Meta Deepens AI Monetisation Drive With New Subscription Plans

Meta Platforms has expanded its subscription business with new plans targeting artificial intelligence (AI) users, creators and businesses, as the technology giant intensifies efforts to monetise its growing investment in AI. The new service, branded Meta One, offers subscribers expanded access to AI-powered tools and premium features across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, including image and video generation, AI-powered editing and other creative functions. The move represents a significant shift in Meta’s strategy as the company seeks to turn its heavy investment in AI into a new revenue stream, beyond its traditional advertising business. Under the new consumer offering, Meta has introduced Core and Premium at $7.99 per month and $19.99 per month. Both plans include features available through Facebook Plus, Instagram Plus and WhatsApp Plus, while the major distinction is the level of AI access provided to subscribers. Subscribers will have increased access to Meta’s Muse Image and Muse Video tools for generating pictures and videos, as well as the AI-powered Restyle feature on Instagram and other voice and creative tools.

However, for creators and businesses, Meta has introduced four additional tiers — Essential, Advanced, Expert and Max ranging from $14.99 to $499 per month. The company said pricing, benefits and availability could vary depending on the region, application and user account.

The business-focused plans are designed to provide enhanced tools for managing online operations, including expanded access to Meta Business Agent, verified badges, impersonation detection, audience insights, analytics and additional tools for managing content and customer engagement. The Advanced plan also provides features such as scheduling stories up to 30 days in advance, links in organic posts and reels, exportable analytics, deeper audience insights and additional account-management capabilities. Meta’s latest move comes after the company began rolling out paid subscription options for its major social media platforms, including Instagram Plus, Facebook Plus and WhatsApp Plus. According to market intelligence firm Appfigures, the earlier subscription rollout has already begun contributing to Meta’s revenue. Instagram’s worldwide daily revenue averaged about $1.2 million in the week of September 9, representing a 475 per cent increase from the previous week, while Facebook’s daily revenue reached about $528,000, up 143 per cent over the same period. The company is now seeking to build on that momentum by placing AI at the centre of its subscription strategy. The latest plans come as Meta continues to pour billions of dollars into AI infrastructure, models and talent, including its reported $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI in 2025. Meta has also continued to develop its Muse AI ecosystem, with the company positioning AI as a core component of its future products and services. Industry analysts see subscriptions as a potentially important source of additional revenue for Meta as the cost of developing and running advanced AI systems continues to rise. BNP Paribas has estimated that Meta’s subscription strategy could generate an additional $13.5 billion in revenue by 2028, while Truist has projected as much as $20 billion by 2030. Meta, however, is not abandoning its free services, as the company continues to make its core social networking and AI services available without subscription, while positioning the paid tiers as a way for users requiring greater AI capacity and additional features to access them. The company also plans to expand Meta One with Edits Plus, which will offer additional cloud storage and increased access to the AI assistant within its content-creation application. The development underscores the growing commercialisation of generative AI, as major technology companies increasingly seek to move beyond advertising and conventional software subscriptions to charge users directly for access to advanced AI capabilities.