Meta is reportedly planning to test paid subscriptions on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp in the coming months, according to TechCrunch. The company says these subscriptions will provide users with additional tools for productivity, creativity, and AI capabilities while keeping the main services free.

According to the report, the subscriptions will be separate from Meta Verified, the paid verification service launched in 2023. Meta told TechCrunch that it will experiment with multiple subscription bundles, and each app could have different exclusive features. Pricing for the new subscription plans has not been announced.

According to TechCrunch, a reverse engineer, Alessandro Paluzzi, said in an X post that the new Instagram subscription could include the ability to create unlimited audience lists, see which followers do not follow a user back, and view Stories without the poster knowing. However, the report says that details for Facebook and WhatsApp subscriptions remain limited, and it is unclear what features these apps will include.

The company has previously tested limiting link sharing. According to the BBC, last year Facebook ran an experiment restricting how many links some users in the UK and the U.S. could include in posts. Notifications alerted users that only a certain number of links could be shared without a subscription. Meta said the trial was a “limited test” intended to see whether giving subscribers the ability to post more links would add extra value.

AI video creation with Vibes

As part of the subscriptions, Meta plans to include access to Vibes, an AI-powered short-form video tool. Launched in September through the Meta AI app, Vibes lets users create and remix AI-generated videos. The report says that while Vibes has been free since its launch, the subscription could provide access to additional video creation options each month.

Scaling Manus AI

Meta also plans to integrate Manus, an AI agent the company acquired for an estimated $2 billion, into its subscription offerings. Manus will appear in Meta apps, including Instagram, while standalone business subscriptions for Manus will continue. According to TechCrunch, screenshots shared by Paluzzi show a shortcut to Manus AI appearing in Instagram, suggesting the integration is already underway.

Meta’s push for subscriptions comes as it invests heavily in AI. In its most recent earnings reports, Meta said it expects to spend between $70 billion and $72 billion on capital expenditures in 2025, with most of that directed toward building AI infrastructure such as data centers, compute capacity, and related technology to support its AI models and services. Meta also indicated that capital spending will be “notably larger” in 2026 compared with 2025, driven by infrastructure and employee compensation tied to AI development.

While competitors like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic charge for access to their advanced AI models, Meta’s Llama family of models has remained open-source and free. The new paid subscriptions could allow the company to generate revenue from its own platforms while offering creators, advertisers, and businesses additional tools.

Meta appears to be aligning with subscription trends already taking shape across social media. Platforms such as X, YouTube, and Snapchat have introduced paid plans tied to additional features. X Blue Tick offers paid features like longer tweets, post analytics, and profile customization. 

X’s Blue subscription includes longer posts, post analytics, and profile customization. YouTube offers paid memberships that unlock exclusive content and ad-free viewing, while Snapchat has launched premium tiers that provide access to extra creative tools.

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