TikTok Is Testing a $5 Subscription That Would Get Rid of Ads

The latest TikTok update has the usual bite-sized videos over a billion users know and love—but a closer look at the app's code reveals that for some users in the U.S., the company is testing an ad-free subscription for $4.99/month.

Android Authority spotted new lines of code within the TikTok app revealing that TikTok might be planning to offer an ad-free monthly subscription to its users. TikTok has yet to make an official announcement about a subscription plan, although confirmed to TechCrunch that it was testing the feature. The plan, which TikTok also told TechCrunch is intended for a single English-speaking market outside the U.S., would be the first of its kind on the platform. Android Authority writers were able to see a screen offering an upgrade to the new ad-free tier by launching a freshly updated version of the app (The Messenger could not replicate this).

The offer to upgrade did not appear on all of Android Authority’s U.S. TikTok accounts, indicating that TikTok is running a limited experiment at the moment. 

Strings included in the actual lines of code that Android Authority spotted read:

We are testing the Ad-free plan with the TikTok community.
By continuing, you agree to the {%s} and acknowledge that you have read our {%s} to learn how we collect, use and share data.
You also accept the immediate provision of the Ad-free subscription. Price includes VAT.

And the harder to decipher:

Allow us to use your data to show you relevant ads, which helps keep TikTok free. %s.
You can also see how we use and protect your data in our %s

While the ad-free subscription appears to be priced at $4.99 per month, TikTok could change the price ahead of a potential announcement. 

TikTok’s revenue driver so far has been ads, with an addition last month in the form of TikTok Shop, the company’s in-house take on Amazon. 

Other social media platforms, including X, offer ad-free tiers but often bundle the subscription with other benefits (think the blue checkmark of X Premium and the added reach it offers). It’s unclear how TikTok will differentiate its subscribers from the rest of its users, or if it even plans to at all.