7 Browser Extension Business Success Stories [2024]
A browser extension business involves creating and offering small software add-ons that enhance the functionality of web browsers.
These extensions are like tiny apps that users can install to customize and improve their online experience.
Examples include ad blockers, password managers, or tools that streamline certain tasks.
Starting a browser extension business requires skills in software development, as you’ll need to design, build, and maintain these extensions.
Additionally, understanding user needs and keeping up with browser updates is crucial for success in this dynamic and growing market.
In this list, you'll find real-world browser extension business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a browser extension business that makes money.
1. RatePunk ($600K/year)
Justinas Albertynas, one of the founders of RatePunk, came up with the idea for the travel-tech startup after realizing the frustration of comparing hotel prices on different booking websites. After experiencing the inconsistency in prices, Justinas saw an opportunity to create a browser extension that would compare prices in real-time, saving users time and money. The product has gained traction quickly, with over 3000 users in just a few weeks and reaching the top of the Apple Store charts in multiple countries.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 20
Travel-tech startup RatePunk created a browser extension that compares hotel prices across different booking websites for free and achieved over 3,000 installs within a few weeks of launch, while learning valuable marketing lessons from social media platforms, micro-influencers, and online communities.
2. Salesbolt ($480K/year)
Craig came up with the idea for SalesBolt.com based on his experiences as a Sales Development Representative (SDR) and a manager in revenue operations.
He observed that sales teams collected data manually and faced duplicate records and inconsistent CRM usage issues.
To address these problems, he envisioned a tool that would streamline data management and improve CRM utilization, ultimately leading to the creation of SalesBolt.com.
How much money it makes: $480K/year
An in-depth look at how Salesbolt, a Chrome Extension, revolutionized data management and CRM utilization in sales and recruitment teams, resulting in over 90% of traffic coming from website visits and converting customers to their app on Salesforce AppExchange.
3. Closet Tools ($456K/year)
Jordan O'Connor created Closet Tools to help his wife attract more traffic to her Poshmark profile.
He noticed that his wife had to spend a lot of time doing various tasks to attract more traffic and sales, but she didn’t have the time to do it all.
To solve this problem, he used his self-taught coding skills to create a tool that could automate these tasks for her.
After his wife and her friends found the tool helpful, Jordan was inspired to blog about the solution and share it on Reddit.
He then went on to build the frontend. Soon after launch, he attracted 10 paying clients, and the number of users has been growing since.
How much money it makes: $456K/year
How many people on the team: 0
Learn how Jordan O'Connor grew his startup, Closet Tools, from 10 paying clients to generating an impressive $38K/month in revenue through clever automation tactics and sharing his solution on platforms like Reddit and Google.
4. Session ($100K/year)
Philip, a designer and developer based in Jakarta, came up with the idea for Session after experiencing frustration with slow handoffs between design and development at a startup he worked for. As a solution to his own problem of staying focused, he created an app that helps users block distracting websites and track their work time. Session has since gained popularity, making $5.8K per month in revenue as of May 2021.
How much money it makes: $100K/year
How much did it cost to start: $120
How many people on the team: 0
Learn how a designer and developer from Indonesia created Session, an app that helps people stay focused by blocking distractions, which currently makes $5.8K per month in revenue through its freemium business model.
5. Tailscan ($38.1K/year)
Erwin, an IT consultant with eight years of experience, built Tailscan after a demo video showcasing his Tailwind CSS browser extension garnered 22,000 views and 570 likes on Twitter. The tool now boasts recurring revenue of almost $30k annually, with a 95% profit margin.
How much money it makes: $38.1K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 0
This case study follows the journey of Tailscan, a browser extension for front-end developers that allows live styling changes on any website using Tailwind CSS, which has achieved almost $30k in recurring revenue annually with a 95% profit margin, as well as $23k in one-off revenue, within a year of its launch.
6. Blurweb App ($18K/year)
The founder of the Blurweb App started teaching code on YouTube but realized he was revealing a lot of sensitive information like emails and API keys. Whenever he had to make a screen share video he spent hours trying to add blur and buying video editing tools. He thought that there had to be a better solution than this. Although he did not talk to many people to validate the idea, he believed that if he needed it, other content creators might need it too.
How much money it makes: $18K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5
How many people on the team: 0
21-year-old software developer from India creates profitable browser extension, blurweb.app, saving content creators hours of post-video-editing time, with 2000+ customers and $1000+ in monthly revenue and plans to launch on Safari and other extension marketplaces.
7. Baxter Inc. ($12K/year)
The founder was having a tough time managing his Gmail inbox when he came up with the idea of a dashboard. He then interviewed dozens of regular American adults to see if the idea was appealing. Soon, he found out that the majority of people preferred a simple tool rather than a dashboard. This motivated him to build Baxter.
How much money it makes: $12K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
How many people on the team: 1
A case study on the founder of Baxter, a browser extension that helps Gmail users organize their inboxes by unsubscribing from newsletters, deleting unneeded emails, and automatically labeling and organizing emails, which generated over $1,000 in monthly recurring revenue in just nine months and successfully acquired an existing Gmail Unsubscribe extension to drive organic user growth.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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