Snapchat Launches Subscription Tier With Access to New Features

Snapchat has launched a subscription tier that will give paying subscribers access to new features but the same advertising experience as non-subscribers.

Snapchat+, which launched on Wednesday, costs $3.99 a month and is available in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, though more countries are expected to be added in the future.

At launch, subscribers will receive new features like the ability to see who has rewatched their stories and pin a “best friend” to their profile.

Snapchat’s business is still primarily driven by ad revenue, with parent company Snap reporting $1.06 billion in revenue during the first quarter of the year but a $359.6 million net loss. At the time, Snap CFO Derek Anderson said the loss was due to a “$100 million year-over-year decline in other income, driven primarily by a $92 million unrealized loss on an investment.”

As the ad business continues to face a decline, launching a subscription service could give Snap another stream of revenue and test the willingness of its users to pay for a more premium experience, paving the way for other paid expansions in the future. That being said, it’s not likely that Snap’s core business will move away from advertising anytime soon.