Meta Launches New Subscriptions for Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook.
It’s finally here: after months of testing and leaks, Meta is launching long-awaited subscriptions for three of its most popular platforms. Starting today, users can sign up for “WhatsApp Plus” for $2.99 per month, “Facebook Plus” for $3.99 per month, and “Instagram Plus” for $3.99 per month. As you might expect, these subscriptions are completely optional and add several new and exciting features for active users: Facebook and Instagram subscriptions are aimed squarely at content creators (and some passive observers). But these changes raise the question: is this all suitable for everyday users of these platforms?
Instagram Plus removes follower limits and adds features that are convenient for those who simply follow posts.
As TechCrunch reports , Instagram Plus offers a number of new features for Stories. You’ll be able to see how many people have viewed your story and create unlimited custom lists beyond “Close Friends.” You can create different audience lists for different types of content and publish content only to a specific group. For example, for personal use, you can create lists to publish Stories only to family, colleagues, or friends.
With this plan, you can highlight a story for a week and extend its viewing beyond the current 24 hours. You can view a list of viewed stories to see if a specific user has viewed your profile, and finally, you can preview a story without appearing in the viewed list—a feature many users have requested and found workarounds for. Users can also react to stories with “super hearts” animations and customize their bios and profiles with new fonts, icons, and additional pins.
WhatsApp Plus adds a number of features for power users and personalization options.
WhatsApp Plus’s feature list is currently quite limited. Subscribing to a subscription finally allows you to pin more than three chats to the top (now up to 20). You can customize your chats with custom notifications, ringtones, and themes. The app itself offers unique color and theme customizations, as well as a variety of icon options. You can also send exclusive “premium stickers” with additional special effects not available to free users. However, that’s all you get for $2.99 per month.
Facebook Plus is adding new features for creating stories.
As TechCrunch notes, Facebook Plus’s feature set is very similar to Instagram’s subscription, although it’s primarily focused on Stories. Facebook users will be able to extend the visibility of their Stories to 48 hours (instead of the usual 24 hours), send Super Reactions to Stories, search for Stories, and get information about how many times their Stories have been re-viewed.
Meta is adding a couple of new, confusing pricing plans.
The Plus plans don’t replace the Meta Verified membership , which focuses on authenticating content creators. However, Meta is currently testing two new plans: Meta One Plus for $7.99 per month and Meta One Premium for $19.99 per month. The basic Meta One Plus plan allows users to create images and videos using AI, adds a “Thinking” mode, and provides higher computing limits than free users. The Premium plan offers greater image generation power, deeper logical reasoning skills, and greater access to computing resources. (Meta hasn’t yet provided exact figures, and since this is a test, they will undoubtedly change over time.)
What’s somewhat confusing is the existence of a Meta One Advanced plan for $49.99, designed for content creators. It offers users increased visibility in Facebook and Instagram feeds, as well as in search results. It also unlocks advanced analytics, audience insights, and scheduling tools, among other benefits. In an Instagram video, Naomi Gleit, Meta’s head of product, stated that while they are currently testing several subscription options, they will ultimately be consolidated under the Meta One umbrella.
Is Meta worth the subscription?
If you, like me, were hoping for an Instagram subscription that would remove all ads and junk, this isn’t it. And it probably never will be. Plus subscriptions are clearly aimed at content creators large and small, as well as power users who want some personalization options.
If you’re a casual WhatsApp and Instagram user, you won’t get much out of these subscriptions. The ability to pin more users is nice, but it’s not worth $3 per month. The most compelling arguments for an Instagram subscription are if you have a page with a large audience or an Instagram page for your business or side project. The additional data analysis, personalization options, and the Stories list will help you stand out. Otherwise, for the most part, it’s not worth the money. I hope this is just an announcement, and Meta will continue to add new features to the subscription (without raising the price) to make the offer more attractive.