Instagram reportedly developing new paid subscription with creator tools

Instagram may soon expand its subscription offerings with a new paid tier that gives creators extra tools and insights, according to details uncovered by a developer.

The feature, still unannounced, appears to build on the company’s existing Meta Verified programme, suggesting Instagram is doubling down on monetisation and creator-focused upgrades.

Instagram new tools and hidden insights for paid users

X user and reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) shared screenshots hinting that Instagram is working on a premium subscription feature that would let creators build unlimited audience lists, a capability currently restricted for most users.

👆🏻 #Instagram is working on a new paid subscription** that will offer new perks, including the ability to create unlimited audience lists, see the list of followers who don’t follow you back and sneak a peek at a story without showing that you’ve viewed it 👀 pic.twitter.com/cQp6xUEzOY

— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) January 22, 2026

The new plan could also include advanced analytics tools, such as viewing followers who don’t follow back, and even the option to watch Instagram Stories anonymously without appearing in the viewers’ list.

Another experimental feature, dubbed Super Like, may also be bundled into the plan.

ℹ️ Some of the features I mentioned a while ago, such as “Super Like” and the ability to search within the list of story viewers, could become part of this new subscription

**or be included among the benefits of Meta Verified

— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) January 22, 2026

According to Paluzzi, this function would allow users to express extra appreciation for a Story by pressing and holding the like button, potentially signalling stronger engagement to creators. Instagram may also introduce the ability to search within Story viewers, helping users identify interactions more easily.

It’s unclear whether these features will arrive as part of a new subscription altogether or simply be added to the Meta Verified plan.

Paluzzi noted that the company could integrate them under the existing verification service’s umbrella, positioning the upgrade as a premium experience for active creators and influencers.

Meta Verified could get an upgrade

Instagram’s parent company, Meta, already offers the Meta Verified subscription on both Facebook and Instagram. In India, pricing starts at Rs 639 for a single app, with higher-tier plans costing up to Rs 21,000 per year.

The package includes a blue verification badge, identity authentication through a government-issued ID, and access to dedicated customer support, features aimed primarily at content creators and small businesses.

Beyond verification, subscribers receive enhanced account protection and proactive monitoring against impersonation, a problem that has become increasingly common for public figures and digital creators.

If the new paid subscription materialises, it could signify Meta’s growing interest in tiered premium experiences, where creators pay for deeper insights and engagement tools. Such a move would also align with Meta’s broader strategy to diversify revenue streams amid slowing advertising growth.

More features and localisation efforts

Instagram has been steadily rolling out new interactive and localised features in recent months. In December, the company introduced a “Your Algorithm” option, giving users more control over the content they see on their feed and in Reels.

It also expanded language support for Indian audiences, adding Bengali, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu, along with corresponding Indian language fonts for captions and in-video text.

While Instagram has not officially confirmed the existence of the new paid plan, the company’s ongoing push toward personalisation and monetisation suggests that more subscription-based tools could be on the horizon.