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 raise.
In a current breakdown from Social Media Right now on the X algorithm, verified accounts (which include a Premium subscription) profit from this enhance, alongside different components like video watch time and dialog depth. On the flip facet, hyperlink posts, all-caps updates, and “offensive” content material see sharp penalties.
In different phrases, X has made it clear: if you would like attain, you’ll want to be participating and verified.
This perception raises an essential query: simply how a lot distinction does Premium truly make?
To reply that, we teamed up with Buffer’s knowledge 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 enhancing 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.
🚀 In response to our findings, Premium accounts get round 10x extra attain per submit than common accounts.
Curiously, 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 the same 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 signifies that at the very least half of those accounts acquired 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 could 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 examine: how Premium impacts attain and engagement on X
To grasp simply how a lot an X Premium subscription adjustments 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+.
After we in contrast attain and engagement facet by facet, a sample emerged: efficiency isn’t break up solely between free and paid accounts — there are additionally variations inside Premium itself.
Meaning X successfully capabilities as a tiered system, the place visibility varies by subscription stage. As an example what that appears like, we broke the information down throughout attain, engagement, and content material sort.
Within the subsequent part, we’ll stroll by means of these variations intimately.
1. What’s the distinction in attain between common and Premium accounts?
🚀 In our dataset, Premium customers acquired round 10x the median attain of normal accounts.
That hole has been constant over the previous yr however grew to become particularly pronounced in 2025, when Premium+ accounts — the very best tier — started to tug additional forward.
Common accounts: sometimes below 100 impressions per submit.Fundamental accounts: a small raise above non-subscribers, however nonetheless restricted attain.Premium accounts: nearer to 600 impressions per submit.Premium+ accounts: usually greater than double Premium accounts, and the clear chief at over 1,550 impressions per submit.
Whereas Premium customers might need bigger audiences, follower measurement alone doesn’t account for the distinction.
The dimensions 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 fee 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 fee of 0%, that means at the very least half of those accounts acquired no seen interplay on a typical submit.
Curiously, 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 features could also be much less impactful total.
3. Which X Premium tier is the most effective?
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 very best attain of all account sorts. Customary 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 attention-grabbing patterns emerge from the information:
Premium+: leads throughout each attain and engagement. In some months, their median attain doubled that of ordinary Premium.Premium: delivers the most important soar in comparison with common accounts — the road the place the visibility hole actually opens.Fundamental: unlocked important Premium options like longer posts and enhancing, however didn’t present the identical attain features as the upper tiers. Engagement charges have been comparatively sturdy, although restricted visibility meant these interactions didn’t scale as extensively.Common accounts: stay on the backside, with attain below 100 impressions and a median engagement fee 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 affords.
Tier
Worth
Key Options
Efficiency Influence (from our knowledge)
Greatest For
Fundamental
$3/month
Consists of important Premium options like enhancing 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 raise in comparison with free accounts
Customers who primarily need primary options and small extra advantages with out paying for full visibility
Premium
$8/month
All Fundamental options + monetization (adverts income sharing, creator subscriptions), Media Studio, X Professional, increased Grok entry, diminished adverts (about half), Premium gifting, and the verification checkmark
The place the visibility hole actually opens — constant attain/engagement benefit over Fundamental/free
Creators and types who need a subscription plan that gives each premium options and measurable distribution features
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 — usually doubling the attain of different Premium tiers
Energy customers and types counting on X as a core development platform, the place a premium subscription gives 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. After 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: Constantly 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.
💡 For those who’re paying for Premium, lean into textual content and video. They ship the strongest, most dependable engagement raise. Pictures can diversify your feed, however hyperlinks stay closely penalized except 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 fee is 0%.
Meaning in the event you’re not on X Premium, sharing a weblog submit, product web page, or publication hyperlink is basically invisible.
For Premium customers, hyperlinks nonetheless underperform in comparison with textual content, video, or photographs — however they at the very least register significant engagement, sometimes round 0.25–0.3%.
X’s newest algorithm replace makes this specific: hyperlinks set off penalties. For non-Premium accounts, which means silence. For Premium accounts, hyperlinks register, however lag far behind textual content and video.
💡 Nevertheless, in the event you should share hyperlinks, Premium+ is the most secure wager for sustaining visibility.
What this implies for creators and types
Our knowledge factors to a transparent sample: Premium accounts obtain extra visibility, whereas non-Premium accounts usually battle to floor within the feed.
That mentioned, extra attain doesn’t at all times translate into higher outcomes — the impression depends upon your objectives and the way central X is to your total technique.
👉 Put merely: Premium can develop your distribution, however engagement stays the important thing consider sustaining development.
If visibility on X is essential to you, Premium could present a stronger baseline — however the true driver is whether or not your posts spark replies and maintain consideration.
