Chrome Web Store

Google has announced that new Chrome Extension developers will be required to pay a one-time $5 registration fee. It is expected to significantly cut down on the number of malicious add-ons.

Google has also set the minimum price in the Chrome store at $1.99, although developers can choose to give away their work for free. The store will take a 5% cut of the purchase price, and a $.30 transaction fee for each download and payment.

"[The signup fee] is intended to create better safeguards against fraudulent extensions in the gallery and limit the activity of malicious developer accounts," said product manager Gregor Hochmuth in a blog post.

The payment must be made using Google Checkout, which links payments to a credit card, thereby creating a paper trail to the developer -- or at least to the billing address and phone number recorded by the credit card company.

Comments