Meta adds new subscription tiers for businesses, creators and 'AI power users'

Meta Adds New Subscription Tiers for Businesses, Creators and 'AI Power Users'

A few months after rolling out subscription-based features for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, Meta is adding a new lineup of subscriptions to its paid offerings. The company introduced a new batch of "Meta One" plans aimed at creators, businesses, and "AI power users." These tiers combine exclusive features with expanded access to Meta's growing slate of AI tools.

In a blog post, the company writes that its main apps and Meta AI will stay free, but there will be additional benefits for those willing to pay a little (or a lot) extra. Exactly how much extra depends on how you use Meta's apps and what features you want.

Single Product Plans

The company is still offering individual plans:

• Facebook Plus - $3.99/month
• Instagram Plus - $3.99/month
• WhatsApp Plus - $2.99/month

Bundle Plans

Meta is now adding "bundle" options that combine all the benefits of the single product plans with additional Meta AI usage for tasks like AI image and video generation:

• Core - $7.99/month
• Premium - $19.99/month

Creator and Business Tiers

There are four additional tiers aimed specifically at creators and business owners:

• Essential ($14.99/month) - Combines some of the benefits of Meta Verified subscriptions with the newest AI offerings, including the company's business agent.
• Advanced ($49.99/month) - An Instagram-specific business plan that includes the ability to schedule Stories posts and the option to embed four clickable URLs into post captions and Reels each month. The company began testing the latter feature earlier this year as part of Meta Verified.
• Expert ($149/month)
• Max ($499/month) - Combines all of the benefits of the plans detailed above, along with the highest-capacity access to Meta's business agents.

Key Features of Higher-Tier Plans

Both the Advanced and Expert tiers also come with the ability to delegate account access to additional people without the need to hand over a password. Other perks include notifications when another account reposts your original content and more visibility in Instagram's in-app search.

The Max plan also offers a benefit that's proved particularly elusive to Instagram creators: an "unlimited" ability to request support from an actual human, as well as the option to request an actual phone call with "a real person" who works for the company.

Traction and Future Plans

The new subscriptions are a significant expansion for Meta, which has been testing Meta One plans alongside some of its more resource-intensive AI offerings, like image and video generation. While it's not clear if Meta's AI features alone are a big draw for users, the company says its early plans have already gained some traction, with more than 15 million sign-ups for subscriptions and trial subscriptions.

Meta is also planning to expand the subscriptions to cover more than just its core apps. The company says subscription-based features will eventually arrive for its video-editing app, Edits, as well as its AI glasses.