• by Colin Kirkland , Yesterday

Snapchat is expanding the functionality included in its basic and premium subscription offerings by prioritizing its most unique in-app features, AR experiences and lenses. 

For $8.99 per month, “Lens+” will provide Snapchat users with access to “hundreds” of exclusive Lenses and AR experiences, as well as over 30 add-on features already included in the basic $3.99 monthly Snapchat+ subscription offering.

Snapchat says that its first bundle of available subscription-exclusive Lenses -- including new AI video Lenses and a Bitmoji Game Lens -- have been created by the company and select creators.

The company will add new AR experiences weekly. 

To engage Snap’s community of over 400,000 Lens creators, the company says it will soon begin allowing them to monetize exclusive Lenses -- ultimately providing creators with an additional way to amass profits in the app. 

Snapchat+ subscribers doubled in 2024, from 7 million paying users to 14 million. Recently, the company announced that it has 15 million paying subscribers, making it a leading subscription offering, surpassing other major social media platforms, like Facebook and X. 

According to the company’s Q4 2024 results, Snapchat+ brought in an additional $500 million in annual revenue. And in this year’s first quarter, Snap cited its subscription program as a key driver of revenue, which rose 14% year-over-year, totalling $1.36 billion. 

Early this week, Snap also announced a partnership with McDonald’s designed to engage up to 175 million people actively using the fast-food giant’s rewards program. If MyMcDonald’s Rewards customers amass enough points, they can choose to receive a month of Snapchat+ for free. 

Launching a moderately priced subscription tier focused on specific app features, Snap will discover what percentage of its user base is willing to pay to unlock advanced AR add-ons and Lenses, and potentially grow its revenue even more.