Global technology company Meta plans to roll out and test paid subscription services on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp over the coming months, according to a report by the BBC.
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Meta said it will soon offer paid versions of these apps that include special features and greater control over how users share content and communicate, while keeping the core set of services free.
The company revealed that the paid feature bundles on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp will also include expanded artificial intelligence capabilities.
In a statement to TechCrunch, Meta added that it will test a variety of subscription packages and features across its apps, with each subscription offering a different set of exclusive tools.
This development comes shortly after Meta announced it would soon begin showing ads on its Threads platform. The company explained that ads will appear directly in users’ feeds and will be available through Meta’s Ads Manager, allowing advertisers to extend their campaigns from Facebook and Instagram to Threads.
What Do the New Paid Subscriptions Mean for Users?
While details of the paid features on Facebook and WhatsApp remain unclear, reverse-engineering specialist Alessandro Paluzzi suggests that the new subscription option on Instagram may allow users to:
View any user’s Instagram Stories without notifying the account owner
See a list of followers who do not follow back
Create an unlimited number of audience lists
However, it is important to note that the new subscriptions on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp will be separate from the Meta Verified service, which offers a verification badge, impersonation protection, 24/7 support, and additional benefits.
Whereas Meta Verified was not designed for ordinary users or non-content creators, the new subscriptions will target a broader user base. Meta confirmed it will draw on the experience gained from Meta Verified to refine the subscription model and improve offerings for everyday users.
What About Expanding AI Capabilities?
Meta told TechCrunch that it plans to expand the use of the Manus AI agent as part of the new subscription plans on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. The company acquired the agent for $2 billion in December 2025.
Under the expected approach, Meta intends to integrate Manus across its various products, while continuing to sell separate subscriptions tailored for businesses.
Meta appears to have already begun adding a Manus AI shortcut within Instagram. Paluzzi recently shared a screenshot showing that the company is working on including this shortcut in the app’s settings page.
In addition, Meta plans to test paid subscriptions for other AI products, such as Vibes, a video-creation app that the company says “turns your ideas into reality through new AI-powered visual content creation tools.”
Although Vibes has been free since its launch in 2025, Meta now plans to introduce a freemium model, with a paid subscription option that offers additional monthly video-creation opportunities.
Why Is This Important?
When it comes to paid subscriptions on social media platforms, Snap has demonstrated that users are willing to pay for premium features. For example, Snapchat+, launched in June 2022, remains a significant source of revenue.
The number of Snapchat+ subscribers has more than doubled since early 2024, reaching over 16 million subscribers today.
As a result, the launch of new subscriptions on Meta’s platforms could contribute to “subscription fatigue” among users, meaning the company will need to offer truly unique features to ensure its services earn a place in users’ monthly subscription budgets.
Meta’s move toward paid subscriptions reflects the ongoing transformation of the social media landscape and represents a major shift in the company’s revenue strategy—especially given that Facebook’s homepage once famously declared: “It’s free and always will be.”
