Instagram is testing a new premium offering called “Instagram Plus” in Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines, with a subscription price of up to $2.20 per month.
The subscription targets everyday users and is distinct from Meta’s existing “Meta Verified” service aimed at creators and businesses. Instagram Plus focuses on enhancing the platform’s Story feature through various tools designed to boost audience engagement and privacy.
Subscribers can create unlimited audience lists for their Stories, allowing for targeted sharing beyond the traditional “Close Friends” feature. They will also have access to metrics indicating how many viewers have rewatched their Stories.
Additional features include the ability to preview another user’s Story without being marked as a viewer, spotlighting a Story once per week, and extending Story visibility for an additional 24 hours. Subscribers can also use a “Superlike” feature to enhance their Story’s visibility to other users.
Instagram Plus mirrors Snap’s subscription service, Snapchat+, which similarly caters to everyday users. The introduction of this offering illustrates Meta’s strategy to diversify revenue streams beyond its advertising business, which presently accounts for the majority of its income.
Currently, over 35 million users subscribe to Meta Verified, which is priced between $11.99 and $14.99 per month for creators, and can go up to $349 per month for businesses. Meta has not disclosed any plans for an official launch of Instagram Plus.
