X to charge $1 to new users wanting to post on the platform

X, formerly known as Twitter, isn’t free anymore (at least for some). The news about X starting to charge for even basic features has just become true. The company on X itself has announced that it will be charging $1 (roughly Rs 83) per year to new users wanting to post or interact with others on the platform. This subscription plan comes as a test program for users in New Zealand and the Philippines.

This is clear that only new users will have to pay for posting and interacting on the platform. That too, the payment program is only for two of the aforesaid regions. So if you want to join X today and want to post something on the platform, you will be levied $1/year to do that.

Starting today, we're testing a new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines. New, unverified accounts will be required to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to be able to post & interact with other posts. Within this test, existing users are not affected.

This…

— Support (@Support) October 17, 2023

However, the announcement does not mention whether new users can simply sign in and start using the app. Basically, to just view posts and not interact or tweet. But by the looks of it, all new users can do that. Only for tweeting/posting and interacting, users will be charged.

While this appears to be a new way for X to generate its positive cash flow, it says otherwise. The company in a post on the platform revealed that this isn’t a profit driver.

“The new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. It is not a profit driver.”

Since X is starting to charge $1 for reducing spam and bot accounts, it’s calling this new program ‘Not a Bot’. It has also listed the steps needed for new users to do before getting started with Twitter.

Step 1 of signing up will be phone verification. Users will have to verify their phone numbers. Step 2 will be paying $1, which will grant them access to Like posts, Reply, Report and Quote other accounts’ posts, and Bookmark them.

The pricing for this program will vary depending on the country and currency. To be precise, it’s exactly $1.43 NZD per year for New Zealand and 42.51 PHP per year for the Philippines. All new users in these regions will also have to read and agree to the ‘Not a Bot Terms and Conditions’.

living in the Philippines of course i had to test this out, and holy shit is it incredibly ridiculous. this will never work on a large scale, and a single dollar + phone number is not NEARLY enough to stop scammers from scamming lmfao. https://t.co/GGx617qh9M pic.twitter.com/odFugPcvij

— ボブ (@weeabob) October 18, 2023

Several X users had negative reactions to this paid program. Others said that they were leaving the platform and deleting the app. However, some users understood that this wasn’t affecting existing users.