Daniel Mercer
Daniel Starks serves as the communications manager for Greenville, Texas, a city with a population of approximately 35,000 residents. He is responsible for managing nearly a dozen Facebook pages maintained by the city. Recently, the library’s Facebook page received a notification stating it could only post a maximum of two links each month.
The message stated, “You can add links to 2 posts per month, and you’ve used them all.” To share additional links, the page would need to subscribe to Meta One, with costs starting at $50 per month.
Starks represents a growing number of individuals experiencing Meta’s ongoing trial of charging creators, businesses, and professionals for link sharing on Facebook. Meta claims this test, part of its strategy to promote subscription sales, should not impact pages affiliated with nonprofits or government bodies. nonprofit leaders who spoke with Engadget disagree. They have all been classified as nonprofits and have been approved to use Meta’s fundraising tools, which require a separate verification process. Many are reassessing their strategies for utilizing the platform.
“More than half of what we do as a city involves linking back to our website,” Starks explained to Engadget. “It’s concerning because we are uncertain about how to adapt.” Fearing that other city pages might soon face similar restrictions, Starks instructed his team to cease posting links on Facebook entirely. He created a graphic to inform the city’s Facebook followers that relevant URLs would now be included in the comments section instead. He expressed frustration over the changes, which Meta asserts should not apply to government-run pages. The library’s page is categorized as a government entity, and its account was previously verified by Meta.
“When an official government entity attempts to disseminate crucial information and is blocked by Facebook due to link posting restrictions, that’s a significant issue,” he remarked.
Nonprofit organizations are also feeling the impact of these new restrictions. Bethany English serves as co-president of a small nonprofit that organizes pet food pantries in Indianapolis. Last week, she attempted to create a Facebook post regarding an event her organization was participating in, only to discover she could no longer include a link to her nonprofit’s website as she had exhausted her two links for the month.
Similar to Starks, her only alternative was to subscribe to Meta One. The “expert” level plan, which allows for up to 20 links each month, costs $150 per month.
English states that social media has been “incredibly important” for her organization, the East Side Pawject, which she co-founded last year. The Facebook page, boasting just under 1,000 followers, helps individuals locate pet food pantries and learn where to donate. Posts on Facebook also guide those interested in volunteering or contributing to fundraisers towards the organization’s website. justifying a $150 monthly fee for the ability to regularly share links is challenging for English. “We’re a very small nonprofit, aiming to achieve significant impact, but it’s tough when something as fundamental as social media incurs such a high cost,” she shared with Engadget.
She is already considering potential alternatives, such as creating more dedicated Facebook events instead of organic posts. she has thought about asking board members of the nonprofit to share links in comments from their personal profiles, which remain exempt from Meta’s restrictions. “I don’t have a clear solution,” she admits. “I understand that the long-term consequences will be significant if we can’t use the platform as we have previously.”
In a statement, a Meta spokesperson did not address the reasons behind the restrictions on link sharing for nonprofits. “We are testing whether link sharing on Facebook should be included as part of the Meta One subscription,” the spokesperson stated. “We will continue to refine the experience based on feedback and insights we gather.”
Meta has been evaluating paid link sharing for almost a year. Initially incorporated into Meta Verified subscriptions, it now promotes link-sharing as a key advantage of its new AI-focused Meta One plans. The most affordable plan at $14.99 per month does not provide additional link-sharing privileges on Facebook, although subscribers can add a dedicated link page to their Instagram bio. The $49.99 monthly plan allows for eight links on Facebook, while the $149.99 monthly tier permits 20 links. Only the premium plan at $499.99 per month offers “unlimited” links on Facebook.
“Fifty dollars for just eight links a month is outrageous,” stated Jeff Bannister, marketing manager for a small nonprofit called SparkPoint in North Carolina. “That seems unreasonable for any corporation or small business,” he told Engadget. “The return on investment appears almost negative.”
SparkPoint, which focuses on public health and fostering social connections in Transylvania County, recently faced Facebook’s restrictions on link sharing. Bannister is now exploring collaborative strategies with other local nonprofits to share information mutually, hoping to reduce reliance on Facebook. “A significant portion of the county’s population still uses Facebook, so transitioning away from it and reaching our audience isn’t straightforward,” he explained.
Almost everyone interviewed by Engadget expressed confusion regarding Meta’s new regulations. Some reported they could still post links in the comments of their posts, while others could not. Meta’s descriptions of its plans and information in its help center do not clarify whether the link restriction is a test. The company has stated that its Meta One plans are designed to “unlock more specialized capabilities” and AI features, yet adding URLs to a Facebook post is one of the platform’s oldest functionalities that does not require AI tokens. Many perceive the connection between this basic feature and Meta’s AI subscriptions as a cash grab.
“Having a limit of only two links per month for a nonprofit organization to raise awareness, gather support, recruit volunteers, and more is quite constraining,” commented David Diskin, president of California Freethought Day, which organizes an annual event in Sacramento to promote civic engagement. Diskin was informed of the link-sharing limitation earlier this month, just days before the event. He was offered slightly lower rates compared to others Engadget spoke with: $40 per month for eight links, $119 per month for 20 links, or $399 for unlimited.
This week, the restriction was suddenly lifted, allowing him to post links to the California Freethought Day page once more. He received no explanation for the change. While relieved, he remains frustrated with Meta. “The issue was resolved only after our major fundraiser had concluded,” he noted.
Update October 23, 2026, 3:26pm ET: After publication, a Meta spokesperson clarified that pages must select “nonprofit” in the category section of their Facebook page for Meta’s systems to recognize them as such. It remains unclear why the company cannot identify organizations that declare their nonprofit status elsewhere on their pages or those that utilize its fundraising tools.
Brandon Fletcher
