Social media sites are going to charge for what was free — Here’s how much
How many services are you subscribed to between streaming, retail and other platforms? They don’t amount to much alone, but together they could make a significant dent in your bank account every month. Here’s the easiest way to get rid of subscriptions you rarely use.
Many social media sites are adopting subscriptions for services you’re used to getting for free, but there’s one trick to save. Some sites offer cheaper plans if you opt for the web version rather than the app. Here’s how it works.
Twitter Blue
Following Elon Musk’s takeover, Twitter announced changes to its Blue subscription plan that made verified checks available to anyone. There’s also a gold checkmark for business accounts. Did you know about that one?
The verification badge was a fiasco, as people impersonated well-known brands and celebrities, including Musk. Here’s more on what happened. If you sign up for Twitter Blue today, you won’t get your blue checkmark immediately. Your profile will have to meet specific eligibility requirements first.
So what else comes with a Twitter subscription? Here are some highlights:
- Edit tweets: You get 30 minutes to make limited changes to your published tweets.
- Custom app icons: You have the option to change your Twitter icon on your phone.
- Theme: Choose from a list of themes for your Twitter app.
- Top articles: A shortcut to the most-shared articles in your network.
- Reader: It makes longer Tweets easier to read, and you can change the font size.
- Undo tweet: This allows you to retract a tweet after you send it but before it’s visible to others on Twitter.
- Longer video uploads: Twitter Blue subscribers are able to upload videos up to 60 minutes long (web only).
- Longer Tweets: Your character limit goes up from 280 to 4,000.
- SMS two-factor authentication: Add another layer of protection to your account with access to two-factor authentication via SMS. We’re all for more security. Here’s what you need to know about 2FA.
The big ones here are the ability to edit and undo tweets and 2FA. A higher character limit is also nice. But the cosmetic stuff won’t really affect your experience in the long run.
Now here’s the trick. You pay more if you use the app. The web version is cheaper:
- Twitter Blue for iOS and Android costs $11 per month or $114.99 per year.
- Twitter Blue for the web costs $8 per month or $84 per year.
Meta Verified
Last month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta Verified, a subscription bundle for Facebook and Instagram users. Like Twitter, this plan comes with a blue badge, which requires a government ID for verification.
Here are more perks that come with Meta Verified:
- Stickers and stars: You get special stickers to throw around, along with 100 Stars per month on Facebook to send to your favorite content creators.
- Increased visibility: More people will see your posts and comments.
- Account protection: Meta promises that “proactive account monitoring” will protect you from impersonation. We’ll believe it when we see it. Adding a requirement for two-factor authentication will definitely help to secure your account.
- Direct account support: This is a big one. Getting in touch with Meta for issues such as a hacked account is difficult. Hopefully, this solves the problem. And if you’ve ever been banned and don’t know why Meta will finally let you know!
Really, does anyone care about stickers and stars? Meta threw that in there to add some perception of value. The big change comes via 2FA and better customer support.
Meta Verified is currently available in Australia and New Zealand and will launch in other countries soon. It costs $14.99 per month for the app on iOS and Android and $11.99 per month for the web (Facebook only).
Sick of overpaying on Adobe? This free program works just as well!
Reddit premium
“The front page of the internet” offers a subscription plan that gives you the following perks:
- Ad-free browsing: Reddit to your heart’s content without dealing with ads.
- Exclusive avatars: More gear and accessories for your avatar.
- 700 monthly coins: Use these coins to award your favorite posts and comments.
- Members Lounge: You get access to the “exclusive” r/lounge.
- Custom app icons: Change your icon to one that fits you better.
The coins and cosmetic changes don’t amount to much, but an ad-free experience is nice if you’re a major Redditor. As for the Reddit Lounge, the consensus is that it’s nothing special.
Reddit Premium costs $5.99 per month or $49.99 per year. There’s no web discount.
RELATED: Reddit 101: 12 handy subreddits for travel tips, learning, motivation and more.
Snapchat+
Snapchat+ launched last year and has grown to include many features. Here are some highlights:
- BFF: Pin your favorite person as your Best Friend Forever, and only you are able to view this pin.
- Story rewatch indicator: See if anyone has rewatched your stories (if you care for that sort of thing).
- Custom app icons: Choose a unique appearance for your Snapchat app icon.
- Badge: Adds a black star badge to your profile.
- Priority story replies: Your replies to Community Stories are more likely to be seen and responded to.
- Exclusive Bitmoji backgrounds: Do a little interior decorating for your Bitmoji.
- Custom notification sounds: Set custom notification sounds for specific friends or Groups.
- Story boost: Boost your private Snapchat Story for 24 hours and get more views from friends.
- Chatbot: My AI is an experimental chatbot you can ask about anything from how to gift a friend on Snapchat to dinner suggestions.
There’s really nothing here that makes a subscription worth it, unless you’re desperately seeking validation on social media. You can also change your Snapchat aesthetic but really, how long will that thrill last?
The My AI chatbot seems interesting, but you’ll likely get a better experience with ChatGPT. Here’s our primer on the Microsoft-backed AI chatbot.
Snapchat+ goes for $3.99 per month.
Tumblr ad-free
This is a barebones (and welcome) subscription plan: For $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year, you can enjoy Tumblr without ads.
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Tags: accessories, ad-free, features, perks, social media, subscriptions, verification, X (Twitter), X Premium (Twitter Blue)
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