Ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter (now X), we have seen the platform making a number of features paid. It put the glorious blue tick behind the Blue (now Premium) subscription, along with several other features. Now, it has introduced a new subscription service, which will require you to pay for creating new accounts. Here are the details.
Now Pay on X for Signing Up!
X has introduced a new test program called ‘Not A Bot,’ which will charge you $1 a year for signing up on the platform. So, if you are planning to finally step into the X world, you will first have to pay a small amount before you start using it.
The subscription service is aimed at reducing the number of bot accounts on the platform so that there’s less spam. X says that this has been “developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform, and bot activity while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. It is not a profit driver.“
If you are signing up for the first time, you will have to verify your phone number and then choose the ‘Not A Bot’ program to enable functionalities like posting, liking posts, reposting, quoting, and more. There will also be an option to go for the X Premium plan. If you don’t want to pay at all, you will only have the ability to read posts, follow others, and watch videos.
The program is being tested in New Zealand and the Philippines for “new accounts on the web” as of now. In New Zealand, it will cost $1.43 NZD per year, and in the Philippines, there will be a charge of ₱42.51 PHP per year. There’s no word on whether or not it will reach other countries and it all depends on how this test is received by people!
While the fee is pretty nominal, it still feels forced; a way for X to make almost all things paid for by both new and existing users. This can be quite discouraging for many as very basic features are turning paid and might averse many from using the platform. That said, it’s a test and it is mandatory for it to stay forever. We shall see how this pans out! Until then, are you willing to sign up for X by paying money? Let us know in the comments below.
