Facebook to start charging for sharing links: Two links per month for non-paying users

After decades of allowing businesses and ordinary users to attach unlimited links to their commercial posts, Facebook is going to start charging for adding just a single link.

After this subscription model for link-sharing, currently in testing, comes to fruition, users will be limited to sharing only two links in organic posts per month unless they subscribe to Meta Verified.

Facebook's link-sharing limits now live in US, UK

This huge reform took effect on December 16 for select users in the US and the UK, who received notifications about the new policy.

Depending on the tier, the subscription service costs range from $14.99 to $499 per month for businesses. Meanwhile, it costs £9.99 per month for individuals.

A notification released by Meta stated that profiles without Meta Verified will face this restriction, compelling users to subscribe for increased link-sharing capabilities, a verified badge, and additional brand protection benefits.

The social media giant confirmed that this is a limited test aimed at assessing the value of increased link-sharing for subscribers.

Social media analyst Matt Navarra noted that this move lays the groundwork for Meta's extensive monetisation strategy that changes how creators and publishers view Facebook as a traffic source.

He emphasised that businesses relying on Facebook for growth must now consider the cost of link access.

While the test does not currently apply to publisher Pages, it has raised concerns among creators, marketers, and media outlets.

As external link posts are already experiencing declining reach, Meta is expected to see minimal drawbacks in restricting them.