Twitter relaunches option to pay for blue check marks

Twitter's verification check marks are back.

Twitter is now offering gold checks for companies, gray checks for government entities and other organizations, and blue checks for individuals, regardless of celebrity status.

The updated verification system, which expands on check mark options with multiple new colors, is part of new owner Elon Musk’s effort to grow its subscription business and bolster the bottom line of the company he bought for $44 billion, including a substantial amount of debt financing.

The new Twitter Blue subscription service will cost $8 per month for users that subscribe via the web platform and $11 per month for those who subscribe on the iOS app. The higher price point on iOS appears to be an effort to account for Apple’s 30% app transaction fee, which Musk recently railed against.