Meta has informed reporters that it will start testing paid subscription levels in Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp in the next few months. The company indicated that the core apps will be free, but optional paid terms will be available with the addition of extra features and expanded AI tools.
What is changing
Meta plans a range of trials rather than a single product. The company said each app will get a distinct set of premium features and that it will learn from user feedback during the tests. Manus, an AI agent Meta recently acquired, will play a role in some of the paid offerings, according to the report.
Meta has already built a feature called Vibes for AI video creation and remixing. Vibes could become a freemium product with basic access for free and expanded monthly creation quotas for subscribers. Meta has positioned Vibes inside its AI app and on meta.ai as a way to make AI-generated short videos easier to create and share.
The company will approach subscriptions in stages. It will test bundles with different feature sets and separate pricing across regions. Meta said it will keep a free core experience for all users while experimenting with premium options for people and for businesses. The exact launch timing and pricing remain under test.
What subscribers get
A technology reporter and a reverse engineer shared early details about some features that may appear in Instagram testing. Those items include creating more audience lists, seeing which followers do not follow you back, and viewing a Story without signaling that you watched it. These features are in prototype stages and could change.
Meta plans to scale Manus both inside its consumer products and as a business subscription. The company has said Manus will remain a standalone product for some enterprise customers while its technology is integrated across Meta apps. The acquisition and the integration plans were reported by multiple outlets and are part of Meta’s push to add advanced agent features.
Creators and power users are likely targets for early subscription offers. Meta has suggested that subscriptions might include advanced productivity tools, editing options, and high-use quotas for AI media creation. The company has said that lessons from past offerings, such as Meta Verified, will inform how new subscriptions are designed.
