Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, is about to roll out a paid subscription in the UK for people who’d prefer to scroll without ads.
Starting soon, users will be given a choice: stick with the free, ad-supported versions of the apps, or pay £2.99 a month on desktop (or £3.99 a month on iOS and Android) to remove ads completely. The higher price on mobile covers the cut taken by Apple and Google on in-app purchases.
The move follows a similar rollout in the EU, where ad-free subscriptions launched earlier this year. Prices there started much higher—around €9.99—but were later reduced to about €5.99. Unlike EU users, however, people in the UK won’t get the option to see “less personalised” ads for free. It’s either ads or a paid subscription.
Meta says this gives people more control over how their data is used, while still keeping free access available to anyone who doesn’t want to pay.
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which regulates data use, welcomed the change. It described Meta’s shift as an “important step” because targeting ads by default was previously out of line with UK data protection law.
This change comes after Meta faced legal challenges in the UK. Earlier this year, Facebook agreed to stop targeting ads at a woman who argued that its system counted as direct marketing under UK law.
Meta points out that its UK subscription is cheaper than what EU users are paying, calling it one of the lowest prices on the market. The ICO also confirmed that Meta lowered its pricing after talks with the regulator.
Still, the difference between the UK and EU models is clear. In Europe, users can avoid tracking without paying by settling for less targeted ads. In the UK, that choice won’t exist—something Meta claims reflects the country’s “more pro-growth and pro-innovation” approach to tech regulation. Photo by Minette Lontsie, Wikimedia commons.