The Way Web Browsers Make Money

At present, the names of popular browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, UC Browser, and Opera are the names that come to mind. You are currently reading this feature article through one of the above-mentioned browsers – that possibility is also strong. As of January 2021, there were 4.6 billion active Internet users worldwide, accounting for 59.5 percent of the world’s population, according to a Statista survey. Of these, 92.7 percent (4.32 billion) people are connected to the Internet through mobile. We will know about the way web browsers make money.

There are hundreds of dazzling web browsers, but we are using them for free. So the question that comes to mind is, “Since we are using free browsers, how does the company make a profit from that?” 

The way web browsers make money

Mozilla Firefox’s revenue in 2016 was close to 437 million. About 95 percent of this huge amount came from royalties. To put it bluntly, the Firefox browser is part of the built-in search engine advertising revenue. Mozilla also makes money by collecting donations from Firefox users. However, the amount is very small. As of July 2021, Mozilla Firefox had about 205 million active users, according to Fossbyte.

The question may be – what is the revenue stream of Google Chrome that comes with free service? Google takes the bulk of its revenue from advertisers. While users are installing Google Chrome to browse the Internet, they are also drawing people to their respective services. Such as Gmail, Google Apps, Google Docs, etc. As a result of the ‘all in one package, users no longer access other applications separately.

Remember

Meanwhile, page views are becoming heavier in their ad revenue bag with each service user. Google’s AdSense program keeps a close eye on your browsing data. Users collect data from Google searches and sell it to various social media. Social media is analyzing that data and advertising according to the user’s needs.

While browsers rely heavily on their search engine services, Google is totally dependent on browsers for search traffic. In the first few months of 2011, Google’s gross revenue was 6.56 billion, of which 98% came from advertising.

According to Statista, in February 2021, Google Chrome accounted for 63.64 percent market share of Internet browsers. As of June 2021, Google Chrome held the leading position in the browser market at 85.28%, according to a study by Overflow. Apple’s Safari browser is in the next position with a 16.32 percent market share. Of course, iPhone and Mac users will get thanks for this. Google has to pay a fee of 9-12 billion to the Safari browser every year, just as a royalty charge. In third and fourth place are Mozilla Firefox and Samsung Internet Browser, with a market share of around 3.30 percent.

How to make online using web browsers?

Almost all web browsers offer users a virtual feature called ‘extension.’ Most of these extensions are made by third-party developers, who charge different amounts depending on the type of extension at different times. If they use the ‘Chrome Web Store API’ as a platform for this, Google deducts a 5% fee from them.

The main revenue of Microsoft Edge browsers like Google Adwords comes from the hands of search engine Bing. However, it is not a small thing to be able to catch Google Chrome or Safari with the position they are in. In addition, Bing’s ad revenue fell by 6 percent in 2016.

As soon as you open the Opera browser, you can see the websites like Facebook, Amazon, Cricketbaj etc. as shortcut icons on the homepage. Has Opera bookmarked these sites on the homepage as a hobby? No! There are so many events on the homepage because those companies are paying a certain amount of money to Opera. 

What we must know about?

In addition to royalties, another source of browser revenue is ad revenue. For example, Brave Browser’s ‘Basic Attention Token Reward Program.’ Under this, Brave Browser shares 70% of the revenue that its users generate in exchange for viewing their ads, leaving the remaining 30% to themselves. This browser is highly regarded in the world of browsers in terms of privacy protection and speed. They also offer built-in ad blockers and a zero log policy. In any case, if they want to keep their business afloat, they have to make money. That’s why they have set up cryptocurrencies in browsers, known as Basic Attention Tokens (BAT). Like the ‘Microsoft Rewards’ program, they give BAT to their customers. They have also struck a deal with the world’s first blockchain phone, the HTC Exodus, where Brave Browser is set as the default browser.

The work of subscription is also paid at the same time. For example, Google provides ‘Cloud Storage’ ads, and Microsoft offers ‘One Drive’ for additional storage. If a customer wants to use that service, he must pay extra—this way, the browser company can make a profit.

Basically, that’s how browsers make money. As the world becomes more and more dependent on technology, the active use of browsers will increase. Over time, browsers will also find new ways to earn revenue so that their annual revenue can jump from one million to billions effortlessly.