X (formerly known as Twitter) has announced a significant price hike for its top-tier subscription service, Premium Plus. Effective from December 21st, this adjustment marks a nearly 40% increase, pushing the monthly subscription fee in the United States from $16 to $22, with annual subscriptions jumping from $168 to $229.

This price adjustment isn’t confined to the U.S.; it’s a global shift. In Europe, for instance, countries like France, Germany, and Spain will see their monthly subscription rates rise from €16 to €21. Meanwhile, subscribers in Canada will now have to shell out $29 instead of $20 per month, Australians will see an increase from $26 to $35, and in the UK, the price will go from £16 to £17. New subscribers will feel the pinch immediately, while current Premium Plus members will enjoy their existing rates until January 20th, after which they too will transition to the new pricing.

This is the most substantial price increase for the Premium Plus tier since Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform in 2022. X has articulated several justifications for this hike. Primarily, they tout an enhanced user experience with a “completely ad-free” browsing environment, which they consider a significant upgrade. The rationale extends to the platform’s economic model, where they’ve adjusted the revenue-sharing program to better reward content creators based on engagement rather than just ad views. This shift aims to incentivize high-quality content creation on the platform.

But the perks don’t end with an ad-free experience. Premium Plus users now benefit from priority customer support, which could mean quicker resolutions to issues compared to non-paying users. Additionally, they gain access to exclusive tools like ‘Radar‘, which helps in tracking trends and user engagement through daily graphs and statistics. There’s also an increased capacity for using Grok, X’s AI model, which could be a significant draw for tech enthusiasts and users leveraging AI for their daily tasks.

The reaction from the X community has been mixed. On one hand, some users appreciate the ad-free experience and the additional features, seeing them as valuable enhancements that justify the price increase. On the other hand, there’s a palpable sense of frustration among others, particularly those who feel that the premium services do not adequately compensate for the cost, especially when compared to the benefits of the lower-tier subscriptions which have not seen a price adjustment.

Analysts have pointed out that this move could be part of a broader strategy to increase profitability, especially in the wake of fluctuating ad revenues and the costs associated with running a global social media platform. With competitors like Bluesky and Threads showing significant user growth, particularly in the wake of X’s controversial changes under Musk’s leadership, the pressure to retain and expand its user base through premium services is palpable.

Moreover, this price increase comes at a time when the platform has been navigating through a period of transition, including changes in content moderation policies, the introduction of new features, and dealing with public and political scrutiny over Musk’s decisions.

For existing Premium Plus users, the transition period offers a brief respite to decide whether to continue with the subscription at the new rate or downgrade to a less expensive tier. For potential subscribers, the decision now involves weighing the cost against the perceived value of an ad-free, feature-rich experience on X.

Here’s new X Premium Plus pricing around the world: