Instagram explains how to avoid Apple’s service fee on boosted posts

New Delhi: Starting February 2024, boosts made from the Instagram app on iPhone or iPad are billed through Apple’s App Store.

This adds an Apple service fee that is kept by Apple and not by Instagram or Meta. Instagram’s Help Centre now sets out simple ways to avoid that charge.

What changed

When you boost directly inside the iOS app, your payment is routed through Apple.

That is why the extra fee appears on your total. Instagram is explicit that the fee belongs to Apple.

How to avoid paying the fee

Instagram lists four routes that keep the Apple fee out of your bill while delivering the same ad to your audience.

• Boost on instagram.com. Open instagram.com on desktop or mobile web and boost your post or Reel there. Instagram says this saves 30 per cent on the total ad payment before taxes and local fees. Features are the same as boosting from the app.
• Add funds to a prepaid balance on instagram.com. Load money into your ad account from the web, then use those funds to boost even from the iOS app without incurring the Apple service fee.
• Use Meta Business Suite. Manage content and boost from the Business Suite app or web to avoid the fee.
• Create ads in Meta Ads Manager. Build and run campaigns from Ads Manager on web without the Apple fee.

What stays the same

Instagram says ad delivery remains unchanged. A boost initiated on instagram.com, Business Suite, or Ads Manager will reach audiences in the same way as a boost started in the app. The fee difference is only in where you initiate and pay for the boost.

Why this matters for marketers and creators

For creators, small businesses, and performance marketers who boost often, the 30 per cent saving can be meaningful. Moving routine boosts to the web or switching to a prepaid balance can stretch budgets without sacrificing reach or features. For agencies running multiple handles, consolidating boosts through Business Suite or Ads Manager also brings better control over spend and approvals.

Quick start

1. Log in at instagram.com.
2. Open the post or Reel and choose Boost.
3. Set your audience, budget, and duration.
4. Pay on the web or fund your prepaid balance.
5. Monitor performance as usual.

Instagram’s Help Center also links to related guidance on payments, taxes, and troubleshooting for boosts.

For teams planning festive or tent-pole campaigns, shifting to the web flow ahead of time can prevent surprise fees and keep cost per result in check.