Tumblr has officially announced the closure of its ill-fated Post+ subscription service, revealing that as of December 1, users will no longer have the option to enable Post+ on their blogs. The complete shutdown is scheduled for early 2024, at which point existing Post+ content will be set to private, and the creation of new content will be disabled.
Launched in July 2021, Post+ aimed to provide creators with a revenue stream by allowing them to offer select content exclusively to subscribers. Despite the potential benefits for artists, fandom enthusiasts, and writers on the platform, Tumblr’s predominantly younger and change-resistant community strongly opposed the new subscription service.
Early adopters, such as the writer Kaijuno, felt like “sacrificial lambs” facing backlash from the community. Despite moving into open beta, Post+ faced challenges, including the removal of the badge next to creators’ names to minimize attention and the addition of a lower price point of $1.99/month. The decision to shut down Post+ aligns with Tumblr owner Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg’s recent statement about focusing on beloved aspects of the service while discontinuing unsuccessful features.
Mullenweg specifically identified Post+ as a “missed opportunity,” attributing its failure to misinformation spread by fan fiction writers concerned about potential lawsuits. This misinformation triggered a coordinated attack campaign, causing every launch creator to cancel the program.
As of December 1, users will lose the ability to enable Post+ on their blogs, with existing subscription content remaining accessible until the end of the year. In early 2024, users won’t be able to create new Post+ content, and existing content will be set to private. Subscribers will cease to be billed from January 2024, with App Store subscribers advised to cancel their subscriptions there to avoid charges.
Despite Post+’s discontinuation, Tumblr emphasized ongoing support for creators through tipping. The company did not outline its future vision for creator monetization but reaffirmed that supporter badges, virtual goods, and advertising would be the primary focus of Tumblr’s monetization plans in the short term.
