Snap has crossed a significant milestone in its push to diversify beyond advertising: the company now counts more than 30 million paying customers across its subscription products, including Snapchat+, Lens+ and the ad-free Platinum tier. The figure, disclosed in the company’s third-quarter earnings report, marks a notable expansion of Snap paid subscribers and underscores how add-on experiences are becoming a larger part of the business.
Subscription revenue climbs sharply
Snap’s non-advertising “other” revenue jumped 84 percent year over year, according to the earnings release. That category includes the company’s various subscription plans, which have multiplied since Snapchat+ launched in 2022. The original offering gave users perks such as the ability to see which friends re-watched their Story. Since then, Snap has layered on Lens+, a subscription for AI-powered augmented reality effects; Platinum, which removes advertising; and paid storage for the app’s Memory feature.
Snap did not break down how many subscribers belong to each plan. However, the company said Lens+ has grown nearly 600 percent since January 2026. That surge suggests a meaningful share of users are willing to pay specifically for AI-driven creative tools, including an AI editing feature called AI Photoshoot.
AI features exceed expectations
CEO Evan Spiegel told analysts on the earnings call that AI-powered features have helped Lens+ outperform the company’s internal forecasts. He described the results as evidence that new creative experiences can stimulate demand for paid products. The comment positions AI not just as a product enhancement but as a subscription driver—an area where Snap has quietly gained ground relative to some larger social media peers.
For context, X disclosed earlier this year that it had roughly 6.3 million paid subscribers across X Premium and Grok. Snap’s 30 million-plus total across its plans puts its paid user base in a different league, even though the company is less frequently grouped with AI leaders.
Advertising growth lags ambitions
Subscriptions stood out as a bright spot in a quarter where Snap’s core advertising business grew more slowly than leadership wanted. Spiegel acknowledged that ad revenue was expanding “below our ambitions.” The company added 2 million new daily users compared with the previous quarter, a modest gain.
Beginning in 2027, Snap plans to emphasize monthly active users in its reporting rather than daily users. The platform currently has 977 million monthly users, giving it a vast pool from which to convert free users into paying subscribers.
Regulatory scrutiny looms
Snap also cautioned that legal challenges and what it described as increased regulatory scrutiny on youth-related issues could affect its prospects. The company faces numerous lawsuits over alleged safety issues, and state attorneys general have pressed Snap to adopt additional safety features following a high-profile settlement involving Meta. Those pressures form a backdrop to the subscription momentum, adding uncertainty to the company’s outlook even as paid offerings gain traction.
For now, the 30 million paid subscriber milestone gives Snap a second revenue engine that is growing far faster than its ad business. Whether that momentum can be sustained will depend on how well the company continues to translate AI-powered creativity into products that users are willing to pay for—and on how it navigates the regulatory landscape ahead.
