Meta is quietly testing one of the most radical changes in Facebook’s history, turning the simple act of posting web links into a perk that creators and businesses may have to pay for. Instead of treating outbound links as a basic part of social media, the company is experimenting with strict monthly limits and a subscription that unlocks more reach.
If this trial expands, it could reshape how publishers, small firms and influencers use Facebook to drive traffic, and it would deepen the platform’s shift toward paid tools like Meta Verified. I see it as a high stakes experiment that tests how far Meta can push monetization before it starts to erode the very ecosystem that keeps people posting.
What Meta is actually testing on Facebook
At the core of the experiment is a cap on how many posts containing external links some users can publish each month before they hit a paywall. Reporting shows that Meta is limiting this link limit experiment to people using Facebook Pages and Facebook profiles in professional mode, which means it is squarely aimed at creators and businesses rather than casual users. Once those accounts reach the free allowance, they are prompted to pay for a verified checkmark badge that restores higher link volume.
Meta describes the move as a small-scale product trial, not a permanent rule change, and it is framing the subscription as a way to publish an increased volume of posts with links rather than a blanket fee to use Facebook. The company has said this is a limited test to understand whether the ability to publish more link posts adds additional value for people who use Facebook professionally, a line that appears in its explanation of why link sharing is being tied to paid tools like Meta Verified in the first place, as reported in coverage of a Facebook test that makes link sharing a paid feature.
How the new link limits and fees work
The mechanics of the trial are blunt: accounts in the test group can only post a small number of external links each month before they are told to upgrade. Meta says it is carrying out a test that means those without a paid subscription can only post two external links a month, and that anyone who wants to go beyond that threshold must pay for a subscription that is currently priced at £9.99 per month in the United Kingdom, according to details of how Meta is carrying out a test that limits link posts. That structure effectively turns link-heavy posting into a metered feature, similar to how some news sites meter article views.
Notifications sent to affected users spell out that the restriction applies to posts that include links, not to photos, text updates or other content types, and they steer people toward Meta’s paid verification product as the way to escape the cap. One notification, described in detail by a user who received it, explained that from 16 December he would only be able to share two posts that include links each month unless he paid the £9.99 fee, a message that arrived as part of Facebook’s test of a £9.99 monthly subscription for sharing more than two links and was highlighted when he said he had been planning a long trip and would not be able to share his usual volume of travel content for a while, as recounted in coverage of how he was among those recently notified of Facebook’s test.
Who is affected, and who is exempt for now
Meta is not applying the experiment uniformly across its user base, which is part of what makes the test so contentious. The company has said that Meta is limiting this link limit experiment to users utilizing Facebook Pages and Facebook profiles in professional mode, which means that creators, brands and other professional accounts are the ones being asked to pay for a verified checkmark badge to keep posting links at scale, as described in reporting that spells out how Meta is limiting this link limit experiment. Personal profiles that are not in professional mode appear to be outside the scope of the current trial.
News publishers are also being treated differently, at least for now. One detailed account of the rollout notes that Facebook tests charging creators and businesses to post more than two links per month, but that news publishers are reportedly excluded from the cap, a carve-out that reflects how sensitive Meta is to accusations that it is throttling journalism and that also underscores the company’s desire to keep news outlets posting on its platforms Instagram and Whatsapp alongside Facebook, as explained in coverage of how Facebook tests charging creators and businesses to post more than two links per month. That split between exempted news brands and paying creators is already fueling debate about who Facebook sees as a partner and who it sees as a customer.
Meta’s stated rationale for paywalled link sharing
Meta’s public explanation leans heavily on the language of experimentation and value creation for professional users. The company has said that this is a limited test to understand whether the ability to publish an increased volume of posts with links adds additional value for people who use Facebook professionally, and it is positioning the subscription as part of a broader push to bundle verification, account support and distribution perks into a single paid product, a framing that appears in its comments about why it is tying link volume to Meta Verified in the first place, as reflected in the description of a limited test to understand whether increased link volume adds value. In other words, Meta is arguing that heavy link posters are power users who might reasonably be asked to pay for extra capacity.
At the same time, Meta appears to be testing once again how far it can push monetization of core features without sparking a backlash that outweighs the revenue upside. One analysis notes that a paywalled link sharing on Facebook could raise alarms for the creators who rely on outbound traffic, and that Meta appears to be testing link-sharing behind a paywall as part of a broader pattern of experimenting with fees on features that used to be free, a pattern that is captured in coverage that warns that a paywalled link sharing on Facebook could raise alarms for the creators. I read that as Meta trying to normalize the idea that even basic distribution tools can be segmented into free and paid tiers.
The subscription price and its link to Meta Verified
The test is not just about limits, it is also about price anchoring for Meta’s verification product. In the United Kingdom, Facebook is testing a £9.99 monthly subscription that unlocks the ability to share more than two links per month, a figure that aligns with the pricing of Meta Verified in other markets and that signals the company’s intent to make verification the default upsell for professional users who hit the new cap, as described in detail in reporting on how Facebook tests £9.99 monthly subscription for sharing more than two links. By tying link volume to that specific price point, Meta is effectively telling creators that the cost of doing business on Facebook is about the same as a mid-tier streaming subscription.
Meta is also using the trial to bundle other features into the same paid tier, including the verified checkmark badge and additional account protections, which is why the notification sent to affected users explicitly steers them toward paying for a verified checkmark badge if they want to keep posting links at scale. One detailed breakdown of the rollout notes that Facebook is rolling out a new limit that restricts a user to two link posts per month unless he pays, and that this limit is being enforced through prompts that push people toward Meta Verified as the solution, a structure that is spelled out in coverage of how Facebook is rolling out a new limit that restricts a user to two link posts per month unless he pays. I see that as Meta using link anxiety to drive adoption of its broader subscription bundle.
Why creators and small businesses are alarmed
For creators and small businesses, the idea of paying just to share more than two links a month cuts to the heart of how they use Facebook. Many of them rely on frequent link posts to promote YouTube videos, Substack newsletters, Shopify stores or booking pages, and a cap that low effectively forces them to either pay or radically change their content mix. One early reaction that captured the mood came from a social media commentator who posted a detailed breakdown titled “Facebook Tests Charging Users for Sharing Links in Posts!” and warned that Facebook is testing a paywall for sharing links in posts, a message that spread quickly among marketers and was documented in a thread that spelled out how Facebook Tests Charging Users for Sharing Links in Posts. That kind of alarm reflects a fear that Meta is turning organic distribution into a toll road.
There is also concern that the policy will hit smaller players hardest while leaving larger brands and news outlets relatively unscathed. Creators who do not have big ad budgets or existing Meta Verified subscriptions are the ones who will feel the pinch of a two link cap most acutely, especially if they are in niches like travel, e-commerce or education where outbound links are central to their business model. One analysis notes that a paywalled link sharing on Facebook could raise alarms for the creators because it adds a new cost on top of already volatile algorithmic reach, and that Meta appears to be testing once again how much friction it can add before creators start to look more seriously at rival platforms, a dynamic that is highlighted in the warning that a paywalled link sharing on Facebook could raise alarms for the creators. From my vantage point, that anxiety is not just about money, it is about losing control over a key channel.
Potential impact on news outlets and the wider web
Even with news publishers reportedly exempt from the current cap, the test has major implications for how information flows across the wider web. Meta says it is carrying out a test that means those without a paid subscription can only post two external links a month, and critics argue that if such a model were ever applied more broadly it could be a potential blow for news outlets that depend on Facebook referrals, especially smaller or independent publishers that do not have bespoke deals with the company, a concern that is spelled out in reporting that describes how Facebook tests charging users to share links in a potential blow for news outlets. If creators and community pages that often share news stories are throttled by link caps, the indirect effect on journalism could still be significant.
There is also a broader question about what happens to the open web if one of its largest traffic drivers starts charging for outbound links. One detailed report notes that Facebook users may soon have to pay to share more than two posts that include links, and that Meta is currently carrying out a test of a paid option for a core service, which is the ability to post content from the broader web without a Meta Verified subscription, a shift that is captured in coverage explaining that Meta is currently carrying out a test of a paid option for a core service. If that model spreads, it could encourage other platforms to treat link sharing as a premium feature, which would chip away at the assumption that social networks are free gateways to the rest of the internet.
How this fits into Meta’s broader strategy and industry trends
The link cap experiment does not exist in a vacuum, it fits into a broader pattern of social platforms looking for new revenue streams beyond advertising. Meta is informing some users that they will soon be restricted in how many link posts they can publish unless they pay, and one analysis framed it bluntly by saying “Okay, this is a big one” as it laid out how Meta is considering charging business pages to post links and provided the company’s statement on the test, a framing that appears in coverage of how Meta is considering charging business pages to post links. That move echoes other shifts, such as paid verification on X and subscription tiers on platforms like Snapchat and TikTok that bundle extra reach or analytics.
Meta itself has signaled that it is watching those rivals closely. In the same context that it outlined the £9.99 subscription, the company said it would also echo Musk’s changes at X with a “community notes” tool for users to label misleading posts, a direct reference to Elon Musk’s stewardship of X and its crowdsourced fact checking system, as described in reporting that notes that it said it would also echo Musk’s changes at X with a “community notes” tool. I see the link paywall test as part of that same competitive dance, with Meta borrowing ideas from rivals while trying to carve out its own subscription logic.
What comes next for creators, businesses and Meta
For now, Meta insists that the link cap is a limited test, but the company’s track record suggests that experiments that generate meaningful revenue often stick around in some form. One report notes that Facebook tests charging creators and businesses to post more than two links per month and that the test is being watched closely by news publishers and other stakeholders who want to know whether Meta will expand it beyond the current group of Facebook Pages and professional mode profiles, a dynamic that is laid out in coverage of how Facebook tests charging creators and businesses to post more than two links per month. If the company concludes that enough users are willing to pay, it will be hard to walk away from that new revenue line.
Creators and businesses, meanwhile, are already weighing their options. Some will likely absorb the £9.99 cost as a price of doing business, especially if they are already paying for Meta Verified, while others may shift more of their promotional energy to platforms that still treat link sharing as a free, core feature. One detailed breakdown of the rollout notes that Facebook is rolling out a new limit that restricts a user to two link posts per month unless he pays, and that this change is landing at a time when many marketers are already diversifying into channels like email, search and messaging apps to reduce their dependence on any single platform, a tension that is captured in the description of how Facebook tests paid limits on link sharing for some users. From my perspective, the test is a reminder that on rented land like Facebook, even the most basic tools can become billable overnight.
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