According to Meta, the subscriptions are designed to unlock enhanced productivity and creativity tools, including expanded artificial intelligence capabilities, News.Az reports, citing TechCrunch.
In the coming months, Meta said it will roll out premium experiences on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, while keeping the core versions of the apps free to use. The company emphasized that it is not committed to a single subscription model and will experiment with different features and bundles, noting that each app will offer its own distinct set of premium tools.
Meta also said it plans to scale Manus, an AI agent it recently acquired for a reported $2 billion, as part of its broader subscription strategy. The company intends to pursue a two-pronged approach with Manus: integrating the AI agent into Meta’s consumer products while continuing to offer standalone subscriptions to business users.
Signs of this integration are already emerging. Meta has been spotted developing a shortcut for Manus AI within Instagram, based on a screenshot shared by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, who frequently uncovers unreleased features still in development.
In addition, Meta plans to test subscriptions tied specifically to AI-powered tools, including Vibes video generation. Vibes is Meta’s AI-driven short-form video feature built into the Meta AI app, allowing users to create and remix AI-generated videos. Although Vibes has been free since its launch last year, Meta now plans to shift to a freemium model, offering limited access at no cost while allowing users to subscribe for additional video creation opportunities each month.
While details of paid features on WhatsApp and Facebook have not yet been disclosed, Paluzzi noted that an Instagram subscription could include the ability to create unlimited audience lists, see which followers do not follow back, and view Stories anonymously without notifying the poster.
Meta stressed that these new subscriptions will be separate from Meta Verified. The company said it will apply lessons learned from Meta Verified to evolve its subscription business and expand offerings aimed at everyday users, creators, and businesses alike.
Meta Verified is primarily targeted at creators and businesses, providing benefits such as a verified badge, 24/7 direct support, impersonation protection, improved search visibility, exclusive stickers, and other tools. By contrast, the new subscriptions are intended to appeal to a much broader user base beyond professional creators.
The expansion of subscription offerings could open up a new revenue stream for Meta, though the company faces the challenge of subscription fatigue among consumers. With an increasing number of paid digital services competing for monthly budgets, Meta will need to deliver compelling value to convince users to subscribe.
Rival Snap has demonstrated demand for paid social media features through its Snapchat+ service. Snapchat+, which starts at $3.99 per month, has surpassed 16 million subscribers, more than doubling its user base since early 2024.
Meta said it plans to engage closely with its user community and collect feedback as it gradually rolls out the new subscription options over the coming months.
