Meitu 美图秀秀
China's beautification app empire, now layering AI credits on VIP
Overview
Meitu (美图秀秀) is a Hong Kong-listed Chinese photo and video editor known for one-tap face retouching, filters and AI portrait generation, used mainly for casual social-media content. It now layers pay-per-use AI compute credits on top of its VIP subscription as AI features expand.
Pricing
Pricing shown for reference only. These figures reflect RECATOOLS research as of 12 Jul 2026 and may be out of date or incomplete. This is not financial or purchasing advice — always confirm the current price on the provider’s official website before making any decision.
What you can produce with Meitu 美图秀秀
- One-tap face retouching, body reshaping and skin smoothing
- AI portrait style generation (viral trend looks)
- AI painting and image generation tools
- Background removal and object cleanup
- Video editing with beauty filters and effects
- Cross-platform apps (iOS, Android, web, PC)
- Pay-per-use AI compute credits alongside VIP subscription
ASEAN Perspective
Meitu 美图秀秀 in Southeast Asia
ASEAN-region availability and pricing notes coming soon. Drop the editorial team a note via /contact/ if you can supply local context (Singapore/Malaysia/Indonesia/Thailand/Vietnam).
Meitu has been the default Chinese beautification app since 2008 and it shows: retouching, body shaping and filter presets are polished to a degree few competitors match, and its AI portrait styles reliably go viral in China whenever a new set drops. The company is publicly listed in Hong Kong (1357.HK) and reported over 17.9 million paying subscribers in Q1 2026, up 30.2% year-on-year, with AI productivity revenue growing faster than the legacy consumer business.
The trade-off is a business model built to extract payment at every turn: full-screen ads without an obvious close button, core editing features increasingly gated behind VIP, and — on top of the subscription — a newer pay-for-AI-credits layer for generation-heavy features. There's also a long history of complaints over excessive device-permission requests and unauthorized subscription charges. Good for quick social edits; treat the free tier and any device permissions with suspicion.
What people say
Meitu Inc. (美图公司) has run its flagship 美图秀秀 photo editor since 2008 and now trades on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (1357.HK). The company's Q1 2026 results show the scale it operates at: total revenue up 28.8% year-over-year to RMB 3.86 billion for FY2025, core photo/video/design products up 41.6% to RMB 2.95 billion, and global paying subscribers passing 17.9 million, up 30.2% year-on-year. AI-driven productivity applications — the newer B2B/prosumer side of the business — hit roughly RMB 580 million in annualized recurring revenue, up 56.2%, which is the growth story management is now pitching over the legacy consumer app.
App store reviews split cleanly along two lines. On editing quality, users consistently call out the retouching and filter tools as best-in-class for casual use — variations of "the BEST photo editing app" are a recurring phrase in reviews, with particular praise for how natural face-smoothing and body-shaping look compared to competitors. On everything else, the complaints are loud and repeated: full-screen ads reported to lack a close button even after the countdown finishes, core features progressively moved behind the VIP paywall, and a cluster of reports about subscriptions being charged without clear consent.
Privacy is the more serious recurring theme. Security researchers and app-store reviewers have flagged Meitu's permission requests — device IMEI, MAC address, precise geolocation — as excessive for a photo editor, and cybersecurity outlets continue to list Meitu among camera apps worth extra scrutiny on data handling; the company has previously drawn regulatory attention in China over data-collection practices.
On pricing, Meitu VIP runs about ¥15/month or ¥128/year domestically. The international App Store listing shows separate VIP ($4.99/mo) and Premium ($9.99/mo) tiers, and entitlements aren't interchangeable across regions or between the mobile app and the web/PC versions. The newer AI hybrid model additionally charges compute credits on top of a subscription for AI-generated outputs like advanced portrait or video generation, meaning heavy AI users can end up paying twice — once for VIP, again for the credits that gate the AI features specifically.
Summary of public user & expert reviews, compiled by RECATOOLS.
About this listing
This entry was compiled from publicly available data including Meitu 美图秀秀's official website, press releases, documentation, and reputable third-party publications. RECATOOLS is not affiliated with Meitu 美图秀秀 unless explicitly stated.
Third-party AI tools update their pricing, features, availability, and policies frequently. Information here may be outdated by the time you read this — we make reasonable efforts to keep listings current, but cannot guarantee absolute accuracy.
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