These “Plus” plans are an effort by Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, to diversify the way it makes money from users. Meta is also doing what Meta does best with this move: copying the successes of other social media platforms — specifically, Snapchat.
Evan Spiegel’s LinkedIn profile reads, “Loving husband, father of four boys, VP Product @ Meta”. Snap co-founder and CEO Spiegel has never actually worked in Meta, although his social media platform has directly inspired at least some existing features on Instagram. After Instagram launched Stories in 2016, then-CEO Kevin Systrom didn’t mince words about how his platform was sometimes replicating Snapchat features, telling TechCrunch that “they deserve all the credit” for the Stories format.
In 2017, Snap launched a “Maps” tool where users could opt-in and see the exact location of where all their friends were based on when they last opened the app. Instagram launched a similar “Maps” feature just last year, where users could track the location of friends who chose to share their GPS data.
And while IG’s recently launched “Instants” app, with its ephemeral, unfiltered Snaps, is more like the once-popular BeReal than anything else, disappearing photo messages are squarely Snapchat’s main lane.
“As we shared earlier this year, we’re testing and expanding new subscriptions that offer deeper, more advanced ways to use our apps and AI Glasses,” Meta spokeswoman Maria Cubetta says over email. “So far, we’re testing membership features like profile customization, stories insights and Super Reactions to improve the way people express themselves and engage on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.” She says this is the beginning of a larger “Meta One” umbrella of subscription offerings, which will eventually include separate, more expensive tiers for businesses and creators, as well as users who want additional access to Meta AI.
At launch, Instagram Plus will have the hottest extra features, from extra Pins on your profile and unique bio fonts to creating a silent audience for your Story posts and a “Super Heart” reaction button. Facebook Plus will primarily allow you to control and customize your experience with Story posts, like Rewatch Insights. WhatsApp Plus will include more pinned chats, visual customization, and premium stickers.
These subscription plans are just history repeating itself. Snapchat eliminated the $4 per month plan, called Snapchat+, in 2022. It offered users access to exclusive features in the app and expanded it over the years, adding more options as well as AI tools. In February, Snapchat announced that this style of subscription plan helped the company achieve a “$1 billion annual revenue run rate” in direct payments with over 25 million current subscribers worldwide. (Despite the feature being the font of inspiration, all is not well on Snapchat, as the company is struggling to turn a profit.)
So, even under the Plus naming convention, Meta once again seems heavily inspired by Snapchat. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a company that changed its name during the metaverse craze. Following trends is Meta’s methodology. Keep an eye on what Snapchat does next to get a glimpse of what Meta could do in a few years.
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