- Buffer analyzed 18.8M posts across 71,000 accounts to evaluate Premium’s effect on reach and engagement.
- Premium users receive ~10x more reach than free users; Premium+ leads with >1,500 impressions per post.
- Engagement rates collapsed for non-Premium accounts, with a median of 0% in 2025.
- Content types matter: text and video posts drive higher engagement; links remain penalized even for Premium users.
- Premium is no longer just about features—it’s a pay-to-play distribution model with visibility directly tied to subscription level.
Analysis of 18.8M posts shows paying tiers reshape distribution across the platform.
Buffer’s year-long analysis of more than 18.8 million posts from 71,000 accounts provides one of the clearest answers yet to the question: Does paying for X Premium actually increase your reach?
The short answer is yes, by a massive margin.
According to the study, Premium accounts enjoy around 10x more reach per post than regular accounts. For non-subscribers, median reach now sits under 100 impressions, while Premium accounts consistently see more than 600 impressions per post. Premium+ subscribers go even further, averaging above 1,550 impressions per post, underscoring the tiered nature of X’s algorithm.
This pattern reflects the platform’s deliberate strategy: Premium isn’t just a bundle of features; it’s a distribution advantage that shapes who gets seen and who doesn’t.
Engagement Collapse for Free Users
While reach is the most dramatic differentiator, engagement rates also reveal a concerning picture for non-Premium accounts. Buffer found that by early 2025, the median engagement rate for free users dropped to 0%. In practice, this means that at least half of free accounts see no likes, replies, or reposts on their average post.
Premium users, however, maintained modest engagement lifts. Standard Premium landed around 0.49% median engagement, Premium Basic slightly higher at 0.55%, and Premium+ at 0.53%. Although the differences between Premium tiers aren’t as dramatic as reach, the ability to register consistent engagement at all sets paying accounts apart from free users.
As Buffer notes, this aligns with X’s own documentation: verification and Premium status serve as ranking signals, while free users face suppression, especially if their posts contain links.
Tiered System, Tiered Outcomes
X Premium isn’t a monolith; it functions as a three-tiered hierarchy of visibility:
- Basic ($3/month): Unlocks features like editing and longer posts, but offers little measurable reach lift.
- Premium ($8/month): The point where visibility diverges sharply, with significant gains in both impressions and engagement.
- Premium+ ($40/month): The strongest tier for distribution, often doubling Premium reach while providing top-tier prioritization.
This tiering shows that X has effectively commercialized distribution itself. The more you pay, the more visible your posts become—a structural change that marketers, creators, and brands can’t ignore.
Content Types That Perform Best
The Buffer dataset also confirms what kinds of content gain the most traction across Premium tiers:
- Text posts lead the way, with Premium accounts climbing to nearly 0.9% median engagement by mid-2025.
- Video posts rank close behind, sustaining engagement rates above 0.7% for Premium users.
- Image posts sit in the middle, with 0.4–0.5% engagement for Premium accounts.
- Links are the weakest performer across all tiers, with free accounts effectively suppressed (0% median engagement) and Premium accounts only salvaging 0.25–0.3%.
The message is clear: For those paying for Premium, text and video remain the most reliable formats. For free accounts, links are a dead end.
Why It Matters
Buffer’s findings highlight a structural shift in how X distributes content. Premium is no longer just an optional upgrade—it now functions as a gatekeeper for reach and relevance. For creators and brands, this means that staying visible increasingly requires paying for access.
As Buffer’s report concludes, “Premium now appears to influence not just access to features, but also how content is distributed in the feed.”
For marketers weighing whether X Premium is worth the cost, the data makes it clear: if reach is part of your growth strategy, Premium is less of a perk and more of a necessity.
