Just as streaming services are charging people more to bypass ads, Elon Musk is offering Twitter/X users the chance to have an ad-free experience on the social media channel. But it’s going to cost them $16 per month.
The company has rolled out two new subscription tiers for users. Premium+, at $16 per month, will do away with ads and give users the “largest boost for your replies (vs. other Premium tiers or unverified users)” the company said in a post. Subscribers will also get access to the company’s “full site of creator tools”.
The company also announced a $3-per-month service that gives users access to basic Premium features, such as longer posts, editing and the ability to download videos, but does not include the blue check mark or revenue sharing.
Both new tiers are only available, seemingly, via the Web at present, continuing the company’s dispute with Apple and Google over fees.
The ad-free tier comes as Twitter/X has been attempting to rebuild its advertising model. Major brands have been pulling their advertising regularly since Musk’s takeover of the site. Most recently, there was an exodus after companies saw their posts being promoted on a pro-Nazi profile. That came despite CEO Linda Yaccarino’s pledge that company brands would be safe on the platform.
The company has cut prices on ads and leaned into non-traditional categories, such as marijuana ads, to help boost revenue.
Musk, earlier this year, admitted Twitter/X has a “negative cash flow” due to the drop in advertising and its heavy debt load.
These new subscription tiers aren’t the only way the company is looking to boost revenues. Musk has floated the idea of charging new users $1 per year to join the site. And he outlined plans on a call with workers last week to make the site the epicenter of people’s financial world, saying that feature would launch by the end of next year.