BeautyPlus is the Meitu Inc. selfie editor that crossed 800 million users by making one-tap beauty look believable. The recent builds added the Photobooth, anime AI, AI Avatars, and a body editor strong enough that fashion creators noticed. What also crept in: a Premium subscription that gates the marquee AI tools, banner ads during edits, and watermarks on some exports. For anyone who picked up BeautyPlus for the free retouching and now spends more time dismissing upgrade prompts than editing, BeautyPlus alternatives are worth comparing.
This guide compares 7 BeautyPlus alternatives for selfie shooters, content creators, and casual users. Each pick takes a slightly different lane: natural retouch, AR stickers, viral filters, body sculpting, or a fuller all-in-one editor.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meitu | all-in-one beauty and AI | Yes, ad-supported | VIP around $5.99/mo | Android, iOS |
| YouCam Perfect | cleaner free tier with AI | Yes, ad-supported | Premium around $5.99/mo | Android, iOS |
| AirBrush | natural retouching | Yes, with locked AI tools | Premium around $7.99/mo | Android, iOS |
| Facetune | precise selfie sculpting | Yes, limited | Pro around $7.99/mo | Android, iOS |
| FaceApp | viral AI faces and effects | Yes, with limited filters | Pro around $6.49/mo | Android, iOS |
| B612 | AR stickers and filters | Yes, ad-supported | VIP around $4.99/mo | Android, iOS |
| SNOW | Korean-style AI profile cam | Yes, ad-supported | VIP around $6.99/mo | Android, iOS |
Why people leave BeautyPlus
Premium gates most AI features. AI Avatars, anime cam, the Photobooth styles, and the body sculpting limits all push at the subscription. Users on Reddit who tried the free tier describe hitting the wall on day one.
Watermarks on some exports. Several Photobooth styles and AI exports stamp the corner. Easy to crop but obvious on a public grid.
Ads inside the free experience. Banner and interstitial ads appear between edits and during exports. On mid-range devices, the experience slows noticeably.
Sponsored templates and stickers. The newer template feed mixes paid placements with the editor, which clutters the surface for users who just want a clean retouch.
Heavy app size and battery use. The all-in-one strategy has pushed install size and memory use up. Older phones thrash.
The best BeautyPlus alternatives
Meitu, best for an all-in-one beauty and AI editor
Meitu is the BeautyPlus stablemate from the same parent company, with broader photo and video tooling. AI portraits, digicam filters, object removal, and video retouch all live in one app. For users who want everything in one editor, Meitu trades depth for breadth.
Where it falls short: Cluttered interface. Some AI tools upload images to Meitu servers.
Pricing:
- Free with ads and watermarks on some AI exports
- VIP around $5.99 a month for premium filters, AI features, and no watermarks
- vs BeautyPlus: Slightly cheaper VIP than BeautyPlus Premium, broader scope, similar AI quality.
Migrating from BeautyPlus: Export from BeautyPlus, import into Meitu, run the same retouch pass. Saved looks do not transfer, plan to rebuild one preset.
Bottom line: Pick Meitu if you want everything in one editor instead of three.
YouCam Perfect, best for a cleaner free tier with AI selfies
YouCam Perfect from Perfect Corp is the direct head-to-head with BeautyPlus. AI Avatar, Hair Color Try-On, virtual makeup, and the body reshape live in the same shoot-edit-share loop. The free tier is lighter on banner ads and the Premium upsell is cheaper than BeautyPlus’s.
Where it falls short: Premium prompts during edits. AI exports watermarked on the free tier.
Pricing:
- Free with ads and watermarks on some AI exports
- Premium around $5.99 a month for ad-free, no watermarks, and unlimited AI uses
- vs BeautyPlus: Cheaper Premium, comparable beauty depth, cleaner free experience.
Migrating from BeautyPlus: Open the BeautyPlus JPEG in YouCam Perfect and rerun the retouch. The default sliders match closely enough that look transfer is fast.
Bottom line: The direct replacement for BeautyPlus’s selfie workflow.
AirBrush, best for natural retouching for headshots
AirBrush is the natural-look pick. Skin smoothing is conservative by default, the slimming tools cap at believable values, and the Auto Retouch is a single tap that does not push the result into uncanny territory. For dating profile photos and professional headshots, it lands closer to LinkedIn than to TikTok.
Where it falls short: AI portrait and background swap require Premium. The body editor is less aggressive than BeautyPlus’s.
Pricing:
- Free with core retouch and limited AI
- Premium around $7.99 a month for AI tools, no watermarks, and unlimited exports
- vs BeautyPlus: Pricier Premium than BeautyPlus, gentler defaults, weaker template feed.
Migrating from BeautyPlus: Re-import the photo, run Auto, then dial back. AirBrush exports the JPEG at the original resolution without compression artefacts.
Bottom line: The natural-retouch pick for headshots, dating photos, and portraits.
Facetune, best for precise sculpting and pro-grade retouch
Facetune from Lightricks is the high-control selfie editor. Reshape brushes, hair colour try-on, skin healing, and teeth tools are sharper than BeautyPlus’s sliders. The Lightricks ecosystem also covers Photoleap and Videoleap for project follow-up.
Where it falls short: Pro is required for the marquee tools. The learning curve is steeper than BeautyPlus.
Pricing:
- Free with a watermark and limited tools
- Pro around $7.99 a month for the full editor and no watermark
- vs BeautyPlus: Comparable Pro price, more precision, smaller template catalogue.
Migrating from BeautyPlus: Import the BeautyPlus JPEG, run Reshape and Smooth to taste. Use Lightricks Photoleap for compositing if needed.
Bottom line: The control-first pick for editors who want sharper tools than BeautyPlus.
FaceApp, best for viral AI faces and age effects
FaceApp is the AI-face viral generator that started the gender-swap and age-yourself trends. The 2026 build adds new portrait styles and a stronger smile and gaze adjuster. For one-off social posts where the goal is a reaction, FaceApp lands fast.
Where it falls short: Heavier reliance on cloud processing. Some Pro filters expire on the free tier after trial.
Pricing:
- Free with watermark and rotating filter set
- Pro around $6.49 a month for the full filter library, ad-free, and no watermark
- vs BeautyPlus: Cheaper Pro than BeautyPlus Premium, narrower scope, stronger AI faces.
Migrating from BeautyPlus: Open the photo in FaceApp, apply the AI filter, export the JPEG. The Pro filter set is broader than BeautyPlus’s Photobooth.
Bottom line: The fun pick for one-off AI faces and social-share moments.
B612, best for AR stickers and short-clip filters
B612 from Snow Corporation is the LINE-stable selfie cam that introduced AR stickers to half of Asia. The 2026 release leans into AI photo and video editing alongside the original sticker catalogue. Lighter than BeautyPlus on memory, faster to launch.
Where it falls short: Retouch depth is shallow next to BeautyPlus. The sticker store relies on coins or VIP.
Pricing:
- Free with ads and a filter watermark
- VIP around $4.99 a month for the full sticker pack and no ads
- vs BeautyPlus: Cheapest pick in this list, lighter beauty work, stronger AR stickers.
Migrating from BeautyPlus: Use B612 for capture and AR, then export to YouCam Perfect or AirBrush for finer retouch.
Bottom line: The sticker-first pick for short clips and AR-heavy captures.
SNOW, best for Korean-style AI profile photos
SNOW is B612’s sibling app, also from Snow Corp, leaning into Korean-style AI profile photos, hair colour try-on, and trending K-beauty looks. The AI Profile feature went viral the same year the rest of the AI portrait market launched, and the model engine has stayed competitive.
Where it falls short: AI Profile uses paid credits. Some filters rotate seasonally and may disappear.
Pricing:
- Free with ads and limited AI uses
- VIP around $6.99 a month, AI Profile costs extra credits
- vs BeautyPlus: Similar VIP price, K-beauty default, weaker traditional retouch.
Migrating from BeautyPlus: Reshoot or import in SNOW, pick a trending look, export. AI Profile photos export cleanly without watermarks on VIP.
Bottom line: The K-beauty pick for AI profiles and seasonal looks.
How to choose between BeautyPlus alternatives
If you want the same kind of dense beauty tool kit without the Meitu Inc. ecosystem, Meitu itself, confusingly, is the most natural switch, but for cleaner free tiers, YouCam Perfect and AirBrush are the safer picks.
Pick AirBrush if you want natural retouching that does not look filtered. The default smoothing is gentler and the tools are tuned for portrait headshots.
Pick Facetune if you want precise sculpting, hair colour try-on, and the kind of high-control retouch professional creators reach for.
Pick FaceApp for viral AI faces, age effects, and the gender-swap that drove the original 2019 wave. It is the most fun, the least serious.
Pick B612 or SNOW if filters and AR matter more than retouch. SNOW leans into Korean-style trends, B612 leans into LINE’s catalogue.
Stay on BeautyPlus if you specifically rely on the Photobooth, AI Avatar collections, or the body editor at the level the Premium plan unlocks.
FAQ
Is there a free alternative to BeautyPlus? Yes. AirBrush and YouCam Perfect both keep usable free tiers with the core beauty tools unlocked. For viral AI faces, FaceApp’s free tier covers most styles. Expect ads or watermarks on AI exports across the free tiers.
Which BeautyPlus alternative looks most natural? AirBrush. The default skin smoothing and eye enlarge sliders are tuned conservatively, and the retouch stays believable at modest settings. Facetune’s defaults are heavier but more controllable.
Can I move my BeautyPlus presets to another app? Presets do not export between editors. The exported JPEG carries the look but not the editable layers. Plan to set up a new look once in the destination app.
What is the best BeautyPlus alternative for body editing? Facetune Pro and Meitu both ship body-sculpting tools that compare with BeautyPlus. For freer body editing, YouCam Perfect’s Reshape is competitive but locks the marquee sliders behind Premium.
Is YouCam Perfect better than BeautyPlus? YouCam Perfect has the cleaner free tier and stronger AI portrait engine. BeautyPlus has the broader template feed and a longer-tuned skin engine. For new users in 2026, YouCam Perfect is usually the better starting point.
Are these BeautyPlus alternatives safe on Android? All seven ship in Google Play and on Aptoide. They send images to vendor servers when generating AI portraits or running cloud effects. For retouch alone, the work stays on-device in AirBrush and Snapseed.
