Is Facebook Charging $4.99 a Month? Debunked
Is Facebook Really Charging $4.99 a Month?
A persistent rumor claims that Facebook will start charging all users $4.99 per month—typically with a “opt out” instruction to copy a legal disclaimer. The truth is simple: Facebook won’t charge you $4.99 to use the service, and any posts claiming otherwise are baseless hoaxes.
Table of Contents
- Where This Rumor Began
- How the Rumor Resurfaces
- Official Statements from Facebook
- Why the Hoax Persists
- Expert Insights & Context
- What You Should Do
- FAQ
Where This Rumor Began
In 2009, users received chain messages threatening a $4.99 monthly charge to remain on Facebook. These messages caused individuals to mobilize on a fake Facebook page—which often led to malware or being hacked when clicked on.
How the Rumor Resurfaces
Someone every few months posts the same “opt-out” post saying “Facebook is charging $4.99 beginning Monday.” They instruct you to copy and paste a legal-sounding statement as protection—when in fact, it does nothing but perpetuate the myth further.
Official Statements from Facebook
Facebook’s Help Center is clear-cut: “We don’t charge you to use Facebook. We charge advertisers to display ads.” Some fact-checkers, including Snopes, ensure that never once has a proposal for a $4.99 user fee existed.
Why the Hoax Persists
- Viral “Opt-Out” Format: Copy-and-paste directions look like a underhanded loophole, so they keep being forwarded.
- Cost Anxiety: Given all the chatter about subscription offerings, it’s possible to some that Facebook might join in.
- No Fresh Updates: Facebook hasn’t established any user fees officially in years, so each successive round of rumor goes unclashed by authoritative sources.
Expert Insights & Context
Historical Note: During interviews Mark Zuckerberg has reaffirmed that Facebook will remain free for users.
EU Tests: Meta did try ad-free subscriptions on an opt-in model in Europe at approximately €14/month, but that’s strictly voluntary and geographical—nothing like a compulsory $4.99 fee.
Chain Message Psychology: Explicit and urgent sounding legal-sounding commands receive clicks and shares, fact or fiction.
What You Should Do
- Ignore and delete any posts proclaiming a new $4.99 charge with “opt-out” instructions.
- Check Facebook’s official Help Center or reputable fact-check websites prior to believing chain messages.
- If there is ever a fee-less plan, Facebook will make sure to inform you of it on its official channels—so look there first.
FAQ
Is Facebook really charging $4.99 per month?
No—Facebook never charges any user $4.99 to visit the site. All reports of a mandatory fee are a scam.
Why do I sometimes see a $4.99 charge on my bill?
That charge usually stems from a voluntary Facebook “supporter” subscription that is billed through Apple or Google, rather than an obligatory Facebook charge.
How do I “opt out” of this charge?
There is nothing to opt out of. If you see a payment you don’t recognize, check your app store subscriptions or contact your payment provider.
Will Facebook ever start charging users?
Meta has experimented with optional, voluntary ad-free subscriptions but has zero plans to have an obligatory monthly fee for all.
