Meta has launched its new Meta One subscription service in India, which provides paid features on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Meta AI under a broader subscription service ecosystem.
The plans will be targeting individual users with heavy use of AI tools, creators and businesses, with India pricing for a monthly subscription of Rs 79. Meta says that all the usual experiences will remain the same in the apps and Meta AI is free, and subscribers will get bigger AI features and professional tools.
The launch will bring together more than 50 features from Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Meta AI. Meta is also going to expand the subscription service to Edits and its AI glasses in the future and it should be available for all. The company said that its rollout is global and that the plans, pricing, features and availability of the service depend on the region, account and app.
For Indian users, the entry-level options are individual app subscriptions. WhatsApp Plus is priced at Rs 79 per month while Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus are priced at Rs 99 per month. These subscriptions are aimed at users who want to get more customisation and expression features without committing to one of the larger Meta One bundles.
Instagram Plus adds features like custom fonts for direct messages and Stories, notifications when selected people view a Story and previews for direct messages. These touches are to help subscribers to have a more powerful voice and control over how their Instagram is customized.
WhatsApp Plus, in particular, is more focused on personalisation and organisation. Subscribers get additional themes and icons, special-effect stickers and the ability to pin more chats. Meta will also test chat and media backup storage and Focus Schedules as well, which could be some ways for users to manage their WhatsApp experience.
Facebook Plus also adds customisation-oriented features, including custom app icons and more reaction options. Meta's official announcement also mentions more Reels insights and more personalisation features as part of its Facebook subscription offering.
Meta One Core and Premium offer more comprehensive packages for users that are interested in artificial intelligence. Meta One Core costs Rs 549 per month in India and Premium is Rs 1,950 per month. They combine features of some individual Instagram Plus, WhatsApp Plus and Facebook Plus subscriptions with Meta's AI-based tools.
The Core tier is meant for users who want to make more content using Meta AI. It offers more access to image and video generation, as well as Instagram's Restyle feature and voice effects. Premium provides a higher level of access, allowing users more room to use Meta's AI tools across the company's family of applications.
Meta has stressed that paying for Meta One doesn’t have to be a requirement to use its everyday AI service. Meta AI will be free for use in everyday situations, and the paid plans are for people who have a higher usage limit and are creative enough to do creative work. This distinction will mean users can continue to use the core AI experience without subscribing.
Meta is also targeting professional users with separate creator and business plans. The Essential tier starts at Rs 639 per month in India. It features a more complete profile, automatic follow invitations, Meta Business Agent and verification features. All of this is meant to help creators and businesses manage their presence and interact with audiences more effectively.
The Advanced plan starts at Rs 2,099 per month and includes features for more established creators and businesses. These include Story scheduling, links in organic posts and Reels, exportable analytics, deeper audience insights and the ability to provide team members with account access without sharing a password. The plan also offers additional business-focused tools and greater access to Meta Business Agent.
At the higher level, Meta One's Expert plan starts at Rs 6,399 per month and the Max plan starts at Rs 20,990 per month in India. These are the two levels to be used if users and teams want to have higher feature limits and Meta Business Agent capacity.
Meta is developing Edits Plus in the subscription space. The service will offer more cloud storage for projects and in the future an Edits assistant that can analyze Instagram and provide content ideas. Meta has said its subscription will keep growing and more products and experiences will be available.
The launch is one aspect of Meta’s broader strategy to monetise its social media ecosystem. Rather than restricting core services behind a paywall, the company is offering free access but also offering optional paid versions of its services for people to customize it, AI and professional tools.
From the Rs 79 WhatsApp Plus plan to the high-priced business and AI-focused tiers for Indian users, and so on, the pricing structure offers various entry points. With more than 50 features already available in the global rollout and more of those to be added to Meta One, Meta One is positioned as a new subscription model for the world’s most popular social platforms.
