For a long time, social networking companies have attached themselves to the fact that their service is “free” to use. All these companies bet on displaying ads and getting some user data in return to allow them to use social networks without any charge. Now, with declining revenue and difficult global economic conditions, social networks are turning to offering subscriptions in one form or another. These paid plans can get you unlock features ranging from vanity checkmarks to exclusive range-boosting stickers and more.
blue twitter
Image Credits: TechCrunch
Twitter first introduced its paid subscription in June 2021 in Canada and Australia, and later expanded it to the US and New Zealand. After Elon Musk took over the company, he increased the subscription price to $7.99 per month and relaunched the plan with features like a blue checkmark and priority responses.
The first attempt to relaunch the social network in November was short-lived, as many profiles began to pose as brands and athletes. After putting in safeguards to prevent that, although those measures have also failed sometimes — Twitter finally released the new version of blue in december. Despite that, things are not going very well for the subscription service. According to a report from Informationthere are approximately 180,000 paid accounts in the US and 290,000 paid accounts worldwide.
- Price: $8 per month (web); $11 per month (iOS, Android)
- Characteristics: blue check mark; edit tweet functionality; NFT profile pictures; priority ranking in conversations; bookmark folders; 60 minute long video uploads; ability to write long tweets of 4000 characters; fewer ads; and custom app icons and themes. You can see the full set of features here.
- Availability: 15 countries
metaverified
Image Credits: TechCrunch
Following in Twitter’s footsteps, Mark Zuckerberg also this week announced a premium program for Facebook and Instagram. Initially, the so-called “Meta Verified” plan will be available to users based in Australia and New Zealand with plans to expand in the coming months. Like Twitter Blue, this new plan will give users a blue tick, but the company won’t remove any legacy checks from notable profiles.
- Price: $11.99 per month (web); $14.99 per month (iOS, Android)
- Characteristics: A blue verification badge; additional protection against phishing, such as proactive account monitoring; access to customer service; greater visibility in comments and recommendations; and exclusive stickers
- Availability: Australia and New Zealand
Snapchat+
Image Credits: Break
Snapchat launched Snapchat+ last June in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Arab Emirates. In the time since its launch, the service has gained more features and expanded to more countries. Last month, Snap said it now has more than 2 million paid subscribers.
- Price: $3.99 per month
- Characteristics: Ability to single out someone as your number 1 friend; priority responses to Snap Star, the company’s program for popular creators; and the ability to see “the general direction of travel where friends have recently moved” if they have turned on location sharing; custom app icons, wallpapers and notification sounds; re-view the story count; and expiration controls of stories. You can see the full set of features here.
- Availability: more than 20 countries
reddit cousin
Image Credits: Reddit
Reddit has had a premium membership program for years in one form or another. The company rebranded its membership from Gold to Premium in 2018. The $5.99-per-month plan will give you perks like ad-free browsing, custom avatars, and Reddit coins to award poster prizes.
- Price: $5.99 per month
- Characteristics: Ad-free browsing; application icons and custom avatars; 700 Reddit coins per month; exclusive prizes to give to the posters; You can see the full set of features here.
- Availability: world
tumblr no ads
Image Credits: MARTIN’S OFFICE/AFP / Getty Images
This subscription is as simple as it sounds. Tumblr launched its ad-free browsing plan last year at $4.99 per month, or a discounted price of $39.99 per year. After Musk took over Twitter, he also launched a parody service that lets you have two blue check marks for $7.99. Last month, he even expanded this to the rainbow check marks. These checkmarks don’t actually do anything, but are a way of showing support for the service.
- Price: $4.99 per month
- Characteristics: Ad-free browsing
- Availability: world
Image Credits: jeffrey coolidge (Opens in a new window) / Fake Images
In general, these subscriptions offer a combination of identity markers, increased reach, fewer ads, and some visual bells and whistles. Most content services and apps (including games) offer an ad-free tier at an additional price, so it makes sense. Asking users to pay for more reach is a curious move, as these companies have sung the song of equal distribution to creator content for a long time. In recent years, different social networks have reduced or adjusted payments for creator programs. Now, instead of spending more on highlighting creators, they ask users to pay for a better chance of being seen.
After Apple’s launch of App Tracking Transparency features in 2021, social media has seen a massive negative impact on ad revenue. What’s more, bets like the metaverse haven’t gotten off the ground in challenging economic conditions. Therefore, more social media companies are thinking about other sources of income, such as subscriptions. While these services have a massive user base, they have not made any notable progress. Snapchat+ has over 2 million subscribers, Twitter Blue is reported to have nearly 300,000 users, data suggests Reddit Premium users are under 400,000, and Meta is just getting started.
Data from analytics firm Sensor Tower suggests that since Twitter Blue’s relaunch, people have sent more than $7 million in in-app purchases. On Snapchat, the in-app purchase amount is $64 million since the launch of Snapchat+.
“Although the amount of revenue from these subscriptions pales in comparison to total ad revenue, the premium subscription plans bode well for Twitter and Snapchat to increase user loyalty (and engagement) while simultaneously they create an alternative revenue stream outside of the remarkably competitive ad market.” Abe Yousef, a senior insight analyst at Sensor Tower, said.
Content streaming sites like YouTube and Spotify have offered features like an ad-free experience and the ability to consume content online as part of their premium package. And they have managed to get millions of paying users. The challenge for social networks would be to find features that are worth paying for users. Until then, subscription revenue would be just a footnote on the balance sheet.
