Verdict
Meitu packs skin smoothing, makeup, AI filters and object removal into one free app, and the VIP tier costs £7.99 a month in the UK. Its body tools offer one-tap reshape styles called Slim and Supermodel, and a 2025 Australian study of young adults found that kind of structural editing hard to stop and tied to wanting cosmetic changes. Photos can be processed on servers in China and elsewhere, and the policy gives no clear way to stop uploads being used to improve its models.
Privacy note. Policy allows storage in China and elsewhere, may collect facial biometrics, gives no AI-training opt-out (pro.meitu.com global privacy policy, updated Apr 2026); 2017 data-collection reports (theintercept.com 2017/01/21)
Best for
Adults who want quick selfie retouching and trendy filters
Skip if
Buying for a teenager, or uneasy about face data leaving the UK
Key facts
- Category
- Photo editing & touch-ups
- Made by
- Meitu, Inc. (Xiamen Meitu Technology Co., Ltd.)
- Based in
- China
- Launched
- 2011
- Works on
- iPhone, Android
- In the UK
- Yes
- Price from
- £7.99 a month
- Free plan
- Free with ads; most tools usable, VIP filters, materials and some AI features locked
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Billed |
|---|---|---|
| VIP (monthly) | £7.99 | month |
| VIP+ (monthly) | £8.49 | month |
| VIP (yearly) | £29.99 | year |
| VIP (yearly) | £33.99 | year |
| VIP (yearly) | £37.99 | year |
What it does
- applies 200+ photo filters and AI art effects
- retouches skin, blemishes, makeup and body shape
- erases unwanted objects from photos with AI
- adds frames, text and stickers and makes collages
- edits videos with filters, fonts, stickers and music
Ratings
What people say
Recent English-language posts are thin and mostly about filters and trends; fans like the 3D and digicam effects, critics say its beauty edits set unreal standards, and one user reviews user describes struggling to cancel VIP. Store stars (4.75 iOS, 4.45 Play) are higher than this mixed picture, though the iOS count is under 8,000 in the UK.
“It's that easy to create 3D effects without an iPhone, just with the Meitu app”
Post on X, 13 January 2026 · source
“I am using meitu filter then adjusted a bit after by the feature in app, im trying to avoid the feature that use 100% of ai. but anyway only using lighting adjustment, i am really not using Face Feature edit at all”
Post on X, 26 August 2026 · source
“You are calling women who are abusing Meitu and Snow app beautiful and 'ethereal'. Get a grip”
Post on X, 16 June 2026 · source
“If you had tried a photo editing app such as Meitu on Windows/iOS/Android, you'd know it has content locked behind a monthly subscription. For those of you who subscribed on Meitu Windows App … and want to find a way to unsubscribe but you can't find the button”
Individual user review, 30 March 2026 · source
Press reviews
- TechRadar 2017-01-20
Called the viral app 'a potential privacy nightmare' over the device data it collected; Meitu replied that it does not sell data.
- The Intercept 2017-01-21
Researchers found the app sending device data to China; one called it 'just a piece of crapware with a bunch of ad trackers' rather than anything more sinister.
Privacy
- Trains on your data
- unclear: the policy says photos uploaded for cloud editing are used for 'providing such service to you and continuous optimization' and does not say whether they train AI models
- Opt-out
- no stated opt-out for model improvement; rights requests by email to [email protected] with 'Meitu App' in the subject
- Retention
- uploaded photos kept in server logs for up to 21 days unless needed longer for a requested service; account data kept until the account is deleted
- Incidents
- Jan 2017 researchers reported the app collecting device identifiers (IMEI on Android) and sending data to servers in China; Meitu denied selling data (TechRadar, The Intercept). No UK/EU regulatory action found in web searches on 2026-10-10. Policy allows transfer and storage in China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, US and EU, and says it may use facial recognition to collect biometric information. UK App Store privacy label lists identifiers used to track across other companies' apps.
- Age limit
- policy says it does not knowingly collect data from children under 16; UK App Store rating 13+; Google Play 'Parental guidance'
FAQ
Is Meitu free?
Yes, the app is free with ads. VIP costs £7.99 a month or from £29.99 a year on the UK App Store and unlocks extra filters, materials and some AI tools.
Is Meitu safe to use?
It is a mainstream app on the UK App Store and Google Play. Its privacy policy says photos may be stored in China and other countries, it may use facial recognition, and uploaded photos sit in server logs for up to 21 days. In 2017 researchers criticised how much device data it collected.
Is Meitu suitable for teenagers?
The UK App Store rates it 13+, while its own policy says it does not knowingly collect data from under-16s. Its body tools include Slim and Supermodel reshape styles, and a 2025 University of Newcastle study of 18 to 24 year olds found structural selfie edits were a 'slippery slope' tied to wanting cosmetic changes.
Does Meitu work in the UK?
Yes. The Meitu AI Photo & Video Editor app is on the UK App Store, ranked No. 97 in Photo & Video on 2026-10-10, and on Google Play in the UK.
How do I cancel Meitu VIP?
Subscriptions bought through the App Store or Google Play are cancelled in the phone's subscription settings, not in the app. A 2026 user post describes the desktop version as harder to cancel.
Scores are based on published evidence, not lab tests. How we score.
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