Meta launches paid subscriptions for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, starting at $2.99/month
Meta has launched new paid subscriptions for its flagship platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The company said that, for an extra cost, the move would give users access to additional “fun features” while generating new sources of income for Meta beyond advertising revenue.
14-year-old's iPhone screen displays social media and messaging apps. Anna Barclay/Getty.
Meta has launched new paid subscriptions for its flagship platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The company said that, for an extra cost, the move would give users access to additional “fun features” while generating new sources of income for Meta beyond advertising revenue.
- Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus cost $3.99/month, WhatsApp Plus costs $2.99/month, offering profile customization, audience insights, and premium stickers.
- Subscribers can see story rewatch counts, keep stories visible beyond 24 hours, and access custom fonts and animated emoji.
- Meta One Plus ($7.99/month) and Meta One Premium ($19.99/month) will offer stronger AI reasoning and extra image/video generation under a unified brand.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
The new plans are called Instagram Plus, Facebook Plus, and WhatsApp Plus.
Users who subscribe to them will get access to “enhanced features” such as profile customization, audience insights, and special reactions.
These subscription plans offer richer ways to express and connect across our apps with more fun features to be added,” said Naomi Gleit, Meta’s head of product.
According to TechCrunch, Instagram's new features are mainly aimed at creators and die-hard app users. For instance, those using the new features will be able to see:
- How many people rewatched their stories
- Create extra audience lists
- Keep stories visible for more than 24 hours
- Gain access to custom profile fonts, app icons, and an animated “Super Heart” emoji.
Facebook Plus will be offering a similar tool package. Just like on Instagram, these features will focus on growing the user's audience and engagement.
Meanwhile, the new features on WhatsApp are message-focused and include chat themes, custom ringtones, premium stickers, and extra pinned chats.
According to Gleit, Meta is currently testing new subscription plans that offer premium features for users who want to unlock more of Meta’s apps and AI glasses.
Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus will cost $3.99 per month, while WhatsApp Plus will cost $2.99 per month.
Next stop – special AI plans
Meta has also announced new AI plans “that give people who use Meta AI more to work with.”
The company is testing out two AI subscriptions: Meta One Plus for $7.99 per month and Meta One Premium. The latter will cost $19.99 per month and is reported to offer stronger reasoning tools and extra image and video generation.
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These plans will fall under a new brand called “Meta One.” According to Gleit, it should eventually become “the one place” where users will manage their subscriptions across all Meta apps.
Meta will start testing these plans in a month.
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