Facebook and Instagram to Offer Subscription for No Ads in the UK

Over the coming weeks, in response to recent UK regulatory guidance and following extensive engagement with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), we will introduce Subscription for no ads in the UK. This will give people based in the UK the choice between continuing to use Facebook and Instagram for free with personalised ads, or subscribing to stop seeing ads. 

Here’s what this means for people based in the UK:

• We will notify UK users over the age of 18 that they have the choice to subscribe to Facebook and Instagram for a fee to use these services without seeing ads. The notification will be dismissible at first allowing existing users time to consider their options before a decision is required.
• To address guidance on consent and pay models from the ICO, Meta has set the Subscription for no ads cost at £2.99/month on the web or £3.99/month on iOS and Android, for the first Meta account. It is more expensive to subscribe on iOS and Android because of the fees that Apple and Google charge through their respective purchasing policies. 
• Regardless of where you purchase, a decision to subscribe to see no ads will apply to all Facebook and Instagram accounts that a person has decided to add to Meta Accounts Center.
• A reduced, additional fee of £2/month on the web or £3/month on iOS and Android will automatically apply for each additional account listed in a user’s Account Center. 
• Our social media services are personalised, but when someone subscribes, their personal data will not be used to show them ads. 

What if a user chooses not to subscribe?

Those who choose to use our services for free, will continue to see ads on our platforms and will still be able to use all of the tools and settings that empower people to control their ads experience. These include Ad Preferences, which offers a range of controls that enable people to influence the ads they see, as well as the data used to inform these ads, such as Activity Information from Ad Partners. We also have tools in our products that explain “Why am I seeing this ad?” and how people can manage their ad experience.  We do not sell personal data to advertisers.

Why are we doing this?

We’re making this change in response to recent regulatory guidance from the ICO. It will give people in the UK a clear choice about whether their data is used for personalised advertising, while preserving the free access and value that the ads-supported internet creates for people, businesses and platforms. Subscriptions, as an alternative to seeing personalised advertising, is a well-established and economically viable business model spanning many industries, from news publishing and gaming to music and entertainment. Having discussed with the ICO, Meta will offer Subscription for no ads at a price that is one of the lowest in the market.

We welcome the constructive approach the ICO has taken in our ongoing engagement. This approach and outcome sets the UK apart from the EU, where we have been engaged in similar discussions with regulators. EU regulators continue to overreach by requiring us to provide a less personalised ads experience that goes beyond what the law requires, creating a worse experience for users and businesses. In contrast, the UK’s more pro-growth and pro-innovation regulatory environment allows for a clearer choice for users, while ensuring our personalised advertising tools can continue to be engines of growth and productivity for companies up and down the country. In 2024 alone, Meta’s advertising technologies were linked to £65 billion in economic activity and over 357,000 jobs in the UK. 

Personalised ads are the best experience for people and businesses

We continue to believe in an ad-supported internet, which ensures free access to personalised products and services for all. 

Personalised ads help people discover relevant, new products and services while allowing British businesses to reach the customers most likely to be interested in what they offer. Studies show that personalised ads boost revenue for the companies that show ads on our platforms. Every pound spent on our ads drives on average £3.82 in revenues for those UK businesses choosing to advertise. UK advertisers will be able to continue running personalised advertising campaigns in the UK to reach those who choose to continue to receive a free, ad-supported online service.

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