Snap now has more than 30 million paying subscribers
Snap says over 30 million people pay for its plans, including Snapchat+ and Platinum, according to Engadget's report on its third-quarter earnings.
The facts
- According to Engadget, more than 30 million people pay for a Snap plan, including Snapchat+ and the ad-free Platinum tier.
- Snap said its non-advertising "other" revenue grew 84 percent compared with last year, and that Lens+ has grown nearly 600% since January 2026.
- Engadget reports advertising revenue is growing "below our ambitions", and only 2 million new daily users joined since last quarter. Snapchat has 977 million monthly users.
- Snap will focus on reporting monthly active users rather than daily users from 2027, and warned that lawsuits and youth-related regulatory scrutiny could affect its prospects.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
Ads are the usual way a social app pays its bills. Snap's numbers suggest that is getting harder, and paying users are filling part of the gap. Notice the pattern: AI effects are what people are paying for, not the old bonus features. Also notice the switch to monthly users from 2027. When a company changes the metric it reports, ask why.
For traders
Don't trade the 30 million headline. Watch whether subscription revenue keeps growing as advertising stays weak, and how the legal and regulatory risks Snap flagged show up in later filings.
For builders
Small paid add-ons built around AI creative tools can work inside a big social app. The lesson is to charge for something users already enjoy, not for a feature list.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from Engadget's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.