TikTok will no longer be free if you want the best experience – pay or face a wall of ads

Quick Summary

TikTok has announced a new subscription for UK users aged 18 and over.

Paid membership will be rolled out over the coming months. It will cost £3.99 a month for an ad-free experience.

If you’re a fan of TikTok, then you might be reconsidering your allegiance after this week’s news. The social app has announced it will roll out a subscription charge for users aged over 18 in the UK.

But before you throw your arms up in the air in protest, the subscription charge won’t be mandatory. Instead, it will allow you to get an ad-free experience, though you can still choose to pay nothing and have adverts served to you as you do now.

What is TikTok Ad-Free and how much is it?

TikTok's newsroom post said: “Over the coming months, accounts aged 18 or over in the UK will gradually be able to sign up to a new ad-free subscription option, TikTok Ad-Free.

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"For those who choose not to subscribe, they will continue to be able to use TikTok as they have been, with personalised ads.”

The subscription for TikTok Ad-Free will cost £3.99 a month and it will not only mean you won’t see ads on in places like the For You feed, but your data won’t be used for advertising purposes either.

Those who continue to use the app for free will see personalised ads related to their interests, though you will be able to shape your ad personalisation experience in settings.

The TikTok post also said: “Importantly, regardless of whether people opt for TikTok Ad-Free or stay with the ad-supported version, their core TikTok experience won't change.

"People will still have access to all the same features, creators, and content that make TikTok unique.”

TikTok's UK boss, Kris Boger, added: "Our new ad-free option gives people greater control over their experience. This ensures we continue to deliver real economic impact while giving our community the flexibility to engage with TikTok in the way that suits them."

The TikTok Ad-Free subscription will roll out in the UK “over the coming months" and be exclusive to adults.

Britta is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. She's covered all consumer tech from phones, tablets and wearables to smart home and beauty tech, with everything in between. She has a fashion journalism degree from London College of Fashion and previously did a long stint as deputy editor of Pocket-lint, but you’ll now find her byline on several titles including GQ, the Express, the Mirror, TechRadar, Stuff and iMore. You'll never find her without her Apple Watch on, aiming to complete her rings so she can justify the extra bar of chocolate and she loves a good iPhone trick.