Elon Musk-owned social network X makes TweetDeck a subscriber-only product
Elon Musk-owned social network X, formerly Twitter, has made X Pro – previously known as TweetDeck – available only for subscribers.
Users trying to access TweetDeck are shown a popup prompting them to buy a Blue subscription.
TweetDeck is no longer free
Impact on users
The move isn’t entirely surprising, as on July 3, the company announced that within 30 days TweetDeck would only be accessible to verified users. However, like many of Musk’s promised timelines, the implementation of this new rule was delayed by a few days.
Many newsrooms, journalists, researchers, and social media consultants rely on TweetDeck – which was acquired by Twitter in a $40 million deal in 2011 – to track multiple lists and trends on Twitter/X. Now, they will have to pay for continued use of the tool.
In recent years, TweetDeck has felt neglected. The previous management started testing a new version of the tool in 2021, but it wasn’t widely released. Additionally, in June 2022, the company shut down TweetDeck’s Mac client.
Improvements under Musk’s ownership
Under Musk’s ownership, X has made its subscription offering more attractive with various features. Alongside the verification mark, which can now be hidden, X introduced the ability to post longer text and videos, reduced ads, access to encryption in direct messages (DMs), and ad revenue sharing.
