Tech Desk 
Mar 31, 2026
Meta has announced the start of Instagram's paid subscription in select countries, gives subscribers access to exclusive features to improve their platform experience.
American-based tech giant revealed that the paid subscription — called Instagram Plus — provides users the ability to view a story, a photo or video post that disappears after 24 hours, without the poster knowing you viewed it. Subscribers can also see how many people have rewatched their own Stories.
What to expect from Instagram Plus?
Paid Instagram subscribers could create unlimited audience lists for Stories, beyond a Close Friends list, which means that users can customise who see each Story by grouping followers into different lists instead of only having the option to share with everyone or just one limited group.
Subscribers can also extend their Story for an extra 24 hours and choose to spotlight a Story up to once per week, increasing its visibility by bringing it to the front of the Stories tray for followers.
Subscribers can also give an animated “Superlike” on others’ Stories and search their Story viewer list to quickly see if a specific person looked at their Story, instead of having to scroll through the entire list.
Instagram Plus availability
Meta hasn't shared any official detail about which countries will get premium subscription; however, rumours indicate that the Instagram Plus feature is being tested in Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines.
It is important to note that pricing depends by country, while as per different reports, it costs MX$39 (approx $2.20 USD) per month in Mexico, ¥319 per month (approx $2 USD) in Japan, and PHP 65 per month (approx $1.07 USD) in the Philippines.
