TikTok launches ad-free subscription for UK users

TikTok is introducing a paid ad-free tier in the UK as platforms come under growing pressure over how they handle personalised advertising and user consent.

From this week, UK users aged 18 and over will begin receiving notifications about TikTok Ad-Free, a new £3.99 ($5.00) a month subscription that removes ads from across the platform, including the For You feed. 

Those who do not subscribe will continue using the app free with personalised ads. TikTok says some advertising controls will remain available in settings. Sponsored creator content – typically labelled #ad – will still appear, as it falls outside the subscription’s scope.

TikTok is no stranger to regulatory scrutiny. The European Commission has provisionally found the platform in breach of the Digital Services Act over its recommendation system, exposing it to fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover. In the US, years of political pressure over China’s ownership of the platform ended earlier this year when TikTok's American operations were placed under a new ownership structure.

Its paid-subscription shift mirrors models already introduced by Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. Regulators across the UK and Europe have questioned whether users can meaningfully consent to personalised advertising when the only alternative is leaving a platform – paid ad-free tiers have become one response.

TikTok said it first tested the subscription model in select markets in 2023. Kris Boger, TikTok’s UK managing director, said advertising on the platform helped UK small businesses generate an estimated £1.2bn in revenue in 2022, according to company figures.