Tumblr does what Twitter won't — lets you pay to rid it of ads

How to set up two-factor authentication for Tumblr
How to set up two-factor authentication for Tumblr (Image credit: Joseph Keller / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Tumblr is allowing people to pay to get rid of the ads on its pages.
  • Both desktop and mobile versions of Tumblr are supported.
  • People can pay $4.99 per month of $39.99 per year — saving big in the process.

Tumblr has announced that people who don't want to see its ads won't have to — so long as they pay $4.99 per month or the discounted $39.99 per year.

The move, which was announced on Tumblr of course, is entirely optional. But those who don't pay will see ads and that's entirely fair — are you paying attention, Twitter?

Tumblr says this option will remove ads on both desktop and mobile and will work "anywhere in the world," too.

Tumblr Ad Free Option

Tumblr Ad Free Option (Image credit: Tumblr)

As of today, you can set up ad-free browsing on your personal desktop computer, from anywhere in the world, and then enjoy the same effervescent Tumblr you know and love (yes, including mobile) without the interruption of ads. Scroll away.

Those who want to take Tumblr up on its offer can head into their Account Settings on the Tumblr website and click the "Go Ad-Free" button to get started. It's all pretty simple and, dare I say, civilized?

This method of monetization is exactly what people like — those who don't want to pay can get Tumblr for free and deal with ads while those who don't want the ads can pay up. It's exactly what some of us wanted from Twitter Blue and there is still hope that it'll happen one day.

Who thought Tumblr would be the one to lead the way?

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.