Meta Announces Ad-Free Subscription for Facebook and Instagram Users in Europe

Meta is planning to launch a new ad-free subscription for Facebook and Instagram users in Europe later this month. The ad-free experience will be priced at €9.99/month when it launches later this month, but users who subscribe on mobile will have to pay €12.99/month to compensate for the 30% cut Apple and Google take on in-app subscriptions.

This new ad-free subscription is Meta’s solution to comply with regulatory requirements in Europe regarding how Meta processes data from EU users for advertising purposes. “The option for people to purchase a subscription for no ads balances the requirements of European regulators while giving users choice and allowing Meta to continue serving all people in the EU, EEA and Switzerland,” the company said today.

In practice, Facebook and Instagram users in Europe aged 18 and up will be able to continue browsing the two platforms for free with ads or pay for an ad-free experience on both platforms.
However, users will need to link their Facebook and Instagram accounts in Meta’s Account Center to have the ad-free subscription apply to both accounts. But that will change in March of next year.

“Until March 1, 2024, the initial subscription covers all linked accounts in a user’s Accounts Center. However, beginning March 1, 2024, an additional fee of €6/month on the web and €8/month on iOS and Android will apply for each additional account listed in a user’s Account Center,” the company explained.

For users under 18, a Meta spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that ads will be paused on Facebook and Instagram starting the week of November 6. However, the company said that it will continue to explore how to provide “a useful and responsible ad experience” to these users in Europe.