X has been extra open recently about how its algorithm works. In its personal documentation, the platform notes that engagement is the strongest sign for visibility — replies, profile clicks, and dwell time high the checklist — however Premium subscribers additionally get an additional elevate.
In a current breakdown from Social Media Immediately on the X algorithm, verified accounts (which include a Premium subscription) profit from this increase, alongside different elements like video watch time and dialog depth. On the flip aspect, hyperlink posts, all-caps updates, and “offensive” content material see sharp penalties.
In different phrases, X has made it clear: in order for you attain, you must be participating and verified.
This perception raises an essential query: simply how a lot distinction does Premium really make?
To reply that, we teamed up with Buffer’s information scientist, Julian Winternheimer, and checked out greater than 18.8 million posts from 71,000 accounts over the previous yr. The outcomes present a rising divide — Premium isn’t nearly modifying instruments or longer posts anymore. It’s additionally about distribution.
Does Premium actually change content material efficiency on X?
Our evaluation means that Premium accounts do see considerably extra visibility.
🚀 Based on our findings, Premium accounts get round 10x extra attain per submit than common accounts.
Apparently, attain has trended downward over time on X, with median attain going from hovering close to 1000 in August 2024 to lower than 750 in August 2025.
⚡ Engagement charges present an identical sample. Premium accounts moved from a median of about 0.3% in late 2024 to 0.4% by mid-2025.
In distinction, common accounts declined from round 0.15% to a median of 0% by March 2025. A median of zero implies that no less than half of those accounts obtained no likes, replies, or reposts on their posts.
This aligns with what X has shared about its algorithm: Premium subscribers obtain visibility boosts, whereas non-Premium accounts might discover their content material more durable to floor. Our findings mirror that dynamic. Premium now seems to affect not simply entry to options, but additionally how content material is distributed within the feed.
The research: how Premium impacts attain and engagement on X
To grasp simply how a lot an X Premium subscription modifications issues, we analyzed 18.8 million posts from 71,000 X accounts between August 2024 and August 2025.
Roughly 27% of those accounts have been subscribed to certainly one of X’s three Premium tiers: Fundamental, Premium, or Premium+.
Once we in contrast attain and engagement aspect by aspect, a sample emerged: efficiency isn’t break up solely between free and paid accounts — there are additionally variations inside Premium itself.
Which means X successfully capabilities as a tiered system, the place visibility varies by subscription degree. As an instance what that appears like, we broke the information down throughout attain, engagement, and content material sort.
Within the subsequent part, we’ll stroll via these variations intimately.
1. What’s the distinction in attain between common and Premium accounts?
🚀 In our dataset, Premium customers obtained round 10x the median attain of standard accounts.
That hole has been constant over the previous yr however grew to become particularly pronounced in 2025, when Premium+ accounts — the best tier — started to drag additional forward.
- Common accounts: usually below 100 impressions per submit.
- Fundamental accounts: a small elevate above non-subscribers, however nonetheless restricted attain.
- Premium accounts: nearer to 600 impressions per submit.
- Premium+ accounts: typically greater than double Premium accounts, and the clear chief at over 1,550 impressions per submit.
Whereas Premium customers might need bigger audiences, follower dimension alone doesn’t account for the distinction.
The size of the hole means that Premium tiers profit from built-in distribution benefits, according to what X has outlined in its documentation.
💡 For creators and types targeted on attain, Premium seems to offer a stronger baseline for visibility.
2. What’s the distinction in engagement between common and Premium accounts?
Relating to engagement (likes, replies, and reposts), the variations throughout tiers are much less dramatic than for attain.
- Premium Fundamental leads barely, with a median engagement price of round 0.55% per submit.
- Premium+ is shut behind, touchdown proper at 0.53%.
- Premium sits marginally decrease, at round 0.49%.
- Common accounts had a median engagement price of 0%, that means no less than half of those accounts obtained no seen interplay on a typical submit.
Apparently, Premium Fundamental seems to “punch above its weight” on engagement, even with out the broader visibility that comes with increased tiers.
Nonetheless, with out the identical attain, these engagement good points could also be much less impactful total.
3. Which X Premium tier is the very best?
Premium isn’t a single improve — it is available in three tiers, and the variations present up in each options and efficiency.
🚀 Premium+ subscribers constantly see the best attain of all account sorts. Commonplace Premium customers carry out much better than common accounts, whereas Premium Fundamental sits nearer to an entry-level step-up.
Taking a month-to-month look from mid-2024 to mid-2025, some fascinating patterns emerge from the information:
- Premium+: leads throughout each attain and engagement. In some months, their median attain doubled that of normal Premium.
- Premium: delivers the most important bounce in comparison with common accounts — the road the place the visibility hole really opens.
- Fundamental: unlocked important Premium options like longer posts and modifying, however didn’t present the identical attain good points as the upper tiers. Engagement charges have been comparatively robust, although restricted visibility meant these interactions didn’t scale as broadly.
- Common accounts: stay on the backside, with attain below 100 impressions and a median engagement price of 0%.
X Premium is available in three tiers with totally different options and visibility advantages. Right here’s a fast breakdown of what every tier presents.
Tier
Worth
Key Options
Efficiency Affect (from our information)
Greatest For
Fundamental
$3/month
Contains important Premium options like modifying posts, longer posts (as much as 25k characters), longer video uploads (3 hours/8GB), daring/italic textual content formatting, bookmark folders, create communities, customized app icons, and modest reply prioritization
Little to no measurable attain/engagement elevate in comparison with free accounts
Customers who primarily need primary options and small further advantages with out paying for full visibility
Premium
$8/month
All Fundamental options + monetization (advertisements income sharing, creator subscriptions), Media Studio, X Professional, increased Grok entry, diminished advertisements (about half), Premium gifting, and the verification checkmark
The place the visibility hole really opens — constant attain/engagement benefit over Fundamental/free
Creators and types who desire a subscription plan that provides each premium options and measurable distribution good points
Premium+
$40/month
All Premium options + ad-free looking, long-form Articles, highest Grok entry, Radar pattern monitoring, top-tier reply prioritization, and visibility boosts
The strongest efficiency — typically doubling the attain of different Premium tiers
Energy customers and types counting on X as a core progress platform, the place a premium subscription offers most elevated publicity
👉 In brief: Larger X Premium tiers correlate with stronger visibility.
4. Which content material performs finest on X?
Not all submit sorts are created equal — and the information makes that crystal clear. Once we broke engagement charges down by content material sort, the hole between Premium and common accounts grew to become even sharper.
Some takeaways from the dataset:
- Textual content posts: Persistently lead for Premium accounts, climbing near 0.9% median engagement by mid-2025. For normal accounts, engagement collapsed to ~0.25% after March 2025.
- Video posts: An in depth second, holding regular above 0.7% for Premium customers whereas dropping sharply for non-subscribers.
- Picture posts: Dependable however middling — Premium customers see round 0.4–0.5%, whereas common accounts hover nearer to 0.2%.
- Hyperlinks: The weakest format throughout the board. Premium cushions the blow (round 0.25–0.3%), however for normal accounts, engagement flatlined to 0% in March 2025.
💡 When you’re paying for Premium, lean into textual content and video. They ship the strongest, most dependable engagement elevate. Photographs can diversify your feed, however hyperlinks stay closely penalized until you’re on a Premium plan.
5. Do posts with hyperlinks have an effect on content material efficiency?
Sure, however not all posts are affected equally, and Premium softens the end result.
🚨 For normal accounts, hyperlink posts have been utterly suppressed since March 2025 — their median engagement price is 0%.
Which means for those who’re not on X Premium, sharing a weblog submit, product web page, or publication hyperlink is actually invisible.
For Premium customers, hyperlinks nonetheless underperform in comparison with textual content, video, or photographs — however they no less than register significant engagement, usually round 0.25–0.3%.
X’s newest algorithm replace makes this specific: hyperlinks set off penalties. For non-Premium accounts, meaning silence. For Premium accounts, hyperlinks register, however lag far behind textual content and video.
💡 Nevertheless, for those who should share hyperlinks, Premium+ is the most secure guess for sustaining visibility.
What this implies for creators and types
Our information factors to a transparent sample: Premium accounts obtain extra visibility, whereas non-Premium accounts typically battle to floor within the feed.
That mentioned, extra attain doesn’t at all times translate into higher outcomes — the impression is dependent upon your targets and the way central X is to your total technique.
👉 Put merely: Premium can broaden your distribution, however engagement stays the important thing think about sustaining progress.
If visibility on X is essential to you, Premium might present a stronger baseline — however the actual driver is whether or not your posts spark replies and maintain consideration.
