Snapchat will begin testing a paid creator subscription feature on February 23, starting with a small cohort of U.S.-based creators, as the platform works to diversify revenue beyond advertising. The rollout will expand to Canada, the UK, and France in the weeks ahead, with the feature initially available only on iOS devices.

Subscribers will receive exclusive content, including direct photos and videos, access to subscriber-only Stories, and the ability to send text-based replies featured at the top of a creator’s public Story. 

Creators can set their own monthly price within a range of $4.99 to $19.99 and will receive approximately 60% of subscription revenue after platform fees, according to CNBC. Snap said it will provide creators with performance data to guide pricing decisions.

Early Participants

The initial test group includes roughly 15 creators, with approximately 10 more expected to join during the early U.S. phase. Participants include David Dobrik, Catherine Paiz, Harry Jowsey, Jeremiah Brown, and Skai Jackson.

“We want the next step in our long-term creator monetization journey to be one that’s really rooted in real relationships, and help creators expand the ways that they make money in a way that’s predictable,” Jim Shepherd, Snap’s Head of Content Partnerships, told CNBC. “And they can make money from their most engaged fans.”

Platform Metrics Provide Context for the Move

Snap reported 474 million daily active users in Q4 2025, a decrease of 3 million from the prior quarter. The company’s existing paid products (Snapchat+ and Memories Storage Plans) reached 24 million subscribers in the same period, up 71% year over year. eMarketer forecasts Snapchat’s U.S. ad revenue growth will slow to 1.9% year over year in 2026.

“In the year ahead, growth in subscribers will be a critical input metric to track our progress,” CEO Evan Spiegel wrote in the company’s Q4 earnings letter.

Entering a Competitive Market

Snapchat enters a market that includes Patreon, Substack, and OnlyFans, as well as in-app subscription tools from YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. YouTube introduced Channel Memberships in 2018, passing 70% of revenue to creators. Meta currently allows creators to keep 100% of subscription revenue after fees on Facebook and Instagram.

Creator Subscriptions build on Snapchat’s existing Unified Monetization Program and Snap Star Collab Studio.