Snapchat is a popular social media app that allows users to share photos, videos, and messages that disappear after being viewed. One of the core features of Snapchat is the ability to add friends and share content with your connections. However, Snapchat has also introduced a subscription feature called Snapchat+ that gives you access to exclusive features and content from creators, influencers, and publishers.
So what’s the difference between Snapchat friends and Snapchat+ subscriptions? And how do these features affect your Snapchat experience?
Snapchat Friends
Adding friends on Snapchat allows you to share ephemeral photos, videos, messages, and video calls with people you know and trust. When you add someone as a friend on Snapchat, you gain access to the following features:
- Send direct snaps, chats, audio notes, and video notes to friends.
- View friends’ stories, which are compilations of snaps that friends post to their accounts.
- See friends’ locations on the Snap Map.
- Video chat with friends using Snapchat Video Chat.
- Create group chats with multiple friends.
- Add friends to your “Best Friends” list to share your most personal snaps.
- Interact with friends by sending snaps, chatting, reacting to stories, etc.
The key benefit of adding friends on Snapchat is being able to instantly communicate visually with your real-life connections. Snapchat friends are people you know personally, such as your close friends, family members, classmates, coworkers, etc. Snaps sent to friends disappear after being viewed once, creating a spontaneous and authentic way to share moments from your daily life.
Snapchat+ Subscriptions
Snapchat+ is a paid subscription service that gives you access to exclusive content and features from creators, publishers, and influencers. A Snapchat+ subscription unlocks additional Snapchat capabilities such as:
- Subscriber-only Stories – Exclusive Stories from creators and influencers.
- Custom Story Replays – Replay a Story as many times as you want.
- Custom Notification Sounds – Change the notification sound for incoming Snaps.
- Custom Camera Color Borders – Unique borders and backgrounds for your Snaps.
- Custom Snapchat Bitmoji Backgrounds.
- Snapchat+ Badge – Special subscriber badge displayed by your name.
The main benefit of a Snapchat+ subscription is getting premium content from verified creators, publishers, influencers, and artists. Subscriptions provide a direct way to support your favorite Snapchat creators and gain access to exclusive Stories. However, subscribers don’t gain any special privileges when it comes to interacting with friends.
Key Differences
Here are some of the main differences between Snapchat friends and Snapchat+ subscriptions:
- Friends – Your real-life connections and people you know personally.
- Subscriptions – Celebrities, influencers, creators, artists, and publishers.
- Friends – Send direct, ephemeral snaps.
- Subscriptions – View exclusive Stories.
- Friends – Chat, audio notes, video notes.
- Subscriptions – No direct communication.
- Friends – Free to add.
- Subscriptions – Paid monthly fee for access.
- Friends – Gain access to all friend features.
- Subscriptions – Special subscriber-only features.
The main takeaway is that Snapchat friends and Snapchat+ subscriptions serve different purposes. Friends facilitate direct communication with people you know, while subscriptions provide premium content from creators.
Should You Subscribe?
Here are some things to consider when deciding if a Snapchat+ subscription is worthwhile for you:
- Are your favorite Snapchat creators offering subscriber-only content? If the creators you love most aren’t on Snapchat+, it may not be worth subscribing.
- How often do you use Snapchat? Frequent Snapchat users who enjoy discovering new creators will get more value from a subscription.
- Are exclusive Stories and cosmetic features appealing? The extra features like badges and backgrounds may or may not impact your Snapchat experience.
- Can you afford it? Snapchat+ costs $3.99 per month, so evaluate whether the subscription fee fits your budget.
Ultimately, Snapchat+ is most valuable for die-hard Snapchatters who want special access to content from their favorite creators. Casual users may not find enough benefits to justify the monthly subscription cost. Think carefully about your Snapchat habits before committing to a paid Snapchat+ membership.
Tips for Managing Friends and Subscriptions
Here are some tips to get the most out of your Snapchat friends and subscriptions:
- Be selective when adding new friends – only add people you know and want to interact with.
- Remove old friends that you no longer talk to or want to share Stories with.
- Use Snapchat’s Friend Emojis to designate your Best Friends and see who you interact with most.
- Subscribe only to Snapchat creators that you truly enjoy and want to support.
- Turn on Post Notifications for friends and creators you never want to miss.
- Use Snapchat Lists to organize friends and subscriptions into custom groups.
- Take advantage of Snapchat+ features like replays and notifications customization.
The key is being intentional about who you add as friends and carefully choosing subscriptions that are worth the monthly fee. Curate your Snapchat experience by only connecting with friends and creators that bring value to your life.
The Future of Snapchat Connections
Snapchat has fundamentally changed how people communicate with photos, videos, and visual messages. As Snapchat expands its offerings, the social app will likely continue evolving the ways users connect.
Potential future changes that could impact Snapchat friends and subscriptions include:
- New exclusive features for Snapchat+ subscribers, such as custom fonts, interactive filters, etc.
- Integration with AR – Imagine overlaying digital objects onto your Snaps using augmented reality.
- Expanded friend capabilities – Possibly adding status indicators, enhanced profiles, verification badges, etc.
- Algorithmic content – Snapchat may recommend friends and premium Stories based on your preferences.
- Monetization tools – Snapchat could allow creators to charge for exclusive Stories or interactions.
While the core purpose will remain visual communication with friends, expect Snapchat to keep innovating new ways to express yourself and connect with the people and content you care about most.