X rolls out basic verification plan for businesses at 80% price cut

X, formerly Twitter, is introducing a new “basic” verification plan for small businesses. Previously, it cost $1,000 per month for everyone. The Elon Musk-owned social media platform has announced an 80% price reduction, bringing the monthly fee to $200. However, there’s a catch: only select businesses can subscribe to this plan.

X will offer a verified organization badge for $200 to SMB customers

X’s @Verified account shared the update on January 2, stating that the “basic tier” is available for $200 per month or $2,000 annually. This represents a flat 80% reduction, mainly aimed at “smaller businesses.” Notably, this is different from the four levels of X Premium — Free, Basic, Premium, and Premium+ — available to personal accounts.

Although limited information is available about the rationale behind X’s introduction of a basic verification plan for small businesses, it coincides with the company’s major valuation plunge of 71%. However, despite these financial challenges, X owner Elon Musk remains the world’s wealthiest individual.

What’s the difference between the Full Access plan and the Basic plan?

The Basic plan is designed to help businesses find customers and expand their reach through advertising. This plan offers priority support and advertising credits but does not include a 2x boost in hiring or affiliations. With affiliations, X refers to accounts with a blue checkmark and the organization’s logo beside it. Additionally, access to Grok AI and Media Studio, previously TweetDeck, is included.

On the other hand, the Gold checkmark Full Access plan provides a more comprehensive suite of features. In addition to priority support and advertising credits, it offers a 2x boost in hiring capabilities and the ability to form affiliations. It’s important to note that each affiliate account costs $50 monthly. Moreover, it allows businesses to reach more customers organically and recruit talent more effectively with the 2x hiring boost. For a limited time, the Full Access plan also offers advertising credits that organizations or any of their affiliates can use every month, along with dedicated support.

But anyway, $1,000 monthly is a sweet deal for most small and medium-sized businesses. Therefore, the $200 monthly or $2,000 yearly “basic” plan makes more sense for SMBs.