According to Digital Trends, Facebook has started a test where it’s charging for one of its most basic features: sharing links. The experiment limits users who have professional mode profiles or who run Facebook Pages to posting just two links in regular posts. To post more links, they’d need to subscribe to Meta Verified, a paid plan that starts at $14.99 per month in the U.S. Meta confirmed this is a “limited test” to see if posting more links adds value for subscribers. While publishers aren’t included yet, the change directly impacts creators and businesses who rely on Facebook to drive traffic. The test comes as Meta’s own data shows that less than 2% of feed views in the U.S. come from posts containing links.
The bigger picture
So, what’s really going on here? Look, this isn’t just about a few bucks a month. It’s about control. Social media strategist Matt Navarra told the BBC this move is about monetizing “the basic ability to send people to other parts of the internet.” Basically, Meta is putting a toll booth on the highway out of its walled garden. And their own transparency report data gives them the perfect excuse: if links are such a tiny part of the feed, who will really miss them? They can frame it as a premium feature for power users.
A risky strategy
Here’s the thing, though. This feels incredibly risky. For creators and small businesses, Facebook is still a crucial traffic source. Telling them they now have to pay to do the fundamental job of sharing their work or products? That’s a fast way to breed resentment. Navarra nailed it: this test “underline[s] why building a business that’s overly dependent on any one platform’s goodwill is incredibly risky.” It’s a stark reminder that you don’t own your audience on these platforms; you’re just renting it, and the rent can go up at any time.
The platform playbook
This tactic isn’t new, of course. We’ve seen it before. X (formerly Twitter) famously downplays links to keep you scrolling and turned verification into a subscription. Now Meta is exploring the same playbook. The message is clear: platforms want to keep you—and your attention—locked inside their ecosystem. If you want to point people elsewhere, that’s a service they can charge for. For now, it’s just a test. But it sets a worrying precedent. Are we heading toward a future where every basic interaction on social media, from posting a link to maybe even uploading a high-res photo, comes with a monthly fee? It seems possible. And that changes the entire value proposition of these “free” services.
