X Launches Three Tiers of Premium Subscriptions

X has begun offering tiered subscriptions amid owner Elon Musk’s broader ambitions for the platform.

The social media platform once known as Twitter announced Friday (Oct. 27) that it was rolling out X Premium, which comes with three subscription levels: Basic, Premium and Premium+.

“X Premium is an opt-in, paid subscription that offers additional features to improve your experience on X,” the company’s announcement said.

The basic tier charges subscribers $3 per month for features that include the ability to post longer videos and edit posts. With the two higher tiers — priced at $8 and $16 per month — subscribers gain benefits such as a blue checkmark and an ad-free timeline. Subscribers accessing via iOS and Android will pay more.

X has been promoting paid subscriptions as a revenue driver under Musk’s leadership, as the platform has lost advertisers. Reports emerged earlier this month that the company was testing its three-tiered subscription program.

A report Saturday (Oct. 28) by Bloomberg News cites new analysis from independent researcher Travis Brown which projects that 950,000 to 1.2 million people are paying for X’s $8 monthly premium service.

The company has recently claimed to have 500 million active users. The new subscription tiers are being rolled out at a time when X is apparently looking to expand its business lines into video, hiring and newswire services.

A recent Bloomberg report — citing an unnamed source — said Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino addressed the entire company in a meeting last week, outlining plans to take on companies like YouTube, LinkedIn and PR Newswire.

While details about the plans are scarce, Musk and Yaccarino told employees in a joint internal memo that the company is “now positioned for growth” and has achieved a “decade’s worth of innovation in just 12 months.”

In a Thursday post on X, the company’s corporate account said the platform has added more than 100 features over the year while giving users that chance to weigh in and suggest ideas.

“Our goal is simple: to make X the coolest and most enjoyable place on the internet,” the post said. “This includes maximizing prosperity for content creators, enabling better/more authentic conversations and giving you more tools to express yourself.”