Meta has reportedly begun testing a premium paid subscription on Instagram called Instagram Plus, according to TechCrunch, bringing to fruition a plan it had quietly telegraphed two months prior.
The move marks a concrete step in Meta's broader pivot away from pure advertising dependency, as the social media giant attempts to build a recurring revenue stream from its billions of users across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
What Instagram Plus Offers
The headline feature is privacy inversion: subscribers can view a Story, a photo or a video that disappears after 24 hours, without the poster knowing they watched it.
Beyond stealth viewing, the subscribers can create unlimited audience lists for Stories, going well beyond the existing single Close Friends list, allowing different groups of followers to see different content. They can also extend a Story's lifespan by 24 hours, and spotlight one story per week to push it on top of followers' stories trays for heightened visibility.
Additional perks include an animated "Superlike" reaction for others' stories, the ability to see how many people have rewatched their own Stories, and a searchable story viewer list—eliminating the need to manually scroll through hundreds of names to check whether a specific person watched.
Where and What It Costs
As per the report, the subscription is being tested in Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines.
Pricing, shared in screenshots by users, is localised: approximately $2.20 USD per month in Mexico, $2 USD in Japan, and $1.07 USD in the Philippines.
A Plan Two Months in the Making
Meta had earlier told TechCrunch that it would explore a premium experience on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp that gives users access to special features and more control over how they share and connect, while keeping the core experiences free.
At the time, Meta had planned to listen to its user community and gather feedback as it rolled out subscriptions in the coming months. The company had also clarified that it would test a variety of subscription features and bundles, with each app having a distinct set of exclusive features.
Meta then said it would use insights gathered from its Meta Verified operations to evolve its subscription business and fine-tune offerings for everyday users. Instagram Plus is explicitly separate from Meta Verified, which is aimed at creators and businesses and offers verified badges and impersonation protections. Instagram Plus, by contrast, is built for the everyday user.
The Advertising Dependency Problem
The subscription push is also a strategic hedge.
In Q3 2025, advertising generated $50.1 billion of Meta's $51.2 billion in revenue. That concentration has long been flagged as a structural vulnerability, particularly as privacy regulations in Europe have already forced changes to Meta's advertising model and data targeting practices. Subscriptions offer a revenue stream that is structurally immune to such regulatory pressure.
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