I was having some unfettered fun playing with Instagram’s new filters.
Then I got hit with a paywall.
“Upgrade to Meta One Core to apply more AI effects or wait until tomorrow,” a pop-up said on my screen. Curious, I clicked “Upgrade.”
I was given the option for a free trial of Meta One, a new subscription that unlocks a litany of perks. While Meta unveiled its newest subscriptions in May, the program hasn’t yet been widely rolled out in the US. One of my Instagram accounts was part of a test.
If I accepted the monthlong trial, I could edit more photos on the app using Meta’s AI “effects” it rolled out in July.
After dozens of edits tweaking my latest professional headshots to look like they were taken on a disposable camera, or turning iPhone cat photos into higher-quality editorial shots, I wanted more.
I swiftly signed up for the Meta One Core tier, which would renew at $7.99 a month.
The perks range from additional AI usage to unlocking the “plus” versions of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta One subscribers can “preview” people’s stories without actually watching them, use special app icons (like the retro Instagram one), and visually customize Facebook and WhatsApp.
There are also tiers for professional accounts that could appeal to content creators.
“We’re starting with plans that give people who use Meta AI more to work with,” Meta’s head of product, Naomi Gleit, said in a May video. “More capacity, bigger, more complex requests, and more room to create.”
This isn’t Meta’s first attempt to get consumers to pay for a recurring subscription. In 2023, it launched Meta Verified, which charged users a monthly fee to unlock perks like a blue check mark.
Now, Meta wants to paywall premium features like AI. Making people pay for more editing tools, like the Effects Instagram promotes in-app, further pushes Meta up against photo-editing rivals like Adobe’s Photoshop, VSCO, and emerging apps like the influencer-founded startup Tezza.
Filters have always been part of the Instagram experience. It’s why I first joined the app back in 2010. Would I have paid for photo-editing tools back then? No.
If I’m honest, though, some of Meta’s new AI photo editing tools are pretty darn good. And if there weren’t the threat of content being labeled as “Made with AI” on Instagram, maybe I’d even post them.
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