Meta Launches $10 Monthly Ad-Free Plan For Facebook and Instagram in EU
Meta has announced that it will offer an ad-free subscription option for Facebook and Instagram users in the European Union (EU) — that will cost from $11 (9.99 Euros) per month.
In a blog post on Monday, Meta announced that Instagram and Facebook will launch paid-for subscriptions for people in the EU that will remove most ads from the platforms.
People in the EU, which includes 27 countries, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland, will be able to pay $11 (9.99 Euros) per month to access the ad-free version of Facebook and Instagram on the web.
However, it will cost $14 (12.99 Euros) per month for European users to access the ad-free version of Facebook and Instagram on iOS and Android.
This monthly fee will initially apply across all linked Facebook and Instagram accounts, but Meta will eventually charge extra for linked accounts.
Beginning March 1st, 2024, there will be an additional fee of $6 (6 Euros) on the web or $8 (8 Euros) on iOS and Android that will apply for each of a user’s additional Instagram and Facebook accounts. Meta says that as long as someone remains subscribed to the ad-free plan, their data will not be used for ad targeting on Facebook and Instagram.
The ad-free subscription plan will only be accessible to people aged over 18 at first, with the firm looking into how it can serve ads to young people in the EU without breaking the rules. Meta said that European users can continue to use Facebook’s and Instagram’s services for free while seeing ads that are relevant to them.
“We believe in a free, ad-supported internet — and will continue to offer people free access to our personalized products and services regardless of income,” the company writes in a blog post.
Meta plans to give Facebook and Instagram users in Europe the option of paying for ad-free versions of the social media platforms as a way to comply with the EU’s data privacy rules.
Earlier this year, Meta was fined over $400 million (390 million Euros) for breaking EU data rules around ads. Meta was told it cannot use the so-called “contract” as a legal basis to send users ads based on their online activity — threatening to curb the social media giant’s ability to personalize ads for users without their consent and hurt its major revenue source.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
