Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has begun experimenting with a paid subscription service called ‘Instagram Plus’ in select markets, including Japan. Instagram, a ‘cash cow’ platform driving Meta’s core advertising revenue, has drawn attention to the reasons behind its subscription model introduction. The service offers exclusive features inaccessible to free users for subscribers paying $1–2 monthly, with the key question being whether it provides enough value to justify the cost.
According to the tech industry on the 1st, Meta is piloting the paid subscription service in Japan, the Philippines, Mexico, and other regions. The known subscription benefits so far focus heavily on Instagram’s popular ‘Stories’ feature (photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours).
In Japan, ‘Instagram Plus’ subscribers paying 319 yen (approximately $2) monthly can view others’ Stories without their activity being displayed and check how many times their posted Stories have been viewed. They can extend the posting period of Stories by 24 hours or use the ‘Spotlight’ feature once weekly to pin specific Stories to the top of their followers’ Story list.
Users can also customize Story visibility settings freely. Beyond sharing Stories publicly or with limited ‘Close Friends,’ they can divide followers into multiple groups and share Stories tailored to each group. Sending ‘Superlike’ animations to others’ Stories is another paid benefit.
Instagram officials explained that the pilot phase aims to identify user preferences for specific features, as reported by IT outlet TechCrunch. Meta is expected to expand ‘Instagram Plus’ to other countries in the future.
Instagram, a social media (SNS) platform with over 3 billion global users, is one of Meta’s ‘Family of Apps’—alongside Facebook and WhatsApp—that drives the company’s performance. Last year, Instagram’s advertising revenue accounted for approximately 30% of Meta’s annual sales of $200.966 billion (approximately 303 trillion Korean won), estimated at around 100 trillion Korean won.
Why is Meta, which already generates massive ad revenue through free Instagram services, pushing for a paid subscription model? Market analysts interpret this move as tied to Meta’s artificial intelligence (AI) strategy. Meta, often criticized for lagging behind Google and OpenAI in the AI race, is pouring astronomical funds into hiring top AI talent, building data centers, and acquiring promising companies under CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership.
Meta projected its capital expenditure (CAPEX) for this year to reach $123.5 billion (approximately 186 trillion Korean won), a 77% increase from the previous year, with most allocated to AI initiatives. To secure funds for large-scale AI investments, Meta decided to introduce paid subscription models to its popular platforms starting this year, aiming to add subscription revenue to existing ad sales.
In addition to Instagram, Meta is also pushing for paid versions of Facebook and WhatsApp. Core features will remain free, but subscription models with exclusive features tailored to each app’s characteristics are reportedly in development. With each of the three major apps—Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—boasting over 3 billion monthly active users (MAU), even a small portion of subscribers could significantly boost additional sales and profits.
Major SNS platforms are increasingly adopting paid subscription models as part of monetization strategies. X (formerly Twitter), led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, offers X Premium ($8 monthly), which includes access to xAI’s AI chatbot ‘Grok’ as a bundled product. Musk leveraged X’s 600 million-user base to expand Grok’s reach, and Meta could adopt a similar approach to enhance access to its AI services. CNBC reported that Meta is considering integrating its AI video-generation app ‘Vibe’ into paid subscription services.
Snapchat also introduced ‘Snapchat Plus’ ($3.99 monthly) several years ago, offering exclusive features, and recently surpassed 25 million subscribers. LinkedIn provides ‘LinkedIn Premium’ subscriptions for job seekers, while TikTok operates a subscription model allowing access to exclusive content from popular creators.
It remains to be seen how well Meta’s paid model will be received. Modern consumers already face ‘subscription fatigue’ from numerous services, including OTT platforms like Netflix and YouTube, AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini, and music streaming services like Melon. Persuading users to pay extra for Instagram, which they currently use for free, will require significantly differentiated or novel features.
Originally written by: Lee Jae-eun
Source: The Chosun Daily
Published on: 1 April 2026
Link to original article: Meta Tests Paid Instagram Plus for AI Funds
