X is continuing its efforts to increase monetization and cut down on bots with a $1 annual subscription.

X owner Elon Musk teased the likelihood of the platform transitioning to a paid site in mid-September, a revelation that took CEO Linda Yaccarino by surprise.

The company tweeted that it has begun testing Musk’s plan, charging some unverified accounts $1 per year to engage with other users.

Starting today, we’re testing a new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines. New, unverified accounts will be required to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to be able to post & interact with other posts. Within this test, existing users are not affected.

This new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. It is not a profit driver.

And so far, subscription options have proven to be the main solution that works at scale.

More details → https://help.twitter.com/en/using-x/not-a-bot

Charging users is a high-stakes gamble, although at $1 per year the platform may succeed in preventing a mass exodus.