Meta introduces paid ad-free option for Facebook and Instagram in the UK

Meta Platforms has announced it will roll out a paid, ad-free subscription option for Facebook and Instagram users in the United Kingdom. The move follows sustained regulatory pressure to give users a clear choice over personalized advertising.

The new subscription, dubbed a "pay or consent" model, will allow users to eliminate targeted advertisements from both platforms for a monthly fee.

Pricing tiers and rollout details

The subscription model will offer two pricing tiers, with notifications set to roll out to UK users over the age of 18 in the coming weeks:

• Web Access: £2.99 per month

• Mobile Apps (iOS/Android): £3.99 per month

Meta attributed the higher cost for mobile users to the service fees charged by Apple and Google through their respective app stores. A single subscription will cover both Facebook and Instagram accounts linked via a user’s Meta Accounts Center.

Importantly, users who choose to subscribe will have their personal data excluded from Meta's personalised advertising systems. Those who opt out of the subscription will continue to use the platforms for free, subject to personalised ads, as they do today.

Regulatory pressure behind the pivot

The introduction of the paid option is a direct response to recent regulatory guidance from the UK's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO has maintained that Meta's previous practice of making personalised ads a default condition for using its services was not in line with UK law.

A spokesperson for the ICO welcomed the change, stating that it "moves Meta away from targeting users with ads as part of the standard terms and conditions for using its Facebook and Instagram services."

The UK model is notably different and cheaper than the one Meta was forced to implement in the European Union (EU). In the EU, Meta faced regulatory pushback that led to the introduction of a more complex model that included a third, free option with "less personalized" ads. By contrast, UK users must now choose between the ad-supported free version or the paid, entirely ad-free version.

The company stated it has engaged extensively with the ICO to ensure the UK model aligns with the nation's regulatory framework, hoping to avoid the significant fines and legal battles it faced in the EU.