Meta has rolled out paid subscription plans for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp globally, as the American technology giant moves to reduce its dependence on advertising revenue.
Meta’s head of product Naomi Gleit announced the plans in a video posted to Instagram, confirming the launch of Facebook Plus, Instagram Plus and WhatsApp Plus, with more offerings in the pipeline for businesses, creators and artificial intelligence products.
Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus are priced at $3.99 per month, while WhatsApp Plus costs $2.99 per month. For Swazi users, that translates to roughly E75 and E56 per month respectively at current exchange rates, meaning the subscriptions are within reach for many smartphone users in the Kingdom who are already paying for mobile data. 
Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus unlock additional features including better analytics, story rewatch statistics, wider audience reach and profile customisation options. Specifically, Instagram Plus subscribers can see how many people rewatched their Story, create unlimited audience lists beyond the standard Close Friends option, spotlight a story once a week for additional views, extend a story beyond 24 hours, preview a story without appearing as a viewer, and post directly to their profile without showing up on followers’ feeds. There are also Super Heart animated reactions, custom app icons, customisable fonts for profile bios and additional profile pins.
Facebook Plus offers a similar set of features to Instagram Plus.
WhatsApp Plus is focused on personalisation, offering app themes, custom ringtones, additional pinned chats, list customisation and premium stickers. Given that WhatsApp is among the most widely used communication platforms in Eswatini, used by everyone from traders at Manzini Market to government officials, the paid tier could appeal to power users wanting a more tailored experience.
Gleit said Meta intends to eventually bring all its various offerings together under a single brand called Meta One.
The new Plus plans do not replace Meta Verified, which remains focused on verification, impersonation protection and extra support.
Meta is also testing additional subscription tiers for artificial intelligence users. Meta One Plus will be priced at $7.99 per month and Meta One Premium at $19.99 per month, with the Premium tier unlocking deeper reasoning for complex tasks, more video and image generation capabilities, and increased capacity for heavier AI use. The AI plans will begin testing next month, initially in Singapore, Guatemala and Bolivia.
Two professional plans aimed at creators and businesses will also begin tests later this week in markets including Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Thailand and Bangladesh. The Meta One Essential plan at $14.99 per month offers a verified badge, impersonation protection and an enhanced link sheet. The Meta One Advanced plan at $49.99 per month includes all Essential benefits plus the ability to appear higher in Facebook and Instagram search results, be featured in the Facebook feed, receive automatic follow invitations to people who engage with content, and access deeper competitive analytics.
The announcement comes as Meta faces investor scrutiny over its massive artificial intelligence spending, with the company projecting capital expenditure of between $125 billion and $145 billion for the year, largely directed at AI data centres. Meta’s stock rose nearly three percent on the news.
Meta had previously launched ad-free paid versions of Facebook and Instagram in Europe in 2023 to comply with European Union data privacy legislation. Wednesday’s global rollout extends that subscription model far beyond Europe for the first time.
