Meta One subscriptions draw user backlash on Threads

Meta Platforms ↘ 2.43% launched Meta One, its expanded paid subscription service, globally on September 15, bundling premium features and higher AI usage across Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Meta AI. The rollout was met almost immediately with a wave of user backlash on Threads, where Instagram head Adam Mosseri's promotional post was flagged with a community note highlighting the company's record profits.

Users Push Back on Paid Features

"Today we're introducing Meta One, a new subscription with more features and more AI across Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Meta AI," Mosseri wrote on Threads. "To be clear, the core experience in our apps stays free. Subscriptions let us build things we otherwise couldn't, like features that are too specialized or too costly to bring to everyone."thenextweb+1

The response was swift. A community note appended to his post read: "Meta brought in $200 billion in 2025. There is no such thing as 'too costly.'" Thousands of users piled on, with one writing, "I know you're desperate to justify having dumped $130 billion into AI but if you really listened you'd realise all we want is to see the posts of people we follow, and to have them see ours, in chronological order."thenationalnews

What Meta One Offers

Meta One plans range from $2.99 a month for single-app subscriptions — Instagram Plus, Facebook Plus, and WhatsApp Plus — to $7.99 and $19.99 a month for individual bundles that add expanded access to Meta's AI tools, including image and video generation powered by its Muse models. Four creator and business tiers run from $14.99 to $499 a month, offering features such as verified badges, story scheduling, exportable analytics, and team account access. Meta said it has launched more than 50 features and counted 15 million subscriptions and trials to date.about.fb+2

BNP Paribas forecasts the subscription push could add $13.5 billion in revenue by 2028, while Truist estimates it could reach $20 billion by 2030, according to TechCrunch.thenextweb

Wall Street Sees Upside

Bank of America ↘ 0.77% reiterated a Buy rating with an $810 price target on Meta, citing the Meta One launch as a catalyst alongside projected savings from custom AI chips. BofA estimates Meta's custom silicon — including chips codenamed Arke and Astrid, both developed with Broadcom ↗ 2.97% — could generate roughly $8.5 billion in cost savings if the company deploys 5 to 6 gigawatts of owned data center capacity in 2027.benzinga+2

The analyst optimism stands in contrast to the public mood. As one Threads user put it: "I honestly thought this was a joke."thenationalnews