Meta launches paid plans across its apps

Meta has started rolling out paid subscription plans for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp as it looks for new ways to cover its massive AI spending.

The company said Facebook Plus and Instagram Plus will cost $3.99 per month, while WhatsApp Plus will cost $2.99 per month Meta also introduced paid plans for its AI chatbot, Meta AI, with prices starting at $7.99 for the basic tier and $19.99 for the premium version.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Meta could enter the cloud computing business if it builds more AI data center capacity than needed. He said many companies already want to buy Meta’s computing power and AI services.

Meta plans to spend up to $145 billion this year on AI data centers and chips. Last week, the company cut 10% of its workforce of 78,000 to help manage rising costs.

The new subscriptions will offer extra features for users, creators, and businesses. Meta said its AI chatbot will remain free, but paid users will get higher usage limits and advanced tools for image and video generation.