New Delhi

Metahas officially started charging for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. Not for the apps themselves, which remain free, but for a new layer of “Plus” features that the company is rolling out globally under a fresh subscription brand called Meta One.

Meta’s bet is that enough power users and creators will pay for the extras to make subscriptions a meaningful new revenue line. While that is reasonable maths for a company with three billion users, it is also a signal that the free, ad-supported, algorithm-driven social feed of the last 15 years is winding down.

Analysts believe that it's an urgent attempt to offset soaring AI costs as Mark Zuckerberg tries to play catch up in the AI space where it is lagging behind. Meta increased its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to an unprecedented $125 billion - $145 billion, primarily to fund AI compute infrastructure, data centres, and higher component costs.

Instagram Plus costs $3.99 a month. Subscribers get story insights showing how many people rewatched a story, unlimited custom audience lists beyond Close Friends, the ability to spotlight a story for a week, the option to extend a story past 24 hours, a preview mode that lets one to watch other people’s stories without showing up as a viewer, and Super Heart animated reactions. One can also post straight to the profile without it appearing in followers’ feeds. While Facebook Plus is also $3.99 a month and gives you a similar bundle, focused on profile customisation, reactions and analytics, WhatsApp Plus is cheaper at $2.99. “It is not about social expression. It is about personalising the messaging app: custom themes, ringtones, more pinned chats, list customisation and premium stickers,” say the experts.

Then there is the AI tier. Meta is testing Meta One Plus at $7.99 and Meta One Premium at $19.99 for heavier Meta AI users. The Premium plan unlocks deeper reasoning on complex tasks and more image and video generation across Meta’s apps. Free Meta AI access remains but with usage limits. These plans start testing next month in Singapore, Guatemala and Bolivia.

For creators and businesses, Meta One Essential at $14.99 bundles the Verified badge, impersonation protection and an enhanced linksheet. The top tier, Meta One Advanced at $49.99, promises higher placement in Facebook and Instagram search, a bolder Follow button on Reels, automatic follow invitations, deeper competitive analytics and team access controls. Continued on Page 7