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The Money Desk · Blog
Re:

X raised Premium+ from $16 to $22—but the ad-free plan now costs even more

X's $16-to-$22 Premium+ increase was real in December 2024, but the plan later became more expensive. Here are the historical change, current U.S. prices, ad-free exceptions and value trade-offs.
From TheFinanceBase Team5 min to read
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Yes—the increase was real, but it is historical. X raised the U.S. web price of Premium+ from $16 to $22 per month on December 21, 2024. The annual price rose from $168 to $229. That was a 37.5% monthly increase, while X later replaced the $22 rate with a much higher listed U.S. web price of $40 per month or $395 per year. The U.S. App Store listing shows $50 per month or $490 per year, so check the purchase channel and final checkout total.

What changed in December 2024?

The product was X Premium+, the service’s highest subscription tier—not the standard Premium plan. In the United States, X’s December 21, 2024 increase changed the listed web prices as follows:

Billing term Before After December 21, 2024 Increase
Monthly $16 $22 $6, or 37.5%
Annual $168 $229 $61, approximately 36.3%

The figures and effective date were reported by TechCrunch. Annual billing at the $22 rate cost $35 less than twelve $22 payments, based on arithmetic from the listed prices.

The $22 price did not last

X announced another Premium+ adjustment on February 18, 2025. New U.S. web subscribers were charged the updated amount from that date; existing subscribers kept the prior rate until the first billing cycle after March 22, 2025, according to X’s notice.

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Current-price update: X’s latest official U.S. web help pages available for this article list Premium+ at $40 per month or $395 per year. The U.S. App Store listing shows $50 per month or $490 per year. These are channel-specific listed prices, not a universal worldwide rate. Verify the checkout screen because location, taxes and payment fees can change the amount.

Period or channel Monthly Annual What it represents
Premium+ launch in 2023 $16 $168 Original U.S. web pricing reported at launch
December 21, 2024 $22 $229 Historical U.S. web price after the 37.5% monthly increase
Current U.S. web listing $40 $395 Price shown on X’s help pages
Current U.S. App Store listing $50 $490 Apple listing; confirm at checkout

Sources for the launch and later changes include TechCrunch’s 2023 launch report, X’s Premium+ price update, X’s Premium FAQ and the U.S. App Store listing.

Why did X say it raised the price?

X said the higher price reflected an expanded package. Its stated reasons included:

  • A completely ad-free experience across most of X.
  • Access to Grok models with higher usage limits, including the models identified in X’s announcement at the time.
  • Radar Search.
  • Higher-priority customer support.
  • Support for the creator-revenue program through subscription revenue.

Those are X’s explanations for the change, not independent proof that the additions justify the cost for every subscriber. Model access, limits and other benefits can change.

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What “ad-free” actually covers

X says Premium+ removes conventional ads from most of the For You and Following timelines, post replies and profiles. However, X’s FAQ also says subscribers may occasionally see sponsored or branded content. “Ad-free” therefore does not guarantee that every commercial message, creator promotion, branded notification or platform-native promotion disappears.

That distinction matters if your only reason for subscribing is to eliminate every form of marketing from the service.

What Premium+ includes beyond ad removal

X’s current feature description lists Premium+ as including all Premium-tier features plus the highest reply-prioritization level, Radar Search, Articles, higher Grok usage limits and ad reduction across the covered areas. The Premium feature set also includes tools such as post editing, longer posts and videos, Media Studio and access to creator monetization programs.

  • The blue checkmark is subject to X’s eligibility review; it is not necessarily immediate or automatic.
  • Feature availability and usage limits can vary by country and can change over time.
  • X does not offer Premium in every market.

See X’s current feature description at X Premium help.

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Why your price may differ

Web versus mobile billing

X generally directs customers to web signup for the lowest price. Apple or Google app-store billing can show a different price, as the U.S. App Store listing demonstrates. The platform where you subscribed also determines where you manage the subscription.

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Country, taxes and payment fees

X uses localized pricing, so the U.S. dollar change cannot be applied directly to every country. The increase varied by market, and reports described particularly large changes in some countries. Local taxes, foreign-exchange costs, card or bank fees and other payment charges may be added. X’s purchaser terms describe these possible charges.

Billing-cycle timing

An existing subscriber may not have seen a new amount on the announcement date. Renewal date and the transition rules for each increase determined when the charge changed. Check the renewal date in your account rather than relying on a headline price.

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Is Premium+ worth the money?

It may make sense for a heavy X user

The plan is easier to justify if you spend substantial time on X, strongly dislike conventional feed ads and actively use Radar Search, Articles, reply prioritization or Grok. A creator or professional whose workflow depends on X-specific tools may also value the bundle and monetization access.

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It is harder to justify for a casual user

If you open X occasionally, mainly want fewer ads, do not use Grok or X’s discovery tools, or do not care about verification and reply ranking, paying the top-tier price buys features you may not use. The value is weaker when you purchase through a higher-priced mobile channel or expect all sponsored material to vanish.

Consider the commitment of annual billing

At the historical $22/$229 prices, annual billing saved $35 against twelve monthly payments. At the current $40/$395 U.S. web prices, it saves $85. Those are calculations from the listed rates, not a recommendation to prepay: an annual plan increases the amount at risk if your usage drops or X changes the service.

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How to avoid an unwanted renewal

  1. Identify where you subscribed: X’s website, Apple’s App Store or Google Play.
  2. Open the subscription controls on that same platform and cancel there; canceling in a different storefront may not stop billing.
  3. Complete cancellation at least 24 hours before the next automatic renewal, as X advises.
  4. Keep using the benefits through the end of the paid period. X generally does not refund time already paid for.

Subscription-management and refund terms are described in X’s Premium help page and its purchaser terms.

Could a different network be a better fit?

If your goal is text-based social posting rather than X-specific features, you can compare free-to-access alternatives such as Bluesky, Mastodon and Threads. They do not provide the same audience, real-time communities, moderation model, Grok integration, verification system or creator programs.

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Bluesky’s support information says access no longer requires a waitlist (support page). Mastodon is federated, so server choice and moderation work differently. Threads may suit people already using Meta’s ecosystem. None is a one-for-one replacement for X.

The Bottom Line

The $16-to-$22 Premium+ hike was genuine and took effect in the United States on December 21, 2024. But $22 is no longer the key price to budget for: X later listed Premium+ at $40 monthly or $395 annually on the U.S. web, while the App Store listing showed $50 monthly or $490 annually. Compare the channel-specific checkout price, taxes and the features you will actually use before renewing.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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