Meta's paid link-sharing test on Facebook hits nonprofits

Meta's test that ties link sharing on Facebook to a paid subscription has spilled over to organizations that were meant to be left out. According to reports, pages run by some public agencies and nonprofits received notices saying they can share links in only two posts a month and must then move to a Meta One subscription.

Meta says the experiment should not affect nonprofits or government agencies. Page managers describe a different picture, and some have begun rethinking how they use the platform. Some of the affected pages are classified as nonprofits and have gone through a separate verification process to use Meta's fundraising tools.

A city library's page was restricted too

Daniel Starks, communications manager for Greenville, Texas, a city of about 35,000, is responsible for roughly ten Facebook pages run by the municipality. The library's page recently received a notice saying only two posts a month could include links and that the allowance had been used up. Sharing more links required a Meta One subscription costing $50 a month or more.

Starks says more than half of what the city does on the platform consists of pointing people to information on its website. Worried that the other pages could hit similar limits, he told his team to stop using links in Facebook posts altogether. The addresses are now added in the comments, and a graphic was prepared to explain this to followers. The library page describes itself as a government building and had previously been verified by Meta. Starks finds it problematic that an official body trying to announce important information runs into a paywall simply for sharing a link.

Small nonprofits are struggling

Bethany English, co-chair of a small Indianapolis group that sets up pet food distribution points, noticed last week that she could not link to the organization's website while preparing a post about an upcoming event. She had already used her two monthly links, and the only option offered was a Meta One subscription. The "expert" plan, which allows 20 links a month, costs $150 a month.

The group was founded last year and has just under a thousand followers on its Facebook page. For it, social media matters for helping people find distribution points, learn where to drop off donations, volunteer, and join fundraising drives by directing them to its website. English says she struggles to justify paying $150 a month just to share links. She is considering creating more event pages or asking board members to add links as comments from their personal profiles, which fall outside Meta's restrictions. Jeff Bannister, marketing manager at SparkPoint, a North Carolina organization working on public health and social connection, calls $50 for eight links "unbelievable" and is looking at sharing information with other local groups to reduce dependence on Facebook.

Meta One plans and unclear rules

Meta has been testing paid link sharing for about a year. It first appeared inside Meta Verified subscriptions and is now presented as one of the headline perks of the new AI-focused Meta One plans. The cheapest plan, at $14.99 a month, includes no extra Facebook links, though subscribers can add a custom link page to their Instagram bios. The $49.99 plan offers eight links a month and the $149.99 plan offers 20 Facebook links. "Unlimited" links come only in the $499.99-a-month tier.

Many of those affected are confused by the new rules. Some users can add links in comments under their posts while others cannot. Meta's plan descriptions and help center pages also do not say the restriction is a test. The company says Meta One plans are meant to unlock more specialized capabilities and AI features, yet attaching an address to a post is one of the platform's oldest functions and requires no AI resources.

A Meta spokesperson did not address why nonprofits ran into the restriction. The statement said the company is testing whether link sharing should be part of a Meta One subscription and will keep refining the experience based on feedback and what it learns.