Meta will let UK users pay a monthly fee to use Facebook and Instagram without adverts, introducing a lower‑priced “consent or pay” model in response to UK data protection guidance.
Users Offered A Choice
Meta has confirmed that UK users will soon be offered a choice, i.e., continue using Facebook and Instagram for free with personalised ads, or pay a monthly subscription to remove them. The subscription will cost £2.99 per month when accessed on the web, or £3.99 per month on iOS and Android. These rates will apply to a user’s first Meta account. If additional Facebook or Instagram accounts are linked via Meta’s Accounts Centre, extra accounts can be added to the subscription for £2 a month (web) or £3 a month (mobile). A dismissible notification will begin appearing to users in the coming weeks, giving adults over 18 time to review and decide.
When?
Meta has not provided an exact date for when the ad-free subscription will go live in the UK, but it has stated that it will begin rolling out “in the coming weeks” as of its official announcement on 26 September 2025.
How The Subscription Model Will Work
Meta (Facebook) says subscribing will essentially remove all ads from Facebook and Instagram feeds, Stories, Reels, and other surfaces. Meta says that subscriber data will no longer be used to deliver personalised advertising and the company has also stated that it is charging a higher price for mobile subscriptions due to Apple and Google’s in‑app transaction fees.
The subscription applies across all accounts linked to a user’s Meta Accounts Centre. This means that users managing both a personal and a business account, or other multiple accounts, can pay one primary fee and then add extra accounts at a reduced monthly rate.
People who choose not to subscribe will continue to see ads, but will retain access to existing tools such as Ad Preferences, activity-based targeting controls, and the “Why am I seeing this ad?” explainer.
Why Meta Is Making This Change
It seems that the subscription model is being launched in direct response to regulatory pressure in the UK. For example, Meta said the approach was developed following “extensive engagement” with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which has recently clarified that online personalised advertising should be treated as a form of direct marketing. Under UK data protection law, users have the right to object to their data being used in this way.
In a high-profile settlement earlier this year, Meta agreed to stop using the personal data of human rights campaigner Tanya O’Carroll for targeted advertising. The ICO publicly supported O’Carroll’s position and urged Meta to offer clearer choices to users over how their data is used. Meta now says the subscription offers a fair and transparent way for people to choose whether to consent to personalised advertising or pay to avoid it entirely.
The UK Regulatory Context
The ICO’s interpretation of data rights has shaped the new model. For example, its March 2025 statement emphasised that organisations must give people a way to opt out of their personal data being used for direct marketing, including targeted online ads. Following its settlement with Meta, the ICO confirmed that the company had significantly reduced the originally proposed subscription price and welcomed the introduction of the new model as an example of compliance with UK data protection obligations.
It should also be noted that the UK pricing tier is substantially lower than the EU equivalent, where Meta had introduced a similar subscription model in 2023 priced at around €9.99 per month. That model attracted regulatory criticism, fines, and calls for more privacy-friendly alternatives.
The European Backdrop
In April 2024, the European Data Protection Board published an opinion stating that “consent or pay” models must not pressure people into accepting data use. In their view, consent must be freely given and fully informed, and platforms like Facebook must offer real alternatives rather than a binary choice. Regulators have argued that due to Meta’s market dominance, users may feel they have no realistic option but to accept personal data tracking or start paying to keep using services that are widely embedded in social and professional life.
In April 2025, Meta was fined €200 million by the European Commission under the Digital Markets Act for failing to provide a compliant version of its subscription model across the EU. Meta is appealing the decision but has framed the UK rollout as an example of how “pro-innovation” regulatory engagement can lead to workable outcomes.
What It Means For Everyday Users
For individual users in the UK, the subscription appears to create a direct trade-off between privacy and cost. For example, those who do not want to see ads can now remove them for a relatively low monthly fee, particularly when compared to the higher pricing seen in Europe. The pricing structure may also appeal to users who manage multiple accounts, as they can cover all of them under one bundled subscription.
People who continue using the free tier will still see ads, but Meta says they will remain in control of how their data is used to shape ad experiences. Existing privacy tools will remain available, including options to turn off activity-based ad targeting and to manage interests and advertiser interactions.
And For Business Users?
UK business users who rely on Facebook and Instagram for customer engagement, lead generation, or ecommerce should not see significant disruption. The free tier remains intact, and most users are expected to continue using the platform without subscribing, at least initially.
However, business users who also use Facebook and Instagram for personal reasons may choose to pay for the ad-free experience. This could help reduce distraction, but it also raises questions for businesses managing multiple accounts. Meta’s Account Centre lets users link multiple profiles, but additional accounts incur a fee, potentially adding monthly costs for businesses using more than one profile across different functions.
Advertisers
The launch of the subscription model essentially introduces a new form of audience segmentation. People who pay for the ad-free experience will not be shown any ads and will also be excluded from data processing for advertising purposes. This means they will not be available for targeting, retargeting, or inclusion in lookalike audience models.
In practical terms, this could result in slightly smaller campaign reach, reduced effectiveness of retargeting strategies, and less data for ad performance optimisation. However, the actual impact will depend on how many people choose to subscribe. Meta has positioned the new subscription as a supplement rather than a replacement for its ad business, which continues to power most of its revenue and remains core to its UK economic contribution.
Competitors
The move follows broader industry trends, with other major platforms already offering ad-free tiers. For example, YouTube Premium removes all adverts across videos and music and charges more than Meta’s proposed rate. X (formerly Twitter) offers a Premium Plus plan to remove almost all ads, and Snapchat has experimented with removing ads from key surfaces in its Platinum plan.
Meta’s UK pricing is among the lowest, undercutting most other ad-free subscription options. This may give the company a competitive edge with privacy-conscious users and could create pressure on rivals to adjust pricing or introduce similar models.
A Compliance Measure … And An Opportunity
Meta has positioned the change as a regulatory compliance measure, but it also presents an opportunity to test new revenue streams and reduce legal exposure. By charging a relatively low price and tying it to UK-specific guidance, the company is attempting to avoid further fines and litigation while learning how users respond to a consent-based subscription model.
The pricing structure reflects wider industry dynamics, including the growing cost of mobile transactions and the limitations placed on data processing by new data laws. Meta has also used the announcement to promote the economic value of its advertising tools, saying its platforms supported over 357,000 jobs and £65 billion in UK economic activity in 2024 alone.
Others Who Will Be Watching Closely
Those likely to be most affected by or involved in the rollout include regulators, privacy campaigners, advertisers, and everyday users of the platforms. The ICO is expected to monitor how the subscription model works in practice and whether it meets legal standards for free and informed consent. Privacy groups may also be looking for evidence that Meta genuinely stops using subscriber data for advertising. Advertisers will be watching for any impact on campaign performance, particularly around reach and targeting. Rival platforms in the UK and beyond may also be studying how effectively Meta manages the balance between regulation, user experience, and revenue.
Concerns
Privacy experts have already raised some concerns that the model places a price tag on privacy, forcing people to pay to prevent their data being used for tracking and targeting. Critics argue that data protection rights should not depend on a person’s ability to pay. The ICO’s current position is that the subscription represents a valid approach to consent, but some legal observers suggest further scrutiny may follow if complaints emerge about how the choice is presented or how data is processed.
Campaigners also point out that a paid subscription will not necessarily solve deeper issues with surveillance advertising, including the scale of data collection and the risks it poses to vulnerable users. Others have noted that people in low-income groups, young users, and those with limited digital literacy may be less able to make informed decisions or afford the subscription, reinforcing digital inequality.
What Does This Mean For Your Business?
Meta’s new ad-free subscription introduces a clearer line between paid privacy and free access, but it also raises significant questions about fairness, regulation, and business impact. For UK businesses, the ability to continue reaching a large audience on Facebook and Instagram remains largely unchanged in the short term. However, if a growing number of users pay to avoid ads, the addressable audience for paid campaigns may begin to shrink, thereby making it harder for small firms to rely on low-cost, highly targeted advertising. Meta’s economic contribution to UK advertising is significant, but maintaining that value depends on how many users continue opting into the ad-supported model.
The low UK price point is likely to encourage adoption compared to similar schemes in the EU, and it gives Meta a way to meet regulatory demands without heavily disrupting its business model. It also gives other tech firms a benchmark for what regulators might accept in similar contexts. For regulators and privacy advocates, the coming months will be a test of whether offering a paid alternative is enough to uphold the principle of free and informed consent.
For users, the offer may feel fairer than being given no choice at all, but the framing still forces a trade-off that not everyone will find acceptable. For competitors, the low pricing could trigger reassessments of their own ad-free offerings. For campaigners, the subscription will not address wider concerns about surveillance-based business models, and for Meta, the rollout could either become a blueprint for future compliance or a flashpoint if uptake leads to new scrutiny.
