Meta is reportedly considering the introduction of a paid subscription tier for its AI app, following the model established by competitors such as OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft. During a Q1 2025 earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg highlighted the potential for a “premium service for people who want to unlock more compute or additional functionality” within Meta’s AI offerings.
This week, Meta launched a standalone Meta AI app designed to enhance competition with ChatGPT, allowing users to interact with a chatbot and create images directly through the app. The platform, which Meta claims has garnered close to 1 billion users, was previously accessible only via Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp.
Competitors in the space, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Microsoft’s Copilot, offer paid subscriptions that allow users to access more sophisticated features and compute capabilities. Recently, Meta reported a revenue of $42 billion and announced plans to increase its investment in AI from $65 billion to as much as $72 billion.
Zuckerberg also referred to potential future integrations of “product recommendations or ads” within the Meta AI platform. However, the timeline for implementing ads or the paid subscription remains uncertain, as he stated, “I expect that we’re going to be largely focused on scaling and deepening engagement for at least the next year before we’ll really be ready to start building out the business.”
