• by Colin Kirkland , Yesterday

In line with other social media platforms like X and Snapchat, Meta is planning to test premium subscriptions designed to provide users across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp with access to special features and expanded AI tools, according to a report by TechCrunch.

Over the next few months, Meta will introduce premium offerings (separate from its Meta Verified offerings) to its billions of users via a variety of subscription perks and bundles depending on the app in question. According to the report, each app subscription will have “a distinct set of exclusive features.”

App researcher Alessandro Paluzzi posted a screenshot on X last week that shows Meta’s Instagram subscription test, with users allowed to create unlimited audience lists, view followers who do not follow them, and watch a Story without the user who posted it being able to see their identity.

Paluzzi notes that some of the tested features he’s mentioned in the past, such as the ability to “Super Like” a post or search within a list of Story viewers, are likely to become part of Meta’s new subscription offerings, or be added to the Meta Verified system.

While Meta Verified targets businesses and content creators, providing paying accounts with a verification badge and other perks, Meta’s new premium subscriptions are being developed for a wider audience of everyday users. 

Meta’s decision to test premium subscriptions aligns with an increased interest in paid offerings within the social media landscape.

Snap’s successful Snapchat+ has over 15 million subscribers, having become a major revenue booster, expected to have generated over $700 million for the company in 2025. 

Other leading platforms offering premium ad-free experiences include X, which has around 1.5 million users paying for X Premium; as well as Meta Verified, which had an estimated 7 million subscribers as of April 2025; LinkedIn Premium, with about 175 million subscribers; and YouTube Premium, with about 125 million subscribers. 

As part of its new user-targeted premium offerings, Meta plans to integrate AI-powered tools derived from its recent acquisition of AI startup Manus, including in its Meta AI agent.