Meta expands subscription push with new AI-focused plans

Sarah Perez at TechCrunch reports Meta One, a subscription with expanded AI usage and premium features across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—including image/video generation and Instagram’s Restyle. The plans help monetize Muse models after Meta’s 2025 $14.3 billion Scale AI investment and Alexandr Wang’s move to lead AI efforts.

Instagram Plus, Facebook Plus ($3.99/mo), and WhatsApp Plus ($2.99/mo) already show Appfigures revenue—Instagram ~$1.2M daily worldwide as of the week of September 9 in the piece’s figures.

Social is learning to charge for AI, not only ads.

We’re watching Meta turn generative features into a second cash register.

Meta One sitting atop Plus tiers says the company thinks some users will pay monthly for Muse-powered creation. That’s rational after a huge Scale AI check. Useful AI on social could mean better creation tools for small creators who aren’t Adobe-fluent.

The harm path: a two-tier creative public square where unpaid users get weaker tools and more ads, while AI spam floods feeds because generation got cheap for subscribers. Also: training and likeness issues if Muse chews through user content without clear controls.

I’m watching take-up of Meta One versus Plus, and whether AI content labeling keeps pace with volume.

Meta announced Meta One on September 15, 2026 alongside WhatsApp Business MCP news. Appfigures figures in TechCrunch are third-party estimates of store revenue.