Facebook and Instagram are rolling out paid subscriptions in the UK that let users ditch ads entirely. Starting in the coming weeks, UK users over 18 can pay £2.99 per month on the web or £3.99 on mobile apps to get an ad-free experience across both platforms. The move comes after months of talks with the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office, which pushed Meta to give users a clear choice about how their data gets used for targeted advertising.

The UK launch sets itself apart from Meta’s messy rollout in the European Union, where regulators continue pushing back on the company’s approach to data collection and advertising. In Europe, Meta faced a €200 million fine this year for failing to offer users a lighter version of targeted ads, but the UK’s more business-friendly regulatory environment has allowed for a cleaner solution.

The subscription covers both platforms automatically. You can’t just pay for ad-free Instagram while keeping Facebook ads. Additional accounts linked through Meta’s Accounts Center will cost an extra £2 per month on the web or £3 on mobile. Meta explains the mobile price bump is due to fees that Apple and Google charge through their app stores.

For those who stick with the free version, nothing changes. Users will continue seeing personalized ads and can still use existing tools like Ad Preferences to control their ad experience. But this development signals a broader shift in how social media platforms handle privacy regulations and user choice.

The timing isn’t coincidental either. This follows Meta’s earlier consideration of ad-free versions in Europe, which we covered when the company first floated the idea back in 2023. The company has been gradually expanding its monetization options beyond traditional advertising, including previous moves to add ads to Messenger.