Facebook users may soon have to pay to share more than two posts that include…

Meta is currently running an experiment on Facebook. This new test limits free users to posting only two external links per day. To exceed this daily cap, users are prompted to purchase a "Meta Verified" subscription, which starts at $14.99 per month.

Social media strategist Matt Navarra highlighted the testing of this new paywall feature after several users reported encountering the restriction over the past week. This move is a strategy to drive more users toward the paid subscription tier by gating a fundamental feature, which is sharing content from the wider web, behind a monthly fee.The screenshots of the test shared by Navarra confirm that not all sharing is restricted.

Free users can still post affiliate links and comment without limits. Additionally, cross-platform sharing remains unaffected, allowing users to freely post links to internal Meta properties, such as Instagram, WhatsApp, and other Facebook posts.In a post shared on Threads, Navarra wrote: “WOW! Facebook is testing limiting the number a links people can share without a Meta Verified subscription. Some users will be limited to sharing just TWO links per month in organic posts, without a Mera Verified account! Meta confirmed the following to me: “This is a limited test to understand whether the ability to publish an increased volume of posts with links add additional value for Meta Verified subscribers.”

What Meta said about Facebook’s link sharing test

Navarra also shared a screenshot showing Meta’s message about the change. The company wrote: “Starting December 16, certain Facebook profiles without Meta Verified, including yours, will be limited to sharing links in 2 organic posts per month. Subscribe to Meta Verified to share more links on Facebook, plus get a verified badge and additional benefits to help protect your brand.”The company has also confirmed the test, saying it affects users in professional mode and those managing Facebook Pages.

Professional mode allows personal profiles to be converted into creator profiles, making their content eligible for broader discovery.In a statement to TechCrunch, a Meta spokesperson said: “This is a limited test to understand whether the ability to publish an increased volume of posts with links adds additional value for Meta Verified subscribers.”This change would directly affect creators and brands that share links from their blogs or other platforms to reach more people.Meta said it is testing ways to offer more benefits to Meta Verified subscribers, and this experiment is part of that effort. The company clarified that publishers are not included in the test for now. Moreover, users can still share links in comments, which are not affected by the limit.In its Q3 transparency report, Meta said that more than 98% of feed views in the US come from posts without links. It is unclear whether this data led the company to test limits on link sharing.

Meta added that most of the 1.9% of views on link posts came from Pages users already followed, while links shared by friends or groups accounted for a tiny share.The report also noted that YouTube, TikTok, and GoFundMe were the most shared link domains. If the link limit is enforced, creators and brands may have to post content directly on Meta platforms once they hit the limit, or stop posting links unless they pay for a subscription.As AI becomes more common online, debates around the link-based web have grown. AI-powered search and summaries have hurt publishers, and in recent years, social platforms like X have reduced the reach of posts with links to push users to share content directly on their platforms.