New blow for users of X (formerly Twitter): the platform has just announced a significant increase in the prices of its Premium+ subscription, its most comprehensive offer. This increase, which can reach up to 37.5% in certain regions, comes barely two years after the purchase of the social network by Elon Musk.
A variable price increase depending on the region
In France and the European Union, the Premium+ subscription increases from €19.36 to €21 per month, while the annual offer increases to €219 compared to €203.28 previously. Note that in certain other EU countries, the subscription previously cost €16. The United States saw a more marked increase with a monthly rate going from $16 to $22 (+37.5%) and an annual plan at $229 compared to $168 previously. In Canada, you will have to pay 29 CAD per month compared to 20 CAD before the increase. Prices are always expressed excluding taxes, and must be added according to local laws (20% VAT in France for example).
Some markets are being hit even harder. In Nigeria, for example, users are seeing the monthly price jump from ₦7,300 to ₦34,000, a dramatic increase. Turkey is not spared with a price which increases from ₺300 to ₺770. These significant price differences could be a strategy to prevent users from circumventing prices via VPNs.
The justifications for X and the impact on users
The platform justifies this price revision by several improvements to the Premium+ service. Among the main arguments put forward are:
- A completely ad-free experience
- Access to new features like the Radar tool for tracking trends
- Better support for content creators via a redesigned monetization program
It is not officially said, but for X it is also a question of monetizing its platform which has lost a lot of advertising revenue recently. It is also necessary to finance the provision of Grok to all users. In a way, it is the few paying subscribers who finance the entire platform, a classic freemium model.
Good news, however: current subscribers will keep their prices until January 20, 2025. For Apple users, who often access X via the App Store, this increase is in addition to the commissions already charged by Apple on in-app purchases . The basic subscription remains accessible at €3 excluding taxes per month, which could push some Premium+ users to revise their formula downwards.
This bold pricing strategy comes as X seeks to diversify its sources of revenue and make the platform profitable since its purchase by Elon Musk. It remains to be seen whether users, particularly on iOS where X remains one of the most popular applications, will consider these new features interesting enough to justify such an increase.
