As per media reports, Meta has officially expanded its push into subscriptions, launching paid consumer plans for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp globally while simultaneously testing a new wave of AI and professional-focused offerings that signal the company’s broader ambitions beyond advertising revenue.

The company announced that users across its flagship platforms will now be able to subscribe to app-specific 'Plus' plans, offering access to premium features and additional customisation tools. At the same time, Meta is preparing to test higher-tier subscriptions aimed at creators, businesses, and users of its AI products under a broader ecosystem it plans to brand as 'Meta One.'

The rollout marks one of Meta’s most aggressive attempts yet to diversify its business model at a time when growth across its core social platforms has largely plateaued globally.

The consumer-focused subscription plans include Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus, both priced at USD 3.99 per month, and WhatsApp Plus at USD 2.99 per month.

Each offering is tailored to the platform’s use case. Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus are focused on social expression, audience engagement, and profile personalisation, while WhatsApp Plus introduces messaging and interface customisation features.

Instagram Plus subscribers, for instance, will gain access to a range of creator and engagement-focused tools, including the ability to view how many times Stories have been rewatched in aggregate, create unlimited Story audience lists beyond the existing 'Close Friends' feature, and extend Stories beyond the standard 24-hour limit.

The plan also includes features that allow users to preview Stories anonymously before viewing, search Story viewer lists, spotlight a Story once per week for increased visibility, and publish posts directly to their profile without pushing them into followers’ feeds.

Additional features include animated 'Super Heart' reactions for Stories, custom app icons, profile bio fonts, and expanded profile pinning options.

Facebook Plus offers a similar set of features, while WhatsApp Plus focuses more heavily on interface and messaging personalisation.

Subscribers on WhatsApp will be able to access app themes, custom ringtones, additional pinned chats, list customisation features, and premium stickers.

Meta said more features would continue to roll out over time across the subscription plans.

Importantly, the new Plus offerings will exist separately from Meta Verified, the company’s existing paid verification service that offers identity verification, impersonation protection, and customer support benefits.

While Meta has not indicated any immediate plans to phase out Meta Verified, the coexistence of multiple paid layers reflects the company’s growing experimentation with monetisation across its ecosystem.

The larger strategic shift, however, lies in Meta’s upcoming AI subscription plans.

The company confirmed it will begin testing two premium Meta AI tiers next month: Meta One Plus at $7.99 per month and Meta One Premium at USD 19.99 per month.

The Premium tier is designed for users requiring greater computing capacity for complex AI tasks, including deeper reasoning capabilities and expanded video and image-generation limits across Meta’s platforms.

The AI subscriptions will initially be tested in Singapore, Guatemala, and Bolivia.

Meta AI itself will continue to remain free for general users, but the introduction of premium tiers mirrors a wider industry trend where companies are increasingly charging for enhanced AI compute power and advanced usage capabilities.

Meta also indicated that the AI plans would eventually include additional benefits tied to its AI-powered smart glasses and connected hardware ecosystem.

Alongside AI subscriptions, Meta is also preparing to test new professional plans aimed at creators and businesses in select markets, including Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Thailand, and Bangladesh.

The entry-level Meta One Essential plan, priced at USD 14.99 per month, includes verification features, impersonation protection, and enhanced profile linking capabilities that allow users to direct audiences to websites and external social platforms.

The higher-priced Meta One Advanced plan, at $49.99 per month, adds visibility and growth-focused tools designed to help creators and businesses increase discoverability and audience conversion.

These include preferential placement in Facebook feeds and search results, enhanced 'Follow' prompts on Reels, automated follow invitations for users engaging with content, deeper analytics and audience insights, collaborative account moderation tools, and content protection notifications for reposted material.

The Advanced tier also includes tools aimed at driving traffic to external websites and online stores through enhanced linking integrations across Facebook and Instagram.

Meta said the long-term goal is to eventually unify its expanding subscription ecosystem under the Meta One brand, with features and offerings continuing to evolve over time as the company experiments across AI, creator services, and platform monetisation.