TikTok launches an ad-free subscription plan in the UK

In Brief Posted: 7:05 AM PDT · May 11, 2026 Image Credits: Editorial RF (opens in a new window) / Getty Images Aisha Malik TikTok launches an ad-free subscription plan in the UK TikTok is introducing an ad-free subscription plan in the U.K. that costs £3.99 (about $5.44) per month. The new offering is rolling out over the coming months and will be available to users 18 and over. Users who sign up for the plan won’t see ads on TikTok, and their data won’t be used for advertising purposes. The launch was likely driven by the U.K.’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which prohibits companies from collecting users’ personal data for advertising purposes without their consent. “Choice for our community and growth for UK businesses go hand in hand on TikTok,” said TikTok’s UK managing director, Kris Boger, in a press release. “Advertising on our platform is already helping thousands of British businesses reach new customers, increase sales, and create jobs, while our new ad-free option gives people greater control over their experience.” TikTok first began testing the ad-free plan in 2023. It’s unknown whether the social media giant plans to bring the offering to the U.S. Topics Apps , In Brief , Social , social media , TikTok October 13 – 15 San Francisco Don’t miss out . The startup community will gather to answer a pivotal question: How do you build sustainably in the AI era? REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news Related Social Meta agrees to sweeping changes to restrict kids’ access to its apps as part of settlement with states Aisha Malik 16 hours ago Social X sends cease-and-desist to open source project Nitter over alleged scraping Sarah Perez 1 day ago Apps WhatsApp tightens account security with stronger two-step verification and more Aisha Malik 2 days ago Latest in Apps Apps Google’s Gemini has a branding problem, and so does the rest of AI Sarah Perez 13 hours ago Startups Flipboard acquires Graze, the feed builder working to monetize the open social web Sarah Perez 14 hours ago Social Meta agrees to sweeping changes to restrict kids’ access to its apps as part of settlement with states Aisha Malik 16 hours ago