Why pay for it when you can get most of it for free? It seems most users on Twitter don’t see much value in paying for Twitter Blue, the subscription-based service that comes with a verification badge that now seems to be losing value and credibility.
This follows Twitter owner Elon Musk’s announcement that starting in April this year, only people on Twitter Blue would get the verification checkmark that was previously reserved for the authentication of public figures.
2.6 million people visited Twitter Blue’s sales page in March this year, but only 116,000 of these users subscribed to the service. This is according to findings by internet analyst company SimiliarWeb.
According to Musk, more than 5 million people use Twitter every month. Most of these remain off Twitter Blue.
Read More: Twitter Blue is available everywhere and legacy checkmarks depart from next week
Blue costs $8/month and with it comes additional features that are supposed to give tweeps a premium experience compared to the free version. Perks include the verification badge, early access to the latest features, and the ability to undo tweets and post longer videos.
If you’re based in South Africa, that $8/month converts to just over R140/month, but that’s only for the web version. Expect to pay more if you’re using the service on Android or iOS.
Despite these and a list of additional features that the platform continues to add to the platform, it seems either tweeps just don’t see the value or simply can’t afford to pay the subscription fee. Twitter has also nudged previous Blue subscribers to rejoin the paid-for version, but subscriptions remain low.
Read More: Even more changes coming to Twitter in Musk’s push for more paying subscribers
Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in October 2022 spiked uncertainty and a bit of panic for the users and advertisers as he rapidly introduced drastic changes to the platform.
In a tweet posted last month, Musk said Twitter’s advertising revenue declined by 50% between October and March this year.
Source: Bloomberg