Key Points:
- Meta is testing a new “Instagram Plus” subscription with exclusive Story features.
- Paid users can extend Stories to 48 hours and view others’ posts anonymously.
- The service is currently live in the Philippines and Mexico for a low monthly fee.
- Meta hopes to copy the success of Snapchat+ to grow its non-advertising revenue.
Instagram is trying something new to make more money. The company started testing a paid service called “Instagram Plus” that offers users special tools not available for free. Right now, people in the Philippines and Mexico are starting to see ads for the service. Meta confirmed it is running these tests to figure out which features users actually find valuable enough to pay for.
Most of the perks focus on Stories. One big change is that users can keep a Story up for 48 hours instead of the usual 24. There is also a “preview” tool that lets you peek at someone’s Story without your name showing up in their viewer list. For many users, the ability to browse anonymously, like a “ghost,” is a major draw.
The subscription also adds more data for power use. You can search through your viewer list or see how many times people rewatched your posts. Other tools include creating different groups for specific Stories and using “super hearts” to react. It even lets you “spotlight” certain posts so they stand out more than regular posts.
Meta is keeping the price quite low during this trial phase. In the Philippines, it costs about $1.07 per month, while users in Mexico pay around $2.15 per month. They are even offering a one-month free trial to get people through the door. This is much cheaper than the “Meta Verified” plan, which usually starts at around $15 and focuses more on the blue checkmark.
This move looks exactly like what Snapchat did with Snapchat+. That service has millions of paying fans and brings in tons of money that doesn’t come from ads. Meta wants a piece of that pie. They are looking for ways to make money directly from their most active users rather than just relying on businesses to buy commercials.
Meta has become much more aggressive with these paid plans lately. They’ve been testing AI-focused subscriptions and even limiting features like link sharing for people who don’t pay. It seems the days of Instagram being completely free for everyone are slowly coming to an end as the company looks for new ways to grow its bottom line.
