Choose the benefits you will use
X Premium: Basic vs Premium vs Premium+ Compared
The cheapest X subscription does not include a blue checkmark. The two tiers that do include it have different levels of reply priority. Those distinctions matter more than the word “Premium” on a receipt.
Basic, Premium and Premium+ are the familiar X plans, previously associated with Twitter Blue. This comparison explains their prices and practical differences, then separates them from the newer plans that reuse some of the same names.
A change to know before comparing: X now directs new customers to The X Subscription, which combines X benefits with Grok and Cursor. Existing plans continue unless the customer changes or cancels them. Switching is optional for existing subscribers, according to the official overview. The legacy comparison below still matters if you already have one of those plans.
Jump to the comparison, prices, reply reach, the new plan names or choosing a plan.
X Basic vs Premium vs Premium+: the differences
| Feature | Basic | Premium | Premium+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue checkmark | No | After eligibility review | After eligibility review |
| Reply priority | Included | Greater | Greatest |
| Edit and longer posts | Included | Included | Included |
| Ads | No reduction | About half as many in For You and Following | No ads across most areas; some sponsored content remains possible |
| Creator monetization applications | Not included | Subject to separate requirements | Subject to separate requirements |
| X Pro | Not included | Not included | Included |
Sources: X's tier features and Premium FAQ. Basic is mainly an editing and publishing upgrade. Premium adds the badge and stronger conversation placement. Premium+ adds the strongest listed reply priority and more extensive product access.
Start with the row that solves a real problem for you. If your problem is correcting posts after publishing, the blue checkmark is beside the point. If your strategy depends on discovery through replies, the priority row deserves much more attention.
How much is X Premium?
X's published web starting prices for the established tiers are below. These are US dollar prices before applicable tax. Local prices differ, and mobile subscriptions have different prices because of app store fees.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing | Annual saving against 12 monthly payments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $3 | $32 | $4 |
| Premium | $8 | $84 | $12 |
| Premium+ | $40 | $395 | $85 |
The saving column is simple arithmetic using those list prices. Annual Premium works out to $7 per month, paid upfront. Annual Premium+ is about $32.92 per month. The recurring monthly difference between Premium and Premium+ is $32 at the listed web rates.
That $32 is a useful decision point. Identify what the upgrade would replace or improve in your actual work. If the answer is only “perhaps more reach,” start with a measured comparison before making a yearly commitment.
Does X Basic give you a blue checkmark?
No. Basic does not include the blue checkmark. Paying for a subscription and receiving a badge are separate events. Premium and Premium+ make an account eligible, and the badge appears after review.
X requires a complete profile, recent activity and a confirmed phone number, alongside its integrity requirements. Changes to a profile photo, display name or username can trigger another review. The badge signifies a qualifying subscription and eligibility, rather than proof of professional expertise or automatic ID verification. See X's checkmark explanation.
This matters when evaluating a newly purchased plan. A successful payment is not evidence that every badge related benefit has already become available. Check the subscription attached to the account and its review status before assuming something is broken.
Our Twitter verification guide covers checkmark requirements in more detail. The choice here is simpler: do not buy Basic if the blue badge is the feature you need.
Do Premium and Premium+ give the same reply boost?
They do not have the same published reply priority. X describes Premium as having greater priority and Premium+ as having the greatest priority. Both include the blue checkmark after review. Sharing a badge does not make the plans identical.
Think about the value of placement in the conversations you join. An account answering questions from a small, established professional circle has a different use case from a creator competing in busy public threads. The extra priority is more relevant when reply discovery is a large part of the work.
There is no published fixed multiplier in the tier comparison that turns every Premium reply into five times the views, or every Premium+ reply into twice Premium's result. X documents priority. Measure the impressions and useful responses your own account receives.
Buffer's analysis of posts across subscription tiers reported fewer than 100 typical impressions for regular accounts, around 600 for Premium and more than 1,550 for Premium+. Those are observed post results across groups, not a controlled test of an individual account's reply upgrade.
Our guide to increasing Twitter impressions through replies explains how to combine the placement advantage with conversation selection and useful contributions.
Separate reach benefits from the tools you use
An editing feature saves time when an announcement needs a correction. A longer post helps when an argument genuinely needs more space. Neither requires you to turn every reply into an essay.
Likewise, fewer ads improve your reading experience, while reply priority affects how your contributions compete for attention. These benefits solve different problems. A person who mostly reads X might value an expensive tier for reasons that have nothing to do with audience growth.
For an operator, journalist or researcher, X Pro access might justify the price through a better working environment. For an occasional poster, that same feature might go unused. Write down what you used during a normal week before treating the longest feature list as the best value.
Monetization needs its own evaluation. Access to apply does not establish that an account qualifies, and a subscription is not a revenue forecast. Use the Twitter monetization guide to examine that decision separately.
The new X Subscription uses different names
This is the most confusing part of the comparison in October 2026: Premium on The X Subscription is a different plan from the established $8 X Premium tier. Compare the full product name and its included X benefits, not the word Premium alone.
The current subscription price list lists the following individual plans. The annual figures are total annual charges, rather than monthly payments.
| New plan | Monthly | Annual | X benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Standard X |
| Plus | $8 | $80 | Checkmark eligibility, creator tools and fewer ads |
| Premium | $30 | $300 | Full X Premium+ benefits |
| Super | $100 | $1,000 | Full X Premium+ benefits |
| Ultra | $200 | $2,000 | Full X Premium+ benefits |
The official X benefit mapping says benefits apply when you connect a personal X account. Premium, Super and Ultra all include full X Premium+ benefits. Their increasing prices should not be read as three further levels of reply priority.
If you already have X Premium+, that mapping says Premium or higher keeps your X Premium+ benefits when switching. Organization managed accounts, including affiliate accounts, cannot be connected through this personal account route.
Before comparing the new bundle with a plan you already pay for, account for the other products you actually use. Someone paying separately for a coding tool and AI access has a different calculation from someone who only wants a badge on X. Do not assign value to tools you would never otherwise buy.
Which X subscription should you choose?
For an existing subscriber, the starting decision is whether the current plan already does the job. You do not need to change a working subscription simply because a new name exists.
- You mainly want editing and publishing features: judge Basic against those needs. It is not a route to a blue checkmark.
- You grow through replies and need the badge: compare the established Premium tier, if you already have access to it, with the current Plus offering. Check the benefit list attached to the actual plan.
- You need the full X Premium+ feature set: compare your existing Premium+ price with the new bundle's Premium tier and the other products included in it.
- You are considering Super or Ultra only for X reach: the published mapping gives both the same full X Premium+ benefits as the new Premium plan. The extra spend needs a reason outside an assumed further reply boost.
Make the decision around recurring use. If an upgrade earns its place through better conversations, useful tools or saved time, you will be able to describe that benefit clearly. If you cannot, keep the cheaper suitable plan until the evidence changes.
Common X subscription questions
Is Twitter Blue the same thing as X Premium?
Twitter Blue is the former name people still use when searching for paid X subscriptions. For a purchase decision, identify the current tier and benefits instead of relying on that older label.
Is X Premium+ the same as Plus on The X Subscription?
No. Plus is the new $8 monthly bundle tier. The published mapping places full X Premium+ benefits in the new Premium, Super and Ultra tiers. The plus sign in the older name is not a reliable way to compare them.
Does paying more prove that an account is more trustworthy?
No. A subscription is a product choice. Evaluate what the person publishes, whether their claims hold up and whether their identity is consistent. The badge is a visible account status, not a substitute for that judgment.
Prices, feature lists and subscription transition guidance checked October 22, 2026. Sources are linked beside the relevant claims. Prices are the published US dollar web or bundle list prices before applicable tax; checkout terms determine the plan available to a particular account.