X is no longer free to use, will start charging users just to use its platform
It looks like if you want to post onto X, you’ll soon have to start paying $1 a month for that “privilege”. X has announced that they are starting to test their new “Not a Bot” program in New Zealand and the Philippines where new and unverified users will have to pay a subscription fee of $1 a month to use its platform.
The company claims that this is being done to curb spam and bots, which actually makes sense since we imagine that many bot owners won’t want to pay just to use bots on X. This is kind of a double-edged sword because while some bots are spammy and scammy, there are some that are useful and this subscription could kill them off.
Starting today, we're testing a new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines. New, unverified accounts will be required to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to be able to post & interact with other posts. Within this test, existing users are not affected.
This…
— Support (@Support) October 17, 2023
That being said, keep in mind that this is for NEW and unverified users. Users who already have an account won’t be affected by this, at least not for now. Presumably if this test goes well, X will expand it to more regions where ALL users will eventually be affected by this change.
Also, based on the wording, it seems that users who subscribe to X Premium (which is priced at $8 a month) won’t have to pay for this subscription. Of course, $1 is cheaper than $8, but X Premium does come with additional features and the blue checkmark that verifies you so that you don’t come across like a bot/spam account.
X’s owner Elon Musk had previously hinted that a paid subscription just to use the platform would be coming, and this announcement confirms that it is starting to roll out.