Blue Checkmark on Facebook and Instagram: Costs, Subscription Models

Rita Deutschbein Managing Editor

February 20, 2023, 1:27 pm | Read time: 4 minutes

Twitter made headlines last year when it announced plans to charge for the blue check mark. Now, Facebook and Instagram are following suit. The new subscription model has already launched in some countries.

A blue check mark on a social media profile confirms its authenticity. Well-known individuals and companies can easily show that the profile belongs to them and is not an account merely copying a famous name. For many users, the blue check mark holds significant value. The platforms are aware of this. While the blue check mark was previously free after verification, Twitter users have had to pay for it since the end of 2022. The Meta group has now adopted the idea and will offer the blue check mark for Facebook and Instagram via subscription.

Overview

Meta Verified – What’s in the Subscription
How to Get the Blue Check Mark on Instagram and Facebook
Subscription Model and Costs
Reactions to Meta Verified

Meta Verified – What’s in the Subscription

On Facebook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new subscription model called Meta Verified. According to the post, the service will launch by the end of February in Australia and New Zealand, with plans to expand to other countries soon, Zuckerberg said.

In its implementation, Meta follows Twitter’s example. For a monthly fee, Facebook and Instagram users can unlock the blue check mark. The target audience includes well-known individuals, artists, or companies that use their accounts for promotion or to earn money. Meta itself describes the check mark as “protection against impersonation by accounts claiming to be you.”

However, the blue check mark not only indicates the authenticity of an account on Facebook or Instagram. It also offers subscribers additional benefits, such as phone customer support for issues and extra protection measures against identity theft.

How to Get the Blue Check Mark on Instagram and Facebook

To obtain a blue check mark on Instagram and Facebook, account holders must verify their identity with an official ID document. Meta wants to ensure that the account truly belongs to the named person and is not using a false identity to gain greater reach.

But this official verification is one of the reasons Meta wants to charge for the blue check mark on Facebook and Instagram. “Verifying official IDs and providing direct customer support for millions or billions of people costs a lot of money. The subscription fees cover this and also determine how many people sign up, so we can ensure quality as we scale,” Zuckerberg said.

Read also: Meta takes action against the growing number of fake German news sites

Social Media What Can the Twitter Alternative “Threads” Do?

Facebook and Instagram are both part of Meta—and are now available by subscription.

Experts on New Meta Strategy Pay or Share Your Data? The Controversial Subscription Model on Facebook and Instagram

Subscription Model and Costs

It is understandable that Meta charges for the blue check mark and the associated extra service. However, the subscription costs are anything but low. Meta essentially distinguishes between two subscription models: one for desktop users and one for mobile users.

Those who opt for the desktop subscription will pay $11.99 per month. The mobile subscription for Android and iOS is even more expensive at $14.99 per month. The price difference is due to the marketing method. Smartphone users must subscribe through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, both of which retain 30 percent of the revenue as a commission. Meta adds this difference to the monthly price.

It is currently unclear whether the Meta Verified subscription can be canceled monthly or must be taken out for a longer period, such as a year. It also remains to be seen when the company will implement the subscription in Europe and Germany and what the costs will be there.

Reactions to Meta Verified

When Twitter’s Blue subscription was introduced, there was a lot of resistance and uproar. Notably, celebrities like author Stephen King criticized the planned fee of nearly $20.

Here you will find content from third-party providers

To interact with or display third-party content, we need your consent.

In order to display embedded content, your consent to the processing of personal data, which can be revoked at any time (via the switch or via “Revoke tracking and cookies” at the bottom of the page), is required. Data may be transferred to third countries such as the USA (Art. 49 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). By switching to “on” you agree. You can find more information here.

Reactions to Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook post are also mixed. “We have to pay for direct access to customer support?” one user complains, pointing out that support for issues has been lacking. Another notes that Meta shouldn’t charge for blocking fraudulent fake accounts. “Fees for security should be a crime. It should be a basic requirement of a company,” another user agrees. The high costs Meta charges are also met with disapproval. “Enough is enough!! I’m going to Twitter, where a JPG with a blue check mark costs only $8 a month,” writes one user.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of TECHBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@techbook.de.