Although the vast majority of Snapchat users are taking advantage of the original free version of the app, its subscription service has seen a surge in the number of users this year.
According to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io, the total number of Snapchat+ subscribers has more than doubled in the past year and hit four million in the second quarter of 2023.
The Number of Snapchat+ Subscribers Still Small Compared to Snapchat User Base
For years, social media companies have been offering free services, with billions of people using them in return for watching ads and providing some user data. But the global economic conditions and falling ad revenues have made even the largest social media giants shift their strategies, with many now offering subscriptions. These subscription plans offer different features, including vanity checkmarks, exclusive stickers, fewer ads, and increased reach.
However, many social media users are still unsure if they are worth paying for, explaining the massive gap between the number of subscribers and the total user count on social media platforms. For example, Twitter and Reddit both hit over 400 million users, but their subscription plans count 1,000 times less users than that. Snapchat is no exception.
In September 2022, three months after its lunch, Snapchat+ had around 1.5 million users. By the end of the year, the number of subscribers hit 2 million and continued growing. The Statista and Snap Inc. data show another two million people started paying for the service in the first half of 2023, pushing the total user count to four million.
Although the number of subscribers practically doubled in just six months, it remains small compared to the global Snapchat user base. According to a Statista survey, the photo and video-sharing app is expected to hit over 585 million users this year, and merely 0.7% are Snapchat+ subscribers.
Snapchat+ Has the Best Price-to-Service Ratio of All Available Social Media Subscriptions
One of the reasons why Snapchat+ saw its subscriber count explode this year is because the service has the best price-to-service ratio of all available social media subscriptions on the market, bringing eight features for $3.99 per month. The features include a Snapchat+ badge, Story re-watch function, priority in replies to Snap Star, custom app icons, wallpapers, and notification sounds, plus the ability to pin the best friend and see “general direction of travel for where friends have moved recently.”
On the other hand, Meta Verified has the most expensive subscription plan but offers the least features. Meta users get only four features for the price of $11.99 per month for the web and almost $15 per month for iOS and Android. The plan provides a blue verification badge, exclusive stickers on Stories and Reels, proactive account protection, and direct account support.
Although it also includes eight features in its monthly subscription plan, Twitter Blue costs nearly three times as Snapchat+.
