Meitu is a freemium photo and video editor for mobile content creators, featuring AI-powered portrait retouching and artistic filters on iOS and Android.
Product velocity
Intense
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#42
▲13Photo & Video · free
Sentiment
4.5
1.5M reviews
Nemesis
B612 AI Photo&Video Editor
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users turn to Meitu to remove the friction of manual editing, using automated AI tools to achieve aesthetic results for social media sharing.
For Social media users and content creators seeking quick, AI-assisted portrait and video editing tools.
What does it look like?
Key features
Automated facial feature detection for skin smoothing and body shaping.
Generative models converting portraits into illustrations.
Access to 1000+ exclusive stickers and filters.
How much does it cost?
Freemium model uses a massive free asset library to drive scale, while gating advanced AI retouching behind a VIP subscription.
Velocity
Intense developmentnew contentUX improvementsShow more...
The app maintains an intense development velocity, averaging approximately 1.16 releases per week over the analyzed period. Development is highly active, focusing on consistent feature expansion across both Android and iOS platforms. The team is prioritizing image and video editing capabilities, specifically targeting precision tools and batch processing workflows. The cadence is stable and shows no signs of slowing, with frequent feature-rich updates.
Who built it?
Xiamen Meitu Technology Co.
12 apps tracked · Photo & Video
RoboNeo
BeautyCam-AI Photo Editor
Wink: Video Enhancer & Editor
Meipai
Meitu HD
Designkit: Ecommerce Creatives
Picchi
Meitu-AI Photo Editor & Design
Kaipai - Talking Video with AI
WearWow - Digital Wardrobe
WHEE - Fan Merch & Art MakerUser Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Review voice lately leans frustrated. Users appreciate the core photo editing tools provide high quality results that keep long-term users engaged with the platform and a wide variety of free features allows casual users to perform basic edits without needing a subscription, but report aggressive and unskippable advertisements block the editing workflow and prevent users from saving their final images.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
Weekly average review rating
What users say, by theme
- The core photo editing tools provide high quality results that keep long-term users engaged with the platform
- A wide variety of free features allows casual users to perform basic edits without needing a subscription
- Aggressive and unskippable advertisements block the editing workflow and prevent users from saving their final images
120 of 2291 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Frustrated overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Meitu- AI Photo & Video Editor
How's the Photo & Video market?
Meitu holds a #13 Grossing position in the US Photography category, though its #95 Free rank suggests discovery is slowing compared to its historical scale. The gap between its high-utility editing tools and the current negative sentiment trend signals that monetization friction is outpacing its retention efforts.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By SNOW Corporation
B612 is a direct nemesis due to its massive user base and overlapping focus on beauty-centric AR filters and social-ready video editing tools.
- Deep integration with LINE ecosystem provides a massive, built-in social distribution network for users.
- Superior AR makeup and real-time face tracking technology outperforms Meitu's standard beauty filter suite.
- Aggressive release cadence of seasonal AR effects keeps younger demographics engaged longer than Meitu.
Motionleap by LightricksContender
Pic Stitch - Collage EditorContender
Remini - AI Photo EnhancerContender
Pixomatic - Background eraserContenderUnlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Meitu- AI Photo & Video Editor
Where is it heading?
The photo editing market is consolidating around high-utility AI tools, and Meitu's current focus on aggressive monetization is alienating its core user base. Unless the team prioritizes technical stability and billing transparency over short-term ad revenue, the current sentiment decline will compress LTV by Q4.
- Technical instability following the latest update (crashes, camera failures) disrupts the editing process, accelerating churn pressure into Q3.
- Aggressive ad frequency blocking the save function creates a negative feedback loop that suppresses new-user conversion and long-term retention.
The SWOT
- AI-driven portrait retouching provides a defensible, high-utility retention loop
- 21-language asset library functions as a distribution barrier into international markets
- Localized pricing strategies could capture untapped ARPU in emerging markets where the category rival charges less
Next best moves
Audit ad-frequency logic because users report ads blocking the save function → reduce churn
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
Meitu's #13 Grossing rank is a liability…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Real-time AR makeup and face-tracking (available in B612 but less precise here)
Since the last report: Monetization and stability failures are now the primary drivers of user churn, with billing disputes and save-blocking advertisements overshadowing the app's core editing utility.
Bottom line
Meitu's core editing utility remains a strong retention anchor, but the current monetization friction is actively eroding the user base. Addressing the save-blocker ads and billing transparency will unlock the LTV potential of the existing, highly-engaged user segment.
Unlock 2 critical frictions, 1 market threat, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeFAQ
Is Meitu free to use?
How does Meitu compare to B612?
Is Meitu safe for kids?
What is a free alternative to Meitu?
Sources
- [1] Play Store listing, source
Report last updated