for a startup and its business model.

[eimrine]

VPN is not just a browser extension, this is properly configured someone's computer and an improper way of receiving VPN service.

Adblock is also not just a browser extension, this is a result of some community willing to reverse engineer whatever the web throws at me.

[wscourge]

I've seen multiple products that let teams collaborate/leave comments on any website. Examples that I found now:

- ruttl.com/website-annotation-tool

- xaviesteve.com/common

but I remember seeing others in the recent months on r/SaaS and r/SideProject.

[kildyt]

I sometimes post on Reddit about https://www.pageshare.dev/ . It's more suitable for web apps because it copies websites.

Disclaimer: I'm the author of it.

[wscourge]

Here, I found the most recent one that got my attention: https://www.justbeepit.com/

[jasiek-net]

Do you mean reddit or are there threads on HN?

[wscourge]

Reddit