Snapchat+ by Snap Inc. - Subscription adds AI perks and early features

Snapchat+ is the first thing you notice when a friend’s Snapchat profile shows a small, glossy star next to their name and an unusual solar system badge under your chat. The subscription layers subtle visual cues and AI-driven tools on the familiar yellow app.

What Snapchat+ actually offers

Snapchat+ is a paid subscription tier inside the regular Snapchat app that unlocks additional features, experimental tools and cosmetic options for a monthly fee in more than 25 countries. Subscribers get access to features that are not yet available to the wider user base.

According to Snap, more than 9 million users had already subscribed to Snapchat+ less than a year after launch, and the company now speaks of "tens of millions" of paying customers globally as the offer expanded. The subscription is clearly positioned as an add-on, not a separate app.

AI, badges and experimental tools

CEO Evan Spiegel has repeatedly highlighted Snapchat+ as a testbed for new features, from AI-generated lenses to updated Bitmoji styles. On stage and in earnings calls he described how the subscription helps the team learn which tools resonate before a broader roll-out.

One of the most visible perks is the ability to pin a "Best Friend" at the very top of the chat feed and decorate the relationship with a planetary badge, the Snapchat solar system. In practice that means your closest contact might show up as "Earth" while another frequent chat becomes "Mars".

Pricing and availability of Snapchat+

Snapchat+ launched in late June 2022 in an initial group of markets including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Since then, Snap has gradually extended coverage to more than 25 countries.

The subscription is billed through Apple’s App Store or Google Play, with a monthly price around 3.99 dollars in the US and roughly 4.49 euro in Germany at launch, subject to local taxes and platform fees. Snap also offers discounted quarterly and annual plans in several markets.

How Snapchat+ changes the feel of the app

Open Snapchat with Snapchat+ enabled, and the first tactile difference is subtle: your app icon can be swapped for an alternative design, from minimalist black to gradient options. On a bright phone screen, those icons shift the familiar yellow square into something more muted or more vivid, depending on the choice.

Inside the app, additional layout options and early features tweak the experience. Some users describe how AI-powered chat replies and experimental story formats invite them to tap and swipe just a bit more, turning quick checks into longer sessions. That matters for Snap’s ad impressions and cross-promotion.

Snapchat+ as a testing ground for Snap

For Snap’s product team, Snapchat+ acts as a controlled laboratory. Product leaders can launch features like advanced story controls, custom notification sounds or exclusive Bitmoji backgrounds to a willing group of paying users first. Feedback here is direct and often more engaged.

Industry analysts see this A/B testing approach as one reason Snap continues to invest in the subscription, even though advertising still generates the majority of revenue. Paid users lean into new features, and their behavior offers clues about what the wider audience may adopt.

Monetization and revenue mix

In several recent quarters, Snap emphasized "diversifying revenue" beyond pure advertising, explicitly naming Snapchat+ as a growing line. While the company has not broken out exact subscription revenue, the rising number of paying users implies a meaningful contribution.

Assuming a low single-digit monthly fee and tens of millions of subscribers, analysts estimate an annualized revenue run rate in the high hundreds of millions of dollars for Snapchat+ alone. Such math remains approximate but illustrates why subscription metrics feature in investor decks.

Snapchat+ and Snapchat AI

Snap tied Snapchat+ closely to its AI roadmap once the company rolled out its "My AI" chatbot and later generative AI features. Paying subscribers often received access to longer chat histories, more customization and early AI experiments.

Generative AI lenses that remix a user’s face or environment, for example, frequently appeared in test form for Snapchat+ before expanding to non-paying users. For creators and heavy users, that early access acts as a small but concrete advantage on the platform.

Managing privacy and transparency

With additional data points flowing from experimental tools, Snap publicly stressed that Snapchat+ does not sell user data to third parties beyond the company’s existing advertising policies. Still, privacy organizations watch closely how extra insights from paid users are handled.

Snap’s help pages explain how to manage AI data, clear history and opt out of certain personalizations inside Snapchat settings. For users, this means that toggling a switch or two can change how long AI chat data is kept or whether some features stay enabled.

How to subscribe and cancel

Subscribing to Snapchat+ is straightforward: users tap their Bitmoji or profile icon, select Snapchat+ in the menu and confirm the chosen billing plan through the app store dialog. The process feels similar to other in-app subscriptions on iOS and Android.

Cancelling is handled via the Apple or Google subscription management pages rather than inside Snapchat itself. That separation follows platform rules but can surprise users who expect a prominent cancel button in the app’s own settings.

Competitive context among social apps

Snapchat+ also sits in a broader pattern of social platforms experimenting with paid tiers. Meta offers Meta Verified on Facebook and Instagram, while X sells its own subscription with verification and feature boosts. Each service tries to balance perks against alienating non-paying users.

Against this backdrop, Snapchat+ leans more on early feature access and cosmetic flair than on identity verification or algorithmic boosts. For creators who live from attention, that distinction matters: Snapchat+ does not guarantee extra reach, but it can yield tools to make content more distinctive.

Why investors care about Snapchat+

For Snap Inc., Snapchat+ represents a recurring revenue stream anchored in the company’s tight-knit user base rather than volatile ad budgets. Every new cohort of subscribers smooths out cyclical advertising swings a little, which is why management returns to the theme in earnings calls.

In the market, the Snapchat+ segment supports the price of Snap Inc. stock on the New York Stock Exchange (ISIN US83304A1060).