Meta launches subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, with more features and AI plans to follow
Meta is expanding its subscription strategy across its biggest apps and new product lines, signaling a broader effort to grow revenue beyond advertising. The company said on Wednesday that consumer subscription plans are now rolling out globally for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, while new subscription tests are also beginning for creators, businesses, and Meta AI users.
The consumer plans are priced at a few dollars per month. Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus each cost $3.99 a month, while WhatsApp Plus costs $2.99 a month. Meta says these subscriptions are designed to give users extra features and more control over how they use its apps. Benefits vary by service, but include options such as profile customization, super reactions, story insights, custom themes, better messaging tools, and other premium features aimed at frequent users.
Instagram Plus includes some of the most notable additions. Subscribers can see aggregated rewatch counts for Stories, create unlimited Story audience lists, extend a Story beyond 24 hours, spotlight a Story once a week for more visibility, preview a Story without appearing in the viewer list, and search viewer lists to see who has watched. Users can also post directly to their profile without sending the content into followers’ feeds. Other features include animated reactions, custom app icons, customizable fonts for bios, and additional pinned posts.
Facebook Plus offers a similar feature set, with a focus on social expression and personalization. WhatsApp Plus is built around messaging customization, adding app themes, custom ringtones, extra pinned chats, list customization, premium stickers, and related options.
Meta says these new consumer subscriptions do not replace Meta Verified, its existing paid plan focused on identity verification, impersonation protection, and support. For now, both offerings will continue to coexist.
At the same time, Meta is testing a separate set of subscription plans under the Meta One brand. These plans are aimed at creators, businesses, and Meta AI users, and are meant to become the company’s central home for paid products in the future.
For Meta AI, the company is testing two tiers: Meta One Plus at $7.99 per month and Meta One Premium at $19.99 per month. Both include the same core features, but Premium offers more capacity for high-compute requests, which means deeper reasoning for complex tasks and expanded video and image generation. Meta says the AI plans will stay free for casual users. Testing begins next month in Singapore, Guatemala, and Bolivia, with more benefits expected later for users of Meta AI glasses.
For creators and businesses, Meta is preparing two additional plans. Meta One Essential, priced at $14.99 a month, includes the Verified badge, impersonation protection, and an enhanced linksheet for directing users to other online platforms. Meta One Advanced, at $49.99 a month, adds stronger distribution and growth tools, including the ability to be featured in Facebook feeds, rank higher in Facebook and Instagram search, display a bold follow button on Reels, and automatically send follow invitations to engaged users. It also adds improved analytics, scheduling tools, shared account access for moderators, and alerts for content reuse.
Meta says these tests begin in markets including Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Thailand, and Bangladesh. The company is still experimenting, but plans to bring the various plans together under Meta One and expand them over time.
