If you find yourself scrolling endlessly on TikTok and hate when ads pop up on your feed, you'll soon be able to remove them... for a small fee.
Reported first by Android Authority and confirmed by TechCrunch, TikTok is currently testing an ad-free monthly subscription tier. For $4.99, the subscription allows you to endlessly scroll through the short-form video platform service without ads appearing. However, the test is only available in a single, English-speaking market outside the U.S., with TikTok's parent company ByteDance not elaborating on whether it will test this in the U.S. or when the feature will roll out globally.
ByteDance did not clarify whether the ad-free subscription plan only covers ads served by TikTok or if it also includes ads posted by influencers using the platform, from big-name creators such as Charlie D'Amelio or MrBeast.
TikTok would not be the first internet platform to introduce a subscription plan where users can ditch ads for a small monthly fee. Its competitors, most notably YouTube, offer an ad-free experience to users when they subscribe to YouTube Premium, among other perks. Even social media platforms, most notably X (formerly Twitter), offer a premium subscription; while it does not entirely remove ads, Premium subscribers do see 50% fewer ads on their X feed and receive additional perks such as an edit button and the option to have a blue verification checkmark. Even Meta is exploring the option of an ad-free service for Facebook and Meta, at least in European Union countries.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
