Instagram and Facebook get ad-free subscriptions in the EU, but they’re pricey
Starting in November, Meta will offer Facebook and Instagram users in the EU, EEA, (European Economic Area) and Switzerland the option to remove all ads from the platforms via a new subscription.
There will be two different prices available at launch depending on where you purchase a subscription. People pay €9.99 per month on desktop, while on mobile the price tag increases to €12.99 per month. The higher costs for smartphones presumably take into account all the ‘fees Apple and Google charge’ to developers through their respective app stores. according to the announcement. The company further says that it will not collect or use information from a subscribed account for targeted advertising. There is one small catch: users must be at least 18 years old. Otherwise they cannot afford the plan.
One subscription covers all linked profiles of a person Account Center until March 1, 2024. After that date, Meta will begin charging “for each additional account.” Desktop plans will see an increase of $6, while mobile plans will see an increase of $8. If you do the math, you end up with an annual cost of about $240 per year for an ad-free experience on one profile.
Astronomically high price tag
The pricing is a big concern for us because if we calculate it correctly, the final costs will be astronomically high. Think about it.
Let’s say you have a Facebook and Instagram account and want an ad-free experience on both desktop and mobile. From what we understand, you’ll need to purchase four separate plans to cover all your bases on the two devices. A subscription after March 1 costs approximately €20. So every year, a European user may have to pay almost €1,000 to remove all ads on desktop and mobile – assuming they only have one of each. Please note: the costs increase for each additional profile. Please note that these numbers are not exact. We round up, but are not far off from actual prices.
We’ve reached out to Meta for clarification on pricing. The wording of the announcement was a bit confusing. We also asked if there are any plans to expand the subscription service to other countries, namely the US and the UK. This story will be updated at a later date.
Forced to comply
The company explains that it is launching the service as a way “to comply with evolving European regulations.” In recent years, Meta has received a lot of criticism from the EU over the way the conglomerate handles user data. It has gotten to the point where the Union has passed the Digital Services Act “prohibiting certain manipulative advertising practices” and fined Meta $1.3 billion.
Apparently, government regulators have ordered the company to offer people a way to opt out of the online ad bombardment. Meta claims that the CJEU (Court of Justice of the European Union) recognizes the subscription model as a “valid form of consent”. It’s good to see that the company is offering a way to skip the ads permanently.
Unfortunately, it makes the whole process painful for people’s pockets.
If you’re looking for a free way to surf the web uninterrupted, check out TechRadar’s list of the best ad blockers for 2023.