Following a recent rollout of a $1 feature test in New Zealand and the Philippines aimed at reducing bot activity, Elon Musk led platform X (formerly Twitter), unveiled new tiered subscription plans on Friday via a tweet. The specific timeline for the launch of these new plans remains undisclosed; however, Musk affirmed that the rollout is on the horizon.
The announcement outlines two new subscription tiers – one being a more affordable option while the other is priced higher. Musk clarified that the lower-priced plan would not experience a reduction in ads, contrasting with the premium tier which pledges an ad-free interface for its subscribers.
This initiative matches with a previous Bloomberg report that disclosed a meeting between X’s CEO Linda Yaccarino and lenders to explore the restructuring of the X Premium subscription model into Basic, Standard, and Plus tiers.
It is speculated that Musk’s announcement pertains to the Basic and Plus plans, relegating the current plan to a Standard tier. Musk revealed that only Plus subscribers would be privy to an ad-free X, with Basic and Standard subscribers witnessing fewer ads compared to non-subscribers.
However, several details concerning these new plans remain ambiguous, including their availability in India and whether they will be accessible on both mobile and web apps. Historically, X has offered its Premium plans at a lower price point on web/desktop as compared to mobile platforms.
As it stands, the pricing for X Premium in India is Rs 6,800 annually and Rs 650 monthly for the desktop app, whereas the mobile app subscription is priced at Rs 9,400 annually and Rs 900 monthly.
The existing benefits under these plans includes prioritised rankings in conversations and search, advanced text formatting options, capability for longer video posts, support for 1080p video uploads, a popular edit feature, bookmark folder creation, and early access to forthcoming features.
Although the present plans do not provide an ad-free platform, they assure subscribers of “twice as many posts between ads” in the For You and Following timelines.
