Google Contributor in its current form will be discontinued in January, new version coming soon

Google powers a massive number of ads around the internet, but just like any other ads on the web, they can get just a bit annoying. Back in 2015, Google introduced Contributor, a pay-per-month program which replaced AdSense ads on any website while still pushing revenue to the site owner. Today, however, Google is closing that program, at least temporarily.

Users, myself included, are receiving emails from Google announcing that Contributor in its current form is being discontinued, to be replaced early next year with a new version. Billing and ad removal will cease in mid-January as well with refunds going out for any remaining account balance.

Starting in “early 2017,” Google will relaunch Contributor, but it’s unclear what the company plans to change. It’s possible that Google will also use this relaunch as a chance to expand the program as it’s always been restricted to the United States.

If you want to find out when the new Google Contributor launches, you can sign up for updates through Google.

Early next year we are launching a new and improved Contributor — your input throughout testing has been invaluable! As we build this new service, we will discontinue the current version of Contributor.

What this means for you
Starting in mid-January 2017, you will no longer see Contributor ad replacements as you browse the web and you will be unable to access your Contributor account.

About payments and billing
You will no longer be billed for the Contributor service starting mid-January 2017, and we will refund your remaining account balance to your credit or debit card on file.