Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced a steep price hike for its Premium+ subscription, marking the most significant increase since Musk acquired the platform in 2022.
The ad-free tier will now cost U.S. users $22 per month, up 37.5% from the previous $16. Annual subscriptions have also risen substantially, jumping from $168 to $229. The changes take effect on December 21, with existing subscribers grandfathered into current rates until January 20.
International users are not spared from the increases. In the European Union, monthly rates will rise from €16 to €21, while Canadian users will see a jump from $20 to $29. Some regions face even steeper adjustments: in Nigeria, the price will surge from ₦7,300 to ₦34,000 monthly, and in Turkey, from ₺300 to ₺770.
X attributes the price hike to enhancements in the Premium+ experience. The platform claims that the subscription now offers a completely ad-free experience, extending to all areas of the platform. Additional perks include higher priority support, access to advanced features like the Radar search tool, and increased limits on its Grok AI models. X has also pledged to share more subscription revenue with creators.
Premium+ was introduced in October 2023, initially offering an ad-free experience for “For You” and “Following” timelines. However, ads continued to appear in other areas like replies and Explore, drawing user criticism. Updates in August 2024 aimed to address these issues, and X now claims that even occasional branded content will be eliminated.
The platform’s pricing adjustments come amid challenging times. X reportedly lost 2.7 million active users over the past two months, while competitors like Bluesky have gained traction. The increase in subscription prices could be an attempt to offset losses in advertising revenue following this decline in user activity.
Despite the changes, the cost of X’s basic subscription tier remains at $3 per month.
