Opera News

The most asked question we get from users is: How do you guys make money (and how tall is Jon)? The answer is simple:

An interesting and scalable business model, but not for web browsers. Also, Jon is roughly 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall.

The answer to how we make money is a bit more complex than the theory illustrated above. We also need something a bit more profitable than underpants. Over the years, Internet and the web browser industry has changed a lot. New business models and opportunities have emerged and Opera, which used to be a paid product, permanently removed the ad banner and licensing fee with Opera 8.5.

Today we have two different revenue models: One for the Internet embedded markets (such as Opera pre-installed on a mobile phone or a set-top box) and one for the desktop market:

1. For the Internet embedded market, we receive revenue as a mix of engineering fees, maintenance fees and shares of sales income. The balance varies from contract to contract. This model accounts for the majority of Opera’s income.
2. For the desktop market, we derive revenue from our free products through revenue sharing with partners. For example, several search engines make usage payments to us for searches made by you (Opera users). This is the major source of income for Opera’s desktop browser, with revenue shares also in place on a variety of mobile products.

Hungry for more business? Go hang out in the Invester Relations corner.