Meta Puts Perks Behind Paywalls: New Subscription Tiers Across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp

Would you pay for Facebook or Instagram? Meta is betting you might. 

Following limited tests this spring, Meta announced on Wednesday that it would be launching paid premium subscriptions worldwide for Facebook Plus, Instagram Plus and WhatsApp Plus. The new tiers unlock extra app tools and allow users to get better metrics on their posts and control how ads target them

Monthly subscription rates will start at $4 for Facebook Plus and Instagram Plus and $3 for Instagram Plus. Meta will also be launching Meta One plans for more advanced Meta AI options. For now, the new paid subscriptions don’t replace or eliminate the existing Meta Verified program, a separate subscription for creators and businesses that provides benefits like enhanced support and protection against impersonation, with tiers ranging from $15 to $500 per month. 

Meta appears to be shifting into a new multitiered ecosystem, experimenting with a range of subscription levels and platform-specific benefits. The new paid tiers add significant revenue streams for the tech giant, which is investing heavily in its AI data centers as it competes with Google to dominate online ad space. 

While some of the features could be genuinely useful for everyday users, the broader strategy reflects an industry trend of locking perks behind paywalls. X recently decided to limit posts for nonsubscribers to funnel users onto paid plans, and time will tell if Meta follows a similar path. 

For now, Meta’s ability to squeeze users toward AI and Plus subscriptions is uncertain. The move follows a brutal wave of layoffs at the company that began last week and will result in the loss of over 8,000 jobs. Remaining employees face intense scrutiny, with keystroke tracking already underway to train potential AI replacements.

The rollout of the new subscription offerings has received mixed responses on social media, with one person noting: “Hey Meta, how about pay us for using our data? Instead of try [sic] to sell products that collects more data?” Another wrote: “Yall got a lot of money and we don’t. And now you gonna ask for our money?”

A representative from Meta didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Will everyone have to pay for Meta’s apps now?

For now, a paid tier is optional, not required. Plus and Meta One subscriptions are mostly made for users who want more control and expanded features, especially influencers and businesses. 

Paid subscribers will be able to add features similar to the ad options Meta has used in the past, including the ability to spotlight a Story for additional views, extend Stories by another 24 hours, add custom reactions like Super Hearts, make additional pinned chats in WhatsApp and more. 

Other Plus features are more data-oriented, such as the ability to see how many people have rewatched a Story or Reel, create unlimited audience lists for specific posts and search viewer lists. Paid subscribers will also be able to post more privately, without automatically appearing in follower feeds, if they prefer. 

Meta One plans are available on a more select basis than Plus plans — opening in countries like Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Thailand — and available in several tiers: Meta One Plus ($8 per month), Meta One Essential ($15 per month), Meta One Premium ($20 per month) and Meta One Advanced ($50 per month). 

Meta One plans will add more computing power and, in top tiers, the ability to rank higher in social results or feature a larger “follow” button, as well as the option to add a verified badge similar to X’s blue check. These plans appear to function across all of Meta’s apps, and the company says it will add extra functionality for Meta glasses users in the coming weeks.