Xmarks, the bookmark syncing service that announced a permanent shutdown in January 2011, has been saved in the last minute. The popular syncing tool has been acquired by LastPass, as announced on its official blog. LastPass, in case you don’t know, are the developers of a powerful cross-platform password manager.
This is undoubtedly great news for all Xmarks users, who can now rest assured that the service will stay online – and will continue to be developed and improved in the future. According to the press release published on the Xmarks blog, the service will transition to a “freemium” business mode; the browser add-on and the basic functionality enjoyed by the vast majority of users will remain free, but there’ll be also a paid plan – Xmarks Premium – for $12 a year, with extra features such as iPhone and Android mobile apps, and priority support.
Xmarks Premium is already available, and can also be acquired bundled together with LastPass Premium at a reduced price. Though both services still keep distinct websites and require separate downloads, there are plans to integrate them together in the future.
