Meitu 美图秀秀
China's best-known retouching app, now selling AI credits beside VIP
Overview
Meitu (美图秀秀) is the photo and video editor of Hong Kong-listed Meitu, Inc., known for face retouching, makeup and body tools, filters and collages. It adds AI object removal, cutout, image extension, AI portraits and AI painting, sold through a VIP subscription with AI credits on top.
Pricing
Pricing shown for reference only. These figures reflect RECATOOLS research as of 14 Oct 2026 and may be out of date or incomplete.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.
- Photo and video editing app
- Described by Meitu as free
- Listed as an in-app subscription
- Listed as an in-app subscription
- Auto-renewing weekly, monthly or yearly options
- Listed as an in-app subscription
What you can produce with Meitu 美图秀秀
- Face retouching, makeup and hairstyle looks, and body contouring
- Unwanted objects removed from photos and videos with AI Removal
- Backgrounds cut out and image edges extended with AI
- A reference photo's colour style applied with AI Filters
- AI portrait styles and AI paintings generated from a photo
- Filters, stickers, templates and collages for social posts
- Video editing with beauty effects
Meitu remains a polished retouching app: face, makeup and body tools, a large filter and sticker library, and a growing AI set covering object removal, cutout, image extension and AI portraits. Meitu, Inc. reported 18.44 million paying subscribers across its products in June 2026, so the subscription model is working for the company.
For users, VIP is cheap in China at ¥15 a month but several times that on the US store, and AI credits now sit on top. The 2017 finding that the Android app sent device identifiers to Meitu servers is old but worth remembering when granting permissions. Good for quick social edits.
What we found
Meitu (美图秀秀) is the flagship photo editor of Meitu, Inc., the Xiamen company listed in Hong Kong as 1357. Meitu's own history page dates both the company and the Meitu app to 2008, which is why this entry uses that year: it is the app's launch, not a later corporate milestone. The app still sells what made it famous, face retouching, makeup and hair styles, body contouring, filters, stickers and collages, now joined by AI object removal, background cutout, image extension, AI filters that copy a reference photo's colour, AI portraits and AI painting.
Meitu's filings show where the money comes from. In its 2026 interim results on 26 August, the company reported 18.44 million paying subscribers across its products at the end of June, up 19.7% year on year, of whom 16.09 million used its leisure apps, the group that includes Meitu, BeautyCam and Wink. Revenue from photo, video and design products rose 30.9% to RMB 1.77 billion, 80% of the total. These are group figures; Meitu does not break out this app alone. The company also says users can now buy AI credits on demand or pay once for single features on top of subscriptions, and that AI credit consumption roughly doubled across the half.
Subscription prices differ by store. On China's App Store, read on 14 October 2026, 粉钻VIP costs ¥15 a month or ¥128 a year, with an SVIP at ¥30 a month. On the US store the VIP list runs from $11.99 to $12.99 a month and $41.99 to $59.99 a year, plus a weekly option and a $13.99 VIP+; earlier versions of this page quoted $4.99 and $9.99 plans that do not appear there.
Privacy is the older story. In January 2017 researchers found the Android app sending device identifiers such as the IMEI to Meitu servers; The Register judged it not malicious but an example of aggressive data harvesting. Claims in earlier text about unclosable ads and unauthorised charges could not be traced and were removed.
Compiled by RECATOOLS from public sources: vendor documentation and pricing, code repositories and published reporting.
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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