X Pro, the new name for TweetDeck, now mandates a subscription to access its features.

On Wednesday morning, a significant change occurred in the social media landscape as X, formerly known as Twitter, implemented a long-anticipated paywall for its TweetDeck service. TweetDeck, now rebranded as X Pro, allows users to easily view and customize multiple feeds in real time. This platform rose to prominence and eventually caught the attention of Twitter, which acquired it in 2011.

Traditionally, TweetDeck has been free to use, but in July, X revealed plans to make it a subscriber-only feature. Starting from today, users who desire access to the added functionalities of X Pro will have to subscribe to X Premium, a service introduced by Elon Musk, CEO and owner of Twitter, with the intention of generating additional revenue. This subscription costs $84 per year.

Subscribing to X Premium not only grants access to X Pro, but also provides other benefits such as a verified blue checkmark on users’ accounts, prioritized rankings in replies and search results, longer post lengths, and reduced advertisement exposure. Originally named Twitter Blue, this premium service faced initial challenges in November due to impersonation issues, but it relaunched in December with necessary improvements.

Elon Musk, renowned for his role as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, acquired Twitter for a staggering $44 billion in late 2021. His impact on both employees and users was immediately apparent, as he implemented significant job cuts and introduced major new features and policy changes on the platform. Musk also initiated a comprehensive rebranding effort, announced in July, which involved retiring Twitter’s iconic bird logo and adopting the new identity of X. This rebranding extended to the renaming of services like TweetDeck.