The Xmarks Blog announced Thursday morning that they have been acquired by LastPass, giving a new lease on life for the 4.5 million users currently syncing more than one billion bookmarks across five billion computers. Billed as "the ultimate cross-platform team," the core functionality of the Xmarks we know and love will continue to be free, with a Premium option available for $12 per year.
"Xmarks is transitioning to a "freemium" business model, the same model that allowed LastPass to grow into a thriving, profitable business," the Xmarks blog revealed. "The browser add-on and the vast majority of what users have enjoyed remains free. Users can then opt to purchase Xmarks Premium for $12 per year, which includes new enhanced features like Android and iPhone mobile phone apps, priority support, and more. The Xmarks and LastPass Premium offerings are also available bundled together at a reduced subscription rate of $20 per year."
Part of what helped Xmarks survive was interest from thousands of users in a paid version of the service, which its new owners hope many will make good on. "For those of you who pledged your financial support, you can make good on your pledge today and upgrade," the blog reminds us.
The LastPass acquisition will also enable Xmarks to accelerate the introduction of new features and service improvements, while each program will continue to require separate downloads and be administered through two distinct extensions and websites, with plans to integrate them at some point in the future.
Xmarks has posted a FAQ page to answer many of the questions that existing users will surely have about the acquisition, and you can even get a bundle for $20 per year with Premium service for both Xmarks and LastPass. Congrats to the Xmarks team for working so hard to keep the application alive!
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