Pushbullet has come a long way since we got started two years ago. Our goal has been to create a useful and easy to use app that makes smartphones and computers feel more connected. We’ve been pretty successful, too—we’ve had millions of people sign up so far.

One question we’ve gotten more and more as we’ve gained popularity is, “How does Pushbullet make money?” Today we are answering that question—Pushbullet makes money by offering features worth paying for.

What is Pushbullet Pro?

Pushbullet Pro is an optional premium account that has features not available to free Pushbullet accounts. Some previously free features do now require a Pro account. See the comparison here.

Why have Pro accounts?

Pushbullet costs money to run so the question is, how should Pushbullet pay its bills? We have chosen optional paid accounts because we believe this ensures the best Pushbullet for everyone.

We could have kept Pushbullet completely free, following the path of many free services by showing ads and selling data to make money. We don’t want to do that. We never want to hurt the Pushbullet experience with ads or betraying your trust by selling your data. Since Pushbullet must support itself, we want to do that by having you as our customer.

Why should I upgrade?

You should upgrade because you want the benefits of a Pushbullet Pro account. Or because you want to ensure that we continue to add more features and support for more platforms. Or because you want us to continue to improve features like Universal copy & paste and SMS on your computer.

You should upgrade because you like that Pushbullet supports end-to-end encryption and respects your privacy. You should upgrade because you want a great app to continue to get better.

When do Pro accounts start?

You can sign up for a Pro account right now, but accounts will not be charged until December 1st. At that time, features that require a Pro account will no longer be available to free users.

A bright future for Pushbullet

Pushbullet Pro means a lot to us. Most importantly, it means that we can focus entirely on improving Pushbullet because that’s how Pushbullet will grow. These improvements will be additional features, increased reliablity, support for more platforms, deeper integrations, more API support, additional privacy options, and much more. We’re really excited about this.

We will be making Pushbullet better for our free and Pro users. For our Pro users, we’re excited to build the advanced features you ask for. For those using Pushbullet without a Pro account, Pushbullet will only get better from here on for you as well. This is important to us.

We believe a thriving Pushbullet is a Pushbullet supported by and focused on its community. We hope to have you onboard.