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Poll: Ask HN: Would you Pay for a Chrome extension?

30 points by hackerbob ↗ HN
I've started looking into developing a chrome extension to help people visually analyze social data both passively and actively (this poll is not about the merits/value of my idea). I'm curious what others think of charging/paying for a browser extension. I'm not familiar with the history of Firefox extensions, but as a recent observer it seems Google's Chrome has a lot going for it like Google login, and checkout.

Simply put, if it solved a problem or created some value would you open your wallet (sorry I'm sometimes direct like that).

54 comments

[ 5.0 ms ] story [ 101 ms ] thread
mrtron
Firefox plugins have been wildly successful when solving pain.

Not sure if your idea solves pain, or is just a tool.

cfinke
> Firefox plugins have been wildly successful when solving pain.

But not when charging for the solution.

mrtron
There has been some notable exceptions.
abstractbill
If it solved a problem or created some value would you open your wallet?

Absolutely. I don't care what technology you use to solve my problems if you do it well.

benologist
I'd make it a web app that the extension compliments.
hackerbob
The overwhelming usage would probably come through the extension and a site would compliment it as a dashboard.
benologist
Right, but the important part is creating the impression users are paying for a web app rather than an extension.
yanw
More likely when it's presented as a 'Chrome App' rather than an extension.
cfinke
You may find my experience with developing a freemium browser extension helpful:

http://www.chrisfinke.com/2010/09/13/my-experience-with-deve...

The executive summary is that a free extension with ~70,000 users had a conversion rate to paid users of about 0.1%. Of course, this situation is different than yours, as you're not starting with users who already associate your extension with being free.

hackerbob
Thanks that is informative. Do you think having a free version is a bad idea, if you ultimately aim for revenue through a paid version?
cfinke
I'd go paid from the get-go. In my experience, once users associate something with "free," it's much harder to get them to pay anything for a similar product.
silverlight
I think if there's one thing the App Store has shown, given the right audience and marketing people will pay for anything that has value to them.
cschep
I've donated to a developer that made one that I can't live without. But I wouldn't have purchased it.. I'm not sure what that's about?
abyssknight
If I were you I'd look into Chrome Web Store (though I imagine you already are). It looks tailor made to facilitate this sort of product's sales.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore

Sephr
Not yet, as the Chrome Web Store doesn't allow authors to sell extensions, only apps.
petegrif
It is striking that approx 30% would buy. I think that the climate for this kind of purchase is becoming increasingly favorable because of: a) many people regularly buy phone apps b) micropayments and apps stores are becoming familiar I see a bright future in this area.
rjprins
Like any other program, app or website.. It's about the need and scarcity that makes me want to pay or not.

I guess what you are asking is: Assuming your tool is useful, is it being a chrome extension hindering me from buying it?

So it comes down to if I generally use Chrome for my browsing or, if your tool is only used occasionally, if I am willing to use Chrome for those moments.

boredguy8
Giving the context of the extension is going to color the question, which is "Will you pay for something that helps you and makes your life easier?" For those folks already using Chrome (of which I am one), the answer is going to be "Yes." Folks using a different browser incur additional cost since they must both switch to Chrome and pay for the tool. That audience will have a higher percentage of "Maybe" and "No" answers.
Zak
I probably wouldn't pay for a Chrome extension. I might, however pay for a service that is accessed through a browser extension.
dpcan
I tend to buy things that solve a problem correctly and add value to my life.

How I spend my money doesn't rely on "what it is" in any way. Is it a "Chrome Extension"? "Standalone Product"? Doesn't matter.

I don't "expect" something to be free, but I'm happy when some things are. But if I find a Chrome extension that is $99, but it solves my problem perfectly, then $99 it is, and I may just buy it.

hackerbob
A higher price point is what I'm thinking about for what I'm doing, and I suppose its a bit misleading on my part to say what I'm doing would only be an extension as there'd be main website as a dashboard.

The price you list does bring up an interesting question. Could there ever be a market on the Chrome app store for people wanting to sell +$50 apps. I get the impression the market on the app store leans more towards free - $1.99.(to be fair its similar to the Apple app store, with some exceptions)

Another poll I was thinking of was, how much would you pay for a chrome extension/chrome app?

sliverstorm
What's your price point? If you made something that truly added value I appreciated, I'd pay $1-3. It'd have to be really awesome to sell for more than $3 though.

I can't speak for others, but I'd be primarily looking for value-added, not slick/cool/usability.

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[dead] IVirOrfeo
Yes, but it would need to be something that is really cool or game-changing. Audiotool is a perfect example of this, although I would prefer a freemium model, or ad supported. I wouldn't pay more than 30 dollars, and I would want a trial period.
citricsquid
Yes, I would pay for an extension if it was valuable (eg: historio.us) however not for your idea. Voted yes though, as per poll q.
hackerbob
The poll is the important part, I'm glad you voted.
geoffw8
I wouldn't pay a single penny. Purely and simply because I can't be bothered to set up another payment method. I didn't do it on my Blackberry, nor my Nexus for this precise reason.
winternett
My answer is No, I wouldn't pay for something that should be included in the browser itself as a feature, especially when the browser is free to begin with. Everyone form my cable/Internet provider to my cell phone companies are charging me for everything I want to do, and most of those charges should really be standard features.

I think the path to riches on creating extensions lies in marketing the features to browser makers (from the companies that actually make money) like Microsoft and Google, so that they can eventually integrate your add-ons into their browsers for a fee, or better yet, buy you out altogether. That's the way to monetize that idea. If you put a price on your extension, chances are that you're also shooting yourself in the foot because your reach will only be to people who would pay. Unless its of course a revolutionary feature that no-one can live without. I'm a web designer and I think Firebug for FF is great, but if it had a price on it, I'd probably never care to know about it because its not "that" essential to me.

jarin
It would have to either be something that would make me money, save me money, or save me time.

I'd probably pay a few bucks for FlashBlock, since it saves me a lot of time (by keeping my computer running nice and quick when I have a ton of tabs open).

albedoa
I would pay for a Chrome extension that adds value in a way that no free alternative is able to add it.
klbarry
Especially since I'm using CR-48, you better believe I would pay for an extension of business value to me. I would not pay for anything fun or personal.
babyshake
It's probably worth mentioning that if you think RockMelt will be a big deal, it may be a good idea to make your extension blend in naturally with the Rockmelt UI since it is built on top of Chromium and is compatible with Chrome apps and extensions.

If you want more feedback you should setup a google form where we can give you our e-mail to beta test your app. Ever since I started using @byoogle's disconnect extension I've been trying to find more "killer apps" to use.

jmathai
I'm not the average user but it would have to add significant value. I haven't started using the browser as my main application even though most of the services I use are web based. I expect the application to provide much of the utility and I'm not personally interested in aggregation services.

That being said, for a killer productivity tool I might pay but I would question wether a chrome extension is the right venue.