Meta has started testing a paid subscription on Instagram, adding new features for regular users as it looks beyond advertising for revenue.
The company confirmed the test on Monday, introducing the subscription plan called Meta’s Instagram Plus.
It is currently being tried in a small number of countries, although the company has not released a full list.
With this subscription, users can watch Stories without appearing on the viewer list. They can also see how many times their own Stories have been rewatched.
This enhances privacy for users, allowing people to create multiple audience lists for Stories.
Instead of relying on the usual “Close Friends” option, users can group followers and decide who sees each post. That adds more flexibility, particularly for users who share different content with different circles.
Subscribers can keep a Story live for 48 hours instead of the usual 24 and also highlight one Story each week, pushing it to the front so more followers see it.
On top of that, the subscription introduces animated “Superlikes” and a search tool that lets users quickly check if a specific person viewed a Story.
Pricing depends on the country. In Mexico, it costs MX$39 per month. In Japan, the price is ¥319, while users in the Philippines pay PHP 65 monthly. That places it roughly between $1 and $2, making it cheaper than similar offerings from other brands.
The test puts Instagram in closer competition with Snapchat, whose Snapchat+ service has grown to more than 25 million subscribers. It also overlaps slightly with paid features on X, although those focus more on verification and account perks.
Meta says this new plan is separate from Meta Verified, which targets creators and businesses. Instagram Plus is aimed at everyday users who want better management over how they post and interact, not minding a subscription.
Still, not everyone is convinced. Some users have questioned the need to pay for features they believe should be free. Others point to the growing number of digital subscriptions they already manage.
Advertising still brings in most of Meta’s income, but the company is testing new ways to earn directly from users. Instagram Plus is one of those experiments.
