Instagram Plus may tempt creators, but WhatsApp Plus is an easier skip

Meta rolls out paid featrues for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp users worldwide

By Sudhanshu Kumar Mangalam Published May 28, 2026 5:34 PM

Instagram — Unsplash

Meta seems convinced that some users will pay a few dollars a month for extra controls, customization, and visibility inside its biggest apps. After initially testing these subscriptions with limited groups of users, the company is now expanding the idea globally across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.

Meta’s Plus plans are going global

The plans are priced separately, with Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus costing $3.99 per month, while WhatsApp Plus is a little cheaper at $2.99 per month. The good news is that the free versions of these apps are not going away. Regular posting, messaging, calling, and scrolling still work without a subscription.

Instagram Plus is mostly for people who post Stories often and want more control over them. Paying users can see the total number of Story rewatches, create more audience lists beyond Close Friends, keep Stories live for longer (beyond 24 hours), and spotlight one Story each week so it gets more visibility. They can also search through Story viewers, watch someone else’s Story without showing up in the viewer list, and post to their profile or highlights without sending that post into followers’ feeds.

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There are also some cosmetic extras, including custom app icons, profile bio fonts, animated Super Heart reactions, and more profile pins. Facebook Plus follows a similar path, with extra social and personalization tools for users who want more control over how they appear on the platform.

WhatsApp Plus is still easy to skip

WhatsApp Plus is more about making the app feel personal than adding anything essential. For $2.99 per month, users can send premium stickers with special effects, choose unique app themes and icons, pin up to 20 chats, and set premium ringtones for important contacts.

The list customization feature is probably the only WhatsApp Plus perk that stands out. Subscribers can create separate lists for work, family, friends, or groups, and assign each one its own alert tone, ringtone, and theme. For anyone who gets flooded with messages throughout the day, that could actually be useful. You could tell whether a work message, family update, or casual chat just came in simply from the sound.

That said, whether a custom tone is enough to justify $2.99 a month is another question. Instagram Plus at least has a clearer audience in creators trying to grow their audience. WhatsApp Plus, for now, looks much easier to skip.

Sudhanshu Kumar Mangalam

Contributor

I’ve got about 4 years of experience, mostly covering gaming, PC hardware, and smartphones. In my free time, I like…

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