Meta plans new subscription tiers for AI and exclusive features

Meta plans to test new subscriptions that give people access to exclusive features on its apps, the company told TechCrunch on Monday. In the coming months, the tech giant plans to offer a premium experience on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. These new subscriptions will be separate from Meta Verified, the company’s existing subscription service. While Meta Verified is aimed at content creators and businesses, the new subscriptions will be designed for a broader audience of everyday users. Meta does not appear to be locked into one strategy regarding subscription features, noting that it will test a variety of features and bundles across its platforms.

As part of its subscription plans, Meta plans to scale Manus, an AI agent it recently acquired for a reported $2 billion. The company plans to integrate Manus into Meta products while continuing to sell standalone subscriptions to businesses. Alessandro Paluzzi, a reverse engineer—an individual who analyzes software to find unreleased features—identified unreleased features showing that Meta has already been working on adding a shortcut to Manus AI on Instagram. Additionally, Meta plans to test subscriptions for AI features, such as Vibes video generation, which was launched last year. Meta plans to offer freemium access—a business model offering basic services for free and advanced features for a fee—to Vibes video creation, with the option to subscribe to unlock additional video creation opportunities each month.

To distinguish between the offerings, the features are structured differently:

• Meta Verified: Aimed at content creators and businesses, providing a verified badge, 24/7 direct support, impersonation protections, search optimization, and exclusive stickers.
• New Consumer Subscriptions: Aimed at everyday users, offering exclusive features and more control over sharing and connecting. On Instagram, unreleased features identified by Paluzzi include the ability to create unlimited audience lists, see followers who do not follow back, and view Stories anonymously.

With these offerings, Meta is looking to replicate the success of competitors like Snap, whose Snapchat+ subscription service starts at $3.99 per month. Snapchat+ has topped 16 million subscribers, more than doubling its subscriber count since early 2024. However, the launch of additional subscriptions will allow Meta to generate more revenue only if it can overcome consumer subscription fatigue—the exhaustion users feel from managing multiple paid services.

Why it matters

While these subscriptions offer Meta a path to new revenue, the company must balance monetization against the risk of consumer subscription fatigue in a crowded market.