Growing LINE

On LINE, people follow a business by adding its Official Account as a friend. Your plan sets how many messages you can send them each month.

Checked 25 Oct 2026, 07:37 UTC

Basics

How many people use LINE?

100 million people a month in Japan, by LY Corporation's count at the end of March 2026. Across LINE's four biggest countries, LY counts 181 million monthly active users.^{[1, 2]}

How do you grow a LINE Official Account?

Get people to add you as a friend, then send messages worth opening.

Step	What LINE offers
Share your QR code	Save it from Home, then Gain friends
Add a button to your site	Copy the "Add friend" button's HTML tag
Set a rich menu	A menu friends can open from the chat at any time
Send coupons	Coupons are one of the message types you can send
Run ads that add friends	LINE Yahoo ads can charge per friend added

Sources ^{[2, 3, 4]}

Advanced

Can you advertise on LINE?

Yes, in Japan, through LINE Yahoo ads, which show in LINE's chat list and on Yahoo! JAPAN. There's no minimum spend, and LY says you can start from a few thousand yen a day.

You pay per click, view, video play or friend added. LINE Ads and Yahoo! Ads merged on 1 April 2026.^[2]

Which LINE Official Account plan do you need?

The free Communication plan suits a small friend list; paid plans include more messages each month.

Plan	Japan, per month	Messages included
Communication	Free	200
Light	¥5,000	5,000
Standard	¥15,000	30,000, then about ¥3 each

Japanese prices exclude tax. LY's English page lists the free plan with 500 messages, Light at $50 with 10,000 and Standard at $150 with 40,000. Replies to a friend's message don't count.^{[5, 6, 7]}

What can you do with LINE's Messaging API?

Run a bot or app that replies to friends, messages them at any time and sets rich menus.

Feature	Detail
Replies	Don't count toward your monthly messages
Push, broadcast, narrowcast	Count once for each person reached
Rich menus	Set and customize them
Account linking	Link your own service's accounts to LINE

Getting started is free: create an Official Account, then a Messaging API channel.^{[4, 5]}

Which paid options on LINE are worth it?

Start on the free plan and build your friend list, then pay once you need more messages. The order is our view.

Option	Cost	What it buys
Communication plan	Free	200 messages a month in Japan
Premium ID	¥1,200 a year in Japan until 1 Dec 2026, or $12	An @ID you choose
Light or Standard plan	From ¥5,000 a month in Japan	More messages
LINE Yahoo ads	No minimum spend	New friends, clicks or views

Sources ^{[2, 6, 7]}

Where else should a LINE brand grow?

Instagram and Facebook are our picks to pair with LINE. Grow on Instagram and grow on Facebook. Not set up yet? See LINE ID rules, or check your name on all of them at once.