Social media giant Meta is now testing a new paid subscription tier for Instagram called ‘Instagram Plus’ in a limited number of countries, offering exclusive features focused primarily on Stories. This marks the company’s plan to introduce premium subscriptions across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Instagramâs core feed, Reels, and basic posting functions will remain completely free, with the paid tier aimed at power users and professional creators seeking greater control and analytics over their Stories.
âOur hope from these tests is to understand whatâs most valuable to people in a premium feature set,â a spokesperson for the company commented on the matter. This comes as Instagramâs heavy reliance on Stories (which have largely replaced traditional grid posting for many users) makes these enhancements all the more necessary. Creators and brands currently use Stories for daily engagement, audience building, and direct interaction with other users. If the test performs well, Meta is likely to expand Instagram Plus to additional countries, potentially including the US and Europe, with possible adjustments to the feature set based on user feedback. Longer term, similar premium tiers could roll out to WhatsApp and Facebook, which could potentially create a family-wide subscription ecosystem.
According to media reports on the matter, Instagram Plus includes several Story-centric enhancements. Users will be able to view a Story anonymously without appearing on the viewer list, see detailed analytics, including how many times a Story has been rewatched, and the ability to search the viewer list for specific accounts. In addition to this, users will be able to create unlimited custom audience lists (beyond the existing âClose Friendsâ list) for targeted Story sharing. They will also be able to extend a Storyâs visibility for an additional 24 hours (totaling 48 hours), as well as Spotlight one Story per week to increase its prominence in followersâ Stories tray.
Pricing in the test markets is relatively low: approximately $1.07 per month in the Philippines, $2.15 per month in Mexico, and around $2 per month in Japan. In addition to this, the social media company is offering a free one-month trial in these regions. A dedicated help page on Metaâs site notes that the feature is ânot available to everyone right now,â confirming the limited test phase.
Instagram Plus is distinct from Meta Verified, the $14.99/month subscription launched in 2023 that targets creators and businesses with verification badges, impersonation protection, priority support, and visibility boosts. It also comes as other competitors in the social media landscape have been successful at rolling out paid tiers for their apps. Snapchat+ (launched 2022) has grown to over 25 million subscribers (as of last month) by offering exclusive features like custom icons, priority story replies, and extended story duration, becoming a meaningful non-ad revenue driver for Snap. LinkedIn Premium and X Premium (formerly Twitter Blue) have similarly demonstrated similar popularity.
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