This is the new browser and features you would want to pay for

Chrome is Google’s most popular program and the most used browser on the entire Internet; According to the latest data from StatCounter, no less than 65% of Internet users use it. But would Google Chrome be as successful if, instead of being free, it was paid for?

This is not as strange a question as it seems. Although most current web browsers are free, in the past many required payment from all or some of their users; This was for example the case of one of the first browsers in history, Netscape Navigator.

These days, this is something most developers don’t consider; but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to generate revenue from their users. More and more browsers offer special features in exchange for a subscription; like Firefox VPN. Now Google is coming, with a special version of Chrome that will be paid only.

This is paid Chrome

First of all, it must be clarified that Google Chrome is still free and will continue to be; Google’s announcement this week has nothing to do with the average user, and it’s not like the company is suddenly going to ask for money from the billions of users who use its program.

Chrome Enterprise Premium, as the name suggests, is a paid version of Chrome enterprise version. This was announced during Google Cloud Next 2024, during which Google Vids, the company’s first AI video creation application, was also announced. Like Vids, this version of Chrome is designed only for businesses that actually have special needs, and not for the average user. In fact, businesses can continue to use Chrome Enterprise Core, their adapted version of the browser, with the same features as before.

Specifically, Chrome Enterprise Premium has enhanced security features, including automatic malware scanning capable of detecting possible threats in programs downloaded by company employees. Another feature businesses will appreciate is the built-in filter, which will block page addresses based on their category; In this way, workers cannot visit certain websites.

Other features will be more useful to enterprise system administrators, such as the ability to impose new policies, manage updates and installation of extensions in all company browsers and support for protocols such as SSH, RDP and SCP.

If this all doesn’t sound familiar, it’s for good reason: because you’re not the target customer for this program. However, this launch shows that Google does not hesitate to opt for the “premium” payment model if it believes that it can be used to improve its product range. Google Chrome Enterprise Premium will cost $6 per user per month.