Meta launches paid subscriptions across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp

Meta is rolling out paid subscription offerings across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, as the tech giant looks to deepen monetisation efforts beyond advertising.

The announcement was made by Naomi Gleit, head of product at Meta, in a video posted on Instagram. Dubbed Facebook+, Instagram+ and WhatsApp+, the subscriptions will introduce enhanced features aimed at helping users “express and connect” across Meta’s apps, according to Gleit.

“We're starting to roll out Facebook+, Instagram+, WhatsApp+, with enhanced features that our community already loves,” she said in the video.

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Gleit added that Meta is also testing additional subscription tiers designed for creators, businesses and users of Meta AI and its AI glasses ecosystem.

According to her, the upcoming plans for Meta AI users will offer “more capacity, bigger, more complex requests, and more room to create”.

Meanwhile, creators and businesses will gain access to premium tools intended to “enhance presence, supercharge content, automate tasks, and protect your brand”.

Meta is also exploring a unified subscription umbrella called “Meta One”, which could eventually bring together the company’s various paid offerings across its ecosystem.

“You may see us testing subscriptions under the name Meta One,” Gleit said, adding that the company is still “testing and learning”.

The move marks Meta’s latest push to diversify revenue streams as competition intensifies across social, creator and AI platforms. It also signals the company’s growing focus on premium experiences tied to AI capabilities and creator tools.

In the caption accompanying the video, Meta said Instagram Plus, WhatsApp Plus and Facebook Plus are “rolling out globally”, with more plans expected for creators, businesses and “Meta AI power users”.

According to media reports, Meta’s subscription push also includes paid AI tiers under the broader “Meta One” programme. The company is expected to begin testing Meta AI subscriptions in Singapore, Guatemala and Bolivia from June.

Reports added that Meta One Plus will cost US$7.99 per month, while a higher-tier Meta One Premium plan will be priced at US$19.99 per month. The subscriptions are aimed at frequent users of Meta AI’s image, video and reasoning tools.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more information. 

The latest rollout builds on Meta’s earlier experiments with premium social features. In April, the company began trialling Instagram+ in select markets.

The subscription tier reportedly included features such as anonymous Story viewing, Story rewatch analytics, unlimited custom audience lists and the ability to extend Stories for an additional 24 hours. Subscribers could also spotlight one Story per week to boost visibility by pushing it to the front of followers’ Stories trays.

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