David Bridges
Highlights
- Subscription Cost: Users in the UK can subscribe for an ad-free experience on Facebook and Instagram for £3 per month on the web or £4 on mobile apps.
- Account Benefits: Subscriptions will also apply to additional accounts linked through Meta’s Accounts Center for a reduced fee.
- Regulatory Response: This change comes as a response to new regulations from the Information Commissioner’s Office regarding user consent and data privacy.
- Revenue Impact: Digital advertising made up approximately 97 percent of Meta’s revenue in 2024, highlighting the importance of ads to their business model.
Facebook and Instagram users in the UK will soon be offered subscriptions that remove ads. In the coming weeks, those over the age of 18 can pay £3 ($4) per month on the web, or £4 ($5) per month when using Meta’s iOS or Android apps. If you’re wondering why the mobile version is more expensive, Meta blames that on fees levied by Apple and Google in their respective app stores.
A no-ads subscription will apply to any Facebook and Instagram account added to a user’s Accounts Center, which is what Meta uses to let users connect various Meta logins on its different platforms. Any additional account listed in a user’s Accounts Center will automatically gain their own subscription for an extra £2 ($3) per month on the web or £3 ($4) per month for iOS and Android. Anyone who chooses to decline Meta’s offer will continue to see ads on its free platforms as normal, and can still use Ad Preferences to choose which ads they would prefer to see more or less of.
Meta explains the change as a response to new regulatory “consent or pay” guidelines from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), whereby users are given the choice between consenting to an organization using their data to personalize ads, or paying to avoid it. Meta previously introduced a similar change for its EU users, offering an ad-free subscription option for €10 ($11), but was challenged by the European Commission for allegedly failing to comply with its stricter Digital Markets Act (DMA) laws. The company later proposed a revised, cheaper, ad-free plan that was still being assessed by the EC earlier this year.
Meta praised the ICO for its “constructive approach” to personalised ads, which it insists provide the best experience for both its users and businesses, and criticised EU regulators for continuing to “overreach” with its privacy regulations. As reported by , digital advertising accounted for around 97 percent of Meta’s revenue in 2024.
Brandon Fletcher
