By: Nick Gambino
It looks like users might eventually be able to scroll through TikTok without a barrage of ads. That is, if they’re willing to pay a nominal monthly fee.
TikTok is testing an ad-free experience as reported by Android Authority. Screenshots obtained by the outlet show a screen in the social app that allows the user to choose between a Standard free plan or an Ad-free plan that costs $4.99 a month.
This option has only shown up for a few users, indicating it’s a limited test to see if users would be willing to upgrade to a paid premium account. TikTok has now acknowledged to TechCrunch that they are indeed testing it out. They say they are only testing it in one non-U.S. English-speaking market and that does not mean they’re planning on bringing it to the U.S.
If it does eventually launch in the states and other territories, it may include other benefits. It’s hard to entice someone who is used to paying nothing for TikTok or almost any social media app with an ad-free carrot. Sure, ads are annoying, but you know what is more annoying? Shelling out a few bucks a month on yet another subscription.
Twitter X is doing it, but they’re offering a ton of other benefits like access to creator payouts, longer character limits and an edit function. Even with those benefits and more, it’s not exactly cool to be a paid user on that platform. Blue check marks are ridiculed mercilessly, especially if you make the mistake of saying something stupid, as humans tend to do.
“While the new TikTok subscription plan would prevent you from seeing paid ads from corporations and other companies, this won’t prevent you from seeing sponsored posts from TikTok creators,” Andrew Tropeano, Host of News Around America (www.newsaroundamerica.com) said. “This is especially true of those creators who don’t reveal that they’re being paid to make a certain video.”
This would obviously need its own crackdown eventually, but I don’t see how they would be able to keep these sponsored posts out of your feed just cause you paid a monthly fee.
Again, this is all in early testing in a single market, so we’ll keep you updated if they ntend to roll it out wide.
