Meta Now Charges $8 a Month for Instagram and Facebook Perks

Meta — the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — launched a set of monthly subscriptions called Meta One. The cheapest plan for regular people costs $7.99 a month. A premium tier costs $19.99. Both bundle together the paid versions of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, which would cost about $11 if you bought them separately. The apps themselves keep working for free; you're only paying for bonus features, not access.

So what do you actually get? Longer Instagram stories (48 hours instead of the usual 24), a bolder follow button so your name stands out, and more room to use Meta's new AI assistant, called Muse. That means generating more AI images and using AI-powered editing tools like Instagram's Restyle, which reimagines your photos in different looks. If you already pay for one of Meta's apps, bundling could save you a few dollars a month.

There's a second set of plans aimed at creators and small businesses, running from $14.99 to $499 a month. These add a verified blue checkmark, protection against fake accounts impersonating you, higher placement in search results, the ability to schedule stories up to 30 days ahead, links inside regular posts, and analytics you can export. The pricier tiers add more 24/7 AI customer-service replies on WhatsApp and let teammates log into your account without your password.

The catch: free social media is slowly turning into a two-tier system. You won't lose your account, but reach, visibility, and trust signals increasingly sit behind a paywall. For everyday users, the honest question is whether longer stories and extra AI images are worth roughly the price of a streaming service. For creators and small businesses, paying for verification and impersonation protection may start feeling less optional and more like a cost of doing business.