Is this the death of link sharing on Facebook?

In late December 2025, Meta initiated a subtle but potentially consequential change to how links are shared on Facebook: a paid restriction on outbound link sharing for non-subscribed users.

Reported [multiple industry outlets](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/18/facebook-tests-charging-users-to-share-links-in-potential-blow-for-news-outlets ), the company has begun testing a model in which users without a Meta Verified subscription are limited in how many external links they can post organically per month unless they pay for expanded privileges.

Taken together, this points toward a potentially significant change in how information on Facebook will circulate.

What is Meta Testing?

Meta has been experimenting with a limit on the number of organic posts with external links that can be published by certain users and Pages without a paid Meta Verified subscription.

The trial, confirmed by Meta, is explicit in its trade-off: stay within the link cap, or pay for a subscription that permits more posting freedom.

Meta Verified already provides verification badges, account protection features, and customer support perks. On top of those, link-sharing capacity may now be effectively monetised. For businesses and creators that depend on linking back to websites, shops, articles, or other web content, this change reframes link sharing from a basic communication function into a premium feature.

Social Media Today added that Meta describes the test as an attempt to evaluate whether additional link-sharing privileges add value to the paid subscription.

A Shift in Platform Incentives

Charging for link posting appears to align logically with Meta’s commercial incentives. Encouraging more subscriptions to Meta Verified represents a clear revenue opportunity, especially if link access becomes a conspicuous benefit for content-driving Pages.

So, rather than merely advertising or boosting distribution, the platform is exploring a tiered access model for fundamental communicative features.

Implications for Creators and Businesses

Industry observers are already raising flags. Limiting organic link posts for non-paying users could have a measurable impact on referral traffic, particularly for organisations that rely on social platforms to attract readers, customers, or members.

News outlets, small businesses, non-profits, and individual creators typically depend on unrestricted linking as part of their digital distribution strategy.

Critics argue that this risks entrenching advantages for larger, resource-rich brands that can afford subscription fees, while smaller entities see their visibility further diminished.

The change also underscores a broader theme in the platform economy: organisations do not “own” their audiences on social networks; they rent access to them, subject to shifting platform priorities and monetisation models.

Basic Utility to Premium Capability

For now, Meta’s link restriction remains a test - a limited experiment with a stated objective of gauging subscription value. It is nonethless clear that Meta is increasingly willing to assign economic value to features that were previously free, repositioning them as part of a premium tier.

That choice reflects broader pressures on big tech companies to stabilise revenue and justify valuations in a market that rewards recurring subscription income.

For digital strategists and content professionals, this development merits serious attention. Even if the test does not become a permanent feature in its current form, it signals a willingness to reconsider long-standing assumptions about what functionality should be free on social platforms.

In the evolving economics of social media, link sharing — once treated as a basic utility — is increasingly being repositioned as a premium capability. The distinction lies in where and why that cost is applied.

Tools such as Storrito, for example, have long operated as paid services by charging for workflow efficiency, reliability, and strategic control — not for access to the underlying act of linking itself.

Meta’s experiment signals a different shift: the platform itself is beginning to monetise core distribution mechanics. Whether this strengthens platform sustainability or further constrains the open circulation of content remains to be seen.

What is clear, however, is that organisations can no longer treat Facebook as a neutral distribution layer. In 2026 and beyond, access, visibility, and control will increasingly be shaped by explicit platform conditions rather than implicit reach.