More details on Bluesky's subscription plan
December 7, 2024
Update: I had missed this, but the Bluesky team had already announced a subscription model was on the way. I had written this article assuming that was the news. What is new is the work happening on their official apps, which contains details on features and potential pricing. An edited version of the original post follows.
Yesterday, user @saeri.xyz on Bluesky posted some screenshots of Bluesky’s upcoming subscription plan.
The thread also included a link to a pull request titled “[Subs] Draft”. Digging into the repository for the social-app project on GitHub, I also found a branch named “subs/base”. In it, I found a SubscriptionsDialog.tsx file that contained the following text:
Here’s the thing: we don’t have any premium features yet because all our servers are on fire. Support us now so we can put the fires out and get working on those features!
What you’ll get now:
- A supporter badge on your profile
- A warm fuzzy feeling knowing you helped us out
What you’ll get soon:
- Custom profile colors
- Longer and higher quality videos
- Custom app icons
The file also lists some pricing details. It seems to start at $6/month for the monthly plan, going up to $8/month after 12 months. There is also an annual plan starting at $60/year, renewing at $80/year.
This is a work in progress, so it’s safest to assume these details may change. That said, I think this subscription is probably the best way for Bluesky to generate revenue. The Verge recently launched their subscription plan, and on the latest episode of The Vergecast the hosts say that they were very happy with the uptake. 1 I suspect a sizeable chunk of Bluesky users would pay to ensure the service sticks around.
I find it interesting that this is coming to light because the official Bluesky client is open source. The closest analogue to this sort of thing is Mastodon, which also has open source apps. However, Mastodon is primarily funded through donations.
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I signed up and was happy to do so. I’ve been reading The Verge since the beginning, and I think they do the best tech reporting in the business. ↩