Meta launches ad-free paid subscription for Facebook and Instagram in the UK
Meta has introduced an ad-free subscription for Facebook and Instagram users in the United Kingdom, offering a choice between free, ad-supported access or a paid version without ads. The change follows guidance from the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office, which urged platforms to give users clearer options on how their data is used for advertising.
The subscription costs £2.99 per month on the web or £3.99 on iOS and Android, reflecting Apple and Google fees, with each extra account linked through the Meta Accounts Center adding £2 or £3 depending on the platform. One subscription covers both Facebook and Instagram, managed under the same account system.
Users who choose not to subscribe will still see ads but can access controls to manage preferences and understand why certain ads appear.
- Photo Sharing App
- Free • Proprietary
Related news
External links
- Facebook and Instagram to Offer Subscription for No Ads in the UKMeta Newsroom • Official source
- Facebook and Instagram to charge UK users £3.99 a month for ad-free versionthe Guardian
- Meta to launch ad-free Facebook and Instagram subscriptions in UKReuters
- Facebook and Instagram ad-free subscription arrives in the U.K.Neowin
Comments
Oh Meta. Collects data and profiles you. Now they want you to pay them. How disappointing.
And I have to continue waiting and waiting.
It'll take 5 years for it to come to the US, and another 10 years for it to arrive here in Asia.
The company that builds psych profiles of people and tracks them everywhere they go, in order to aid in extorting them, now straight up asks you to pay them every month, while still tracking you everywhere you and aiding in extorting you. They just promise not to harass you themselves, directly. How gangsta.
Oh. I forgot the best option of all. Delete your Facebook account. 🧠
Easy talk.
I'd love for everyone to ditch janky messaging app & move to Telegram, or ditch YouTube & Reddit for better alternatives, but reality meant it's extremely hard to move average non-techie people from one social platform to another.
Already hard enough to convince relatively adventurous friends; now imagine out of the blue, convincing dozens of relatives, friends of friends, grannies, and uncles who doesn't give a damn about technical stuff & is happy with what they have.
Switching from these platforms and apps have nothing to do with “tech-savviness”. It is entirely based on convenience and a growing apathy about the state of the world and the possibility for better. People have been slowly giving up their freedom and democracy in favour of convenience for the last 15-20 years. And when the these platforms hurt them, break the law, etc. all most people do is complain, and most never even consider that there are alternatives.
As a full-time Linux user for the last 4 years, I can tell you that the difference between me and a Windows/Apple user who would never consider alternatives is that I don't like to complain about things I can fix. And I am willing to sacrifice convenience by reading and learning. I have lots of things typed in text files because trying to remember them is impractical, and that is as far as my personal “tech-savviness” goes.
We live in a world full of tech. The excuse, “Not everyone is tech-savvy.” is a copout for laziness stemming from convenience.
I should say entirely based on convenience for most. Older people in their 60s and above actually have an excuse. The latter half of Gen X and younger do not.
Or… Or… Hear me out. Pay $1 a month ($12 a year) to uBlock Origin devs and block ads on all your devices. 👀 Another option is to use a VPN that has built-in ad-block, which would cost about $3-11 for the 4 VPNs that actually work - IVPN, Mullvad, Windscribe, Proton. Of course, VPNs come with the added benefit of resisting geo-blocking and censorship.
Note that the web subscription and the iOS/Android one are the same, subscribing from web or from the apps, remove all ads, on both platforms. But since Apple and Google always take about 30%, it's cheaper on the web. It's cheaper than the 6€/8€ (5.1£/6.8£) in EU.