Meta is rolling out a paid subscription in the UK for Facebook and Instagram users who want to use the platforms without seeing ads. The new option will give people a choice: keep the free ad-supported version, or pay each month for an ad-free experience. According to Meta’s official announcement, the price will be £2.99/month on web and £3.99/month on iOS or Android for the first account.
If you have more than one Meta account, using the Meta Accounts Center, additional accounts cost extra: £2/month on web or £3/month on mobile each. Ad-free subscribers won’t have their personal data used to show ads, though “organic content” (posts from people, brands, etc.) will still appear as usual. Users over 18 will be eligible, and Meta will notify existing users that this choice is available.
This move comes after guidance from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which has pushed Meta to give users more control over how their data is used for advertising. The regulatory pressure has made the “personalised ads or pay” model increasingly common among tech platforms. Meta says it wants to balance privacy with its existing ad-supported model so free users still have the same access and control over their ad settings.
Critics argue the subscription plan forces people to choose between privacy and cost, especially those who don’t want ads but can’t afford the fee. Others say the extra cost on mobile platforms reflects fees from Apple and Google’s app stores, which increase prices when subscriptions go through their platforms.
Supporters view this as a win for privacy and user control, giving people more say over whether they want ads and targeted content. Either way, this is a big shift in how Meta expects people to use its biggest apps in the UK.
If you want, I can check how this pricing compares to other countries, or whether there are plans for a “less personalized ads” option rather than a totally ad-free pay wall.