X introduces an ad-free ‘Premium+’ tier for $16 a month

X is adding two new tiers to its subscription offering, previously known as Twitter Blue. The company is adding a new, $16 per month “Premium+ tier” that eliminates ads in users’ following and “for you” timelines, in addition to the blue checkmark and other existing perks for subscribers. X is also adding a new, lower-cost “basic” tier that costs $3 a month.

The new subscription plans come as X’s advertising business has continued to decline, and the company is increasingly reliant on subscription revenue. X has also recently begun testing a program that requires all new users in some countries to pay $1 per year in order to post and reply to tweets.

In addition to removing ads from users’ timeline, X said in a tweet that Premium+ subscribers would get an even bigger algorithmic boost in replies compared with subscribers paying for the cheaper premium level. Of note, it appears that both new tiers are only available via the web, at least for now, which is likely meant to help the company avoid additional fees associated with Apple and Google’s app stores.

The $3 basic tier appears to be a much more limited set of features compared with Premium and Premium+ and, notably, doesn’t include the blue checkmark or revenue-sharing. Instead, it offers extras like tweets editing, longer posts, the ability to download videos. It also offers a “small reply boost” and encrypted direct messages.

The new tiers come amid new reports about Elon Musk’s ambitious plans for X, one year after his takeover of the social media company. Musk, who has often talked about wanting to create an “everything app” reportedly wants to directly challenge YouTube and LinkedIn, according to a new report in Bloomberg. His exact plans aren't yet clear, but the company has recently teased new video streaming and job posting features on X.

Offering additional subscription services could also tie into Musk’s plans to offer banking and other financial services. (Musk has noted that obtaining users' credit card information is a key first step.) “In the months to come, we will add comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world,” Musk tweeted in July. And, according to reporting from The Verge, Musk told employees this week that he wants X to be able to completely replace bank accounts by the end of 2024.

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