TikTok is going ad-free, but only if you're willing to pay for it.

The hugely popular video-based social network TikTok is testing a new ad-free tier that will allow people to pay a monthly fee and then browse videos without having to deal with ads.

The new feature is only in the testing phase right now but a new Android Authority report notes that the new ad-free tier is being tested at $4.99 per month in the United States, but there's no telling whether that price will remain the same throughout the testing process. It also isn't clear whether the price will be the same in local currencies when the ad-supported tier goes live in additional countries, either.

The Android Authority report says that there are strings in the latest TikTok for Android app that show the service is ready to ditch ads - but only for a price. TikTok has not yet publicly commented on any plans to charge a free to remove ads, but it's something that other companies already do.

Streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ offer people the chance to pay less if they watch ads, giving people who want to avoid ads to do so if they hand over more cash. X, formerly Twitter, also allows people to become X Premium subscribers and while there are still ads, they're greatly reduced compared to the number seen by free users.

It's anyone's guess as to when this ad-free tier will arrive or indeed if it will ever find its way out of testing, but the fact that it's being worked on is an interesting move for a social network that has so far heavily relied on ads as a source of income.