By Lightricks
Report updated Apr 24, 2026
Facetune: Photo & Video Editor
For social media creators, influencers, and professionals looking for high-quality, AI-assisted photo and video editing.
Facetune: Photo & Video Editor is a struggling photo & video app that is available. With a 4.6/5 rating from 364.7K reviews, it struggles with user retention. Users particularly appreciate legacy retouching quality, though predatory pricing & paywalls remains a common concern.
What is Facetune: Photo & Video Editor?
Current Momentum
v26.7 · 1w ago
IntenseFacetune introduced a dedicated beard and hair editing suite in version 26.7.1, following the launch of an AI-powered camera in version 26.7. Two major feature updates were released within three days.
Active Nemesis
Airbrush: Face Photo Editor
By PIXOCIAL TECHNOLOGY (SINGAPORE) PTE
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
Photo & VideoRating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?
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What Are The Key Features?
Transforms casual photos into professional-grade headshots using AI.
Applies professional-level retouching and makeup to moving footage.
Allows experimentation with 20+ hairstyles and makeup looks.
Seamlessly erases unwanted elements from photos.
How much does it cost?
- Free basic tools
- VIP Subscription ($11.99/week)
- 7-day free trial
The app has shifted to an extremely aggressive weekly billing cycle that users find predatory. Advanced AI features and watermark removal are strictly gated behind the VIP paywall.
Who Built It?
Lightricks
Providing creators with professional-grade AI tools for photo and video editing to enable high-quality content production on mobile.
Portfolio
10
Apps
Who is Lightricks?
Lightricks has transitioned from a provider of manual retouching tools to an AI-first creative suite, leveraging proprietary generative models to maintain a dominant position in the competitive Photo & Video category. Their moat lies in the 'Enlight' ecosystem, which cross-pollinates advanced features like AI headshots and motion animation across a specialized portfolio. The current strategic tension involves balancing aggressive monetization—specifically high-frequency subscription models—against a user base increasingly sensitive to the removal of legacy features in favor of AI-driven workflows.
Who is Lightricks for?
- Social media creators
- Influencers
- Digital artists seeking professional-grade editing
- Generative AI capabilities on mobile
Portfolio momentum
Released 27 updates across 10 apps in the last 6 months, with the most recent major release occurring only 12 days ago.
What other apps does Lightricks make?
Photoleap: AI Photo Generator
Videoleap: AI Video Editor
Beatleap by Lightricks
Lightleap by Lightricks
Motionleap: 3D Photo Animator
Boosted Ad Maker by Lightricks
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 364.7K total reviews analyzed
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a upset sentiment. Users appreciate legacy retouching quality, but report predatory pricing & paywalls and deceptive billing & cancellation.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What is the competitive landscape for Facetune: Photo & Video Editor?
How's The Photo & Video Market?
How does it evolve in the Photo & Video market?
Facetune: Photo & Video Editor is climbing the charts.
| Category | Chart | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo & Video | Grossing | #5 | |
| Overall | Grossing | #46 | ▼3 |
The rivals identified
The Nemesis
Head to Head
Facetune must defend its 'Video' editing moat while simplifying its photo UX. To win, Facetune should implement 'Smart Presets' that mimic its manual brush quality with one-tap ease to counter Airbrush's speed advantage.
What sets Facetune: Photo & Video Editor apart
Comprehensive video retouching suite allowing users to apply face-tuning tools to moving footage, a major gap in Airbrush's photo-first offering.
Advanced 'Reshape' and 'Refine' tools provide more granular control for prosumers compared to Airbrush's automated presets.
What's Airbrush: Face Photo Editor's Edge
Superior 'one-tap' beautification logic that reduces the time-to-value for users who find Facetune's manual brushes too tedious.
Aggressive localized content updates (filters/stickers) that cater to specific regional beauty standards better than Facetune's global approach.
Contenders
Uses neural networks for generative changes (aging, gender swaps, smile addition) rather than Facetune's pixel-warping approach.
High release cadence (16 in 6 months) focused almost exclusively on improving AI model realism.
Offers 'Magic Correction' which automates background blurring and foreground sharpening in a single step.
Positions as a 'Pro' tool for creators, focusing on artistic AI styles rather than just cosmetic retouching.
Includes 'AI Poster' and 'Collage' features that turn edited portraits into social-ready graphic design assets.
Features a 'Body Shaping' suite that is more automated for full-body shots compared to Facetune's face-centric UI.
Optimized for the 'capture' phase with real-time AR makeup and filters, whereas Facetune is primarily a post-processing tool.
Includes a massive library of AR stickers and seasonal 'looks' that drive high daily engagement.
Peers
Specializes in upscaling low-resolution photos, a feature Facetune users often need before they start retouching.
Uses a 'Before/After' slider as the primary UX hook to demonstrate AI reconstruction power.
Template-driven workflow allows users to replicate viral social media edits with one click.
Stronger focus on 'Aesthetic' filters and grain/dust overlays compared to Facetune's clean look.
Dedicated 'Muscle' and 'Tattoo' editors that are more robust than Facetune's general-purpose 'Patch' tool.
UI is built around body-part specific icons, making it faster for 'fitness' influencers to use.
Offers 3D photo effects and complex video transitions that Facetune's editor lacks.
Heavy focus on 'Retro' and 'Vintage' film emulations which are currently trending over 'Perfect' skin.
New Kids on the Block
Features 'AI Expand' and 'Smart Fill' tools that allow users to change the aspect ratio of photos by generating new backgrounds.
Includes a 'Batch Edit' feature for portraits, allowing users to apply the same retouching settings to an entire photoshoot at once.
Focuses on 'AI Fashion' (changing clothes on a subject) which is a high-intent use case Facetune hasn't fully monetized.
Integrates text-to-image generation directly into the photo editing canvas for background replacement.
The outtake for Facetune: Photo & Video Editor
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Comprehensive video retouching suite (major moat)
- High-fidelity AI Headshot generation
- Strong brand recognition and #5 grossing rank
Critical Frictions
- Extreme $11.99/week pricing friction
- Loss of user trust due to billing 'dark patterns'
- Removal of legacy filters and manual tools
Growth Levers
- Batch editing for professional workflows (Hypic gap)
- AI Fashion/Outfit changes (MyEdit gap)
- Smart Presets for faster 'one-tap' editing (Airbrush gap)
Market Threats
- Hypic's rapid growth and Bytedance integration
- Airbrush's appeal to users seeking 'natural' looks
- User exodus due to perceived predatory monetization
What are the next best moves?
Restore legacy filters and manual makeup tools.
This is a top-frequency complaint causing long-term users to churn and leave 1-star reviews.
Introduce a lower-priced monthly or 'Essentials' tier.
The $11.99/week price point is cited as 'insane' and is the primary driver of the 'Terrible' sentiment score.
Develop 'Smart Presets' for one-tap beautification.
Nemesis Airbrush wins on speed-to-value; Facetune's manual brushes are currently perceived as too tedious for casual users.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- One-tap 'Natural' beautification presets (available in Airbrush)
- Batch Edit for portraits (available in Hypic)
- AI Expand and Smart Fill (available in Hypic)
- AI Fashion/Outfit changes (available in MyEdit)
Key Takeaways
Facetune is currently trading its long-term brand equity for short-term revenue through an aggressive $12/week subscription model. While its video retouching tools provide a solid competitive moat, the removal of core legacy features has created a massive opening for rivals like Airbrush and Hypic to capture its frustrated user base.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
Transition to $11.99/week pricing has triggered a 'Terrible' sentiment trend and accusations of fraud.
Removal of legacy filters has alienated the core long-term user base.
Maintains #5 Grossing rank in category, indicating high revenue extraction despite user dissatisfaction.