What WhatsApp Plus Is and Who Can Get It
Meta is quietly piloting a new paid tier called WhatsApp Plus, positioned as an optional upgrade for users who want more control over how their chats look and feel. After initial tests on Android, the messaging app is now extending the rollout to select iOS users, where the subscription can be purchased directly through the App Store in supported locations. Reports indicate that WhatsApp Plus is priced at about €2.49 per month in Europe, and some users may be offered a free one-month trial. Availability remains limited, and Meta has not formally announced a full launch or a definitive list of markets. Instead, the company describes WhatsApp Plus as an experiment in letting users organize and personalize their messaging experience more deeply, with a broader rollout expected over the coming weeks as testing scales.
Premium Features: Custom Themes, Stickers, Icons, and Ringtones
The WhatsApp Plus subscription focuses squarely on personalization and productivity. Subscribers gain access to premium stickers, which add a distinct visual layer to conversations, and the ability to apply new app themes to change the overall look of their interface. The service also introduces a custom app icon selector, offering 14 color variants so users can tweak how WhatsApp appears on their home screen. Beyond visuals, WhatsApp Plus includes 10 premium ringtone options, giving paying users more control over notification sounds. A key functional upgrade is the ability to pin up to 20 chats, compared with the standard limit of three, making it easier to keep important conversations at the top of the inbox. Another notable tool lets users create chat lists and apply the same action—such as a theme change—across multiple threads at once, streamlining how they manage busy chat histories.
A Shift Toward Premium Monetization in Messaging
WhatsApp Plus marks one of Meta’s clearest moves toward a messaging app paid tier, complementing its long-standing focus on advertising and business tools. By keeping the subscription optional and centered on customization, Meta avoids walling off core messaging functions while still opening a new revenue stream from power users. The test follows similar experiments on Instagram, where an Instagram Plus tier offers Story-focused perks and advanced audience controls for a small monthly fee. Together, these pilots suggest Meta is exploring a broader premium strategy across its platforms, using feature bundles like premium stickers, themes, app icons, and ringtones as low-friction upsell hooks. For WhatsApp in particular, the shift is notable because the app traditionally resisted overt monetization on the consumer side, instead relying on scale and business-focused offerings. WhatsApp Plus subtly changes that calculus by monetizing personalization itself.
How WhatsApp Plus Compares to Telegram and Signal Premium Tiers
In the wider messaging landscape, WhatsApp’s move aligns it with rivals that already offer subscription upgrades. Telegram, for instance, monetizes through its own premium tier that bundles extra reactions, higher upload limits, and additional interface tweaks, while Signal has explored donations and optional features to support development. WhatsApp Plus leans heavily into aesthetic and organizational perks—custom themes, stickers, app icons, ringtones, and expanded chat pinning—rather than introducing disruptive paywalled capabilities. This positions the service as a gentle entry into paid personalization instead of a hard divide between free and premium users. At roughly €2.49 per month in Europe, WhatsApp Plus sits in the same general cost band as other messaging subscriptions, but Meta’s strategy appears cautious: test in limited markets, keep chat fundamentals free, and see whether users are willing to pay for more polished and flexible chat environments before expanding further.