Meta is testing a premium version of WhatsApp, and honestly, the feature list is… mostly about making things look prettier.
Called WhatsApp Plus, this new paid tier showed up on a WhatsApp Help Center page and was first spotted by WABetaInfo. The subscription is currently in limited testing, and pricing isn’t fully locked in yet. But here’s what we know so far about what you’d actually be paying for.
Premium Stickers and Themes: Cosmetic Upgrades Lead the Pack
The headline features of WhatsApp Plus are mostly visual. Subscribers get access to premium stickers with special effects, custom app themes, and personalized icons. Think of it like buying a new outfit for your messaging app.
Beyond the decorative stuff, there are a few genuinely useful additions. You can pin up to 20 chats instead of the standard limit. You can also set premium ringtones for specific contacts and customize your chat lists with unique alerts, ringtones, and themes per conversation.
So yes, it goes a little deeper than pure decoration. But the core appeal is clearly personalization over functionality.
What Stays Free on WhatsApp
Here’s the important part for anyone worried about paying just to keep chatting. Meta isn’t locking basic features behind a paywall.
Sending messages, making voice and video calls, and end-to-end encryption all stay completely free. WhatsApp Plus is purely additive. You’re not losing anything by skipping it.
That’s a reassuring approach, especially compared to some subscription models that slowly erode free-tier features over time.
WhatsApp Plus Pricing: Surprisingly Affordable So Far
Current testing shows a pretty wide pricing range depending on where you live. WABetaInfo reports costs between 229 Pakistani Rupees (less than $1) and €2.49 (about $3) per month.
Those are early testing figures, though. Final pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet. And according to WABetaInfo, Meta may offer one-month free trials to let users test the waters before committing.
More features are apparently in the pipeline for the premium plan too, though details remain sparse for now.
Meta’s Bigger Subscription Push
WhatsApp Plus doesn’t exist in isolation. Meta is running a similar experiment with Instagram Plus, which includes extended Stories that last longer than 24 hours and the ability to send “super hearts.”
Neither platform has announced final pricing, and both feel like Meta testing how much appetite exists for premium social media features. It’s a notable shift for a company that built its empire almost entirely on free apps supported by advertising.
Whether users will pay a few dollars a month for sticker effects and extra pinned chats remains to be seen. The feature set as it stands feels light, and Meta likely knows that. The fact that more features are reportedly in development suggests this is just the opening move, not the full picture.
If you’re someone who lives in WhatsApp and loves personalizing your digital spaces, WhatsApp Plus could be a fun little upgrade for the cost of a small coffee. For everyone else, the free version covers everything that actually matters.
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