Information reaching hitztv.com.ng has it that TikTok is reportedly testing out a $4.99/month ad-free subscription plan.
As first reported by Android Authority, code within the TikTok app indicates that TikTok might begin to test an ad-free subscription tier for users. The site reported that for $4.99, subscribers could get an ad-free experience on TikTok — no other major strings attached, from the looks of it.
TikTok confirmed to TechCrunch it’s testing this product but only in a single, English-speaking market outside the U.S. It disputed the Android Authority report that said it was coming to the U.S. as small-scale tests don’t indicate a product launch is inevitable.
Based on the blog’s findings, however, the subscription appears to only cover ads served by TikTok — not influencer marketing one-offs or campaigns. So it won’t do much to combat the raft of TikTok users failing to disclose their brand sponsorships, which include big-name influencers like Charli D’Amelio.
Other apps have adopted ad-free subscription models, including Snap, which last month said Snapchat+, the $4/month subscription service that includes experimental and prerelease features, had topped 5 million customers a little more than a year after its launch.
Elon Musk has said he wants to intro a new premium version of X (aka Twitter) that would eliminate all ads, but so far that hasn’t come to pass. Currently, the perks of X Premium, starting at $8/month, include the verified blue check mark and “approximately 50% fewer ads in the For You and Following timelines,” according to the company.
Within the app’s code, the ad-free plan is referred to as a test, with TikTok saying that it is “testing the Ad-free plan with the TikTok community.”
This change would put TikTok in company with YouTube, which also offers Shorts ad-free under its YouTube Premium subscription. Instagram Reels, though, currently does not offer an ad-free option.
As The Verge further points out, TikTok also just launched “Shop,” which allows users to buy products directly from the app, and even from videos that directly integrate with products.
