FaceApp
Image EditingUpdated November 12, 2026
Mobile AI face editor for iOS and Android with one-tap retouch, makeup, hairstyle, beard, aging and expression filters, plus object removal.
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What is FaceApp?
FaceApp is a mobile portrait editor from FaceApp Technology Limited, headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus, that runs machine-learning filters over the faces in your photos. You pick a selfie, tap a filter, and the app renders a photorealistic change in the cloud: smoother skin, fuller hair or a new color, a beard, a makeup look, a different expression, or an older or younger you. Around those face filters sit general tools such as Remover, Reshape and local adjustments. The weak spots are the subscription, sold only through Apple and Google with no public price list, and the privacy scrutiny that followed its viral aging filter in 2019. Today only the photos you edit are uploaded, encrypted with a key kept on your phone and deleted within 24 to 48 hours. Pick FaceApp for quick, realistic selfie edits for personal use.
How to start using FaceApp?
Install FaceApp from the App Store or Google Play. On Apple devices it needs iOS 17 or later and runs on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision; the interface is available in English and 32 other languages. The website only links to the stores, so there is no browser editor. FaceApp only processes the pictures you choose to edit, and you can change its photo access at any time in your phone’s settings. The download is free, and the PRO subscription lives under Settings, then PRO version, where some countries also see a free trial.
Your first real scenario is usually a selfie. Open a well-lit portrait and go to the Impression group, which builds a complete look in one tap. Filters such as Revamp 2, Hollywood, Silk or Movie each come with four or five strength levels, so start low. Use the Compare button at every step to see before and after. If one filter is not enough, tap Multiselect in the bottom left corner above the previews and stack several filters from the same group at low intensity.
The screens you will return to are Hairstyles, Makeup and the editing tools. Hairstyles covers Volume, Straight, Wavy, Keratin, Dye, Bob Cut and Bangs, and the women’s interface adds Transfer, which copies a hairstyle from any reference photo in your gallery. Adjustments lets you switch between Face and Background layers and refine brightness, contrast and saturation with Mask Editing. Reshape has a Lock Background option on iOS that keeps walls and horizons straight. Remover erases people or objects you brush over, with Undo, Redo and Reset if the fill goes wrong.
Before you share, zoom in on the hairline, teeth and skin texture, since strong filters stacked together are where edits start to look artificial. If you like a filter combination, save it in the Presets folder with the plus button for the next photo; custom presets are not currently available on Android. Edits made on the free version may carry a FaceApp watermark under the Terms of Use. When you finish, you can clear the cloud copy yourself under Settings, Privacy & Legal, Delete Cloud Photo Cache, instead of waiting for automatic deletion.
Try the free filters and the PRO previews on three different selfies before you start a trial, so you know which tools you would actually pay for.
Who is it for?
Selfie posters
You want a cleaner profile photo or Instagram post without learning a desktop editor. Impression filters adjust skin, eyes and lips in one coordinated pass, and strength levels keep the face recognizable. A five-minute edit replaces a long retouching session.
Haircut and color planners
You are about to book a salon or barber visit and want to see a bob, bangs, a new dye or a beard on your own face first. Hairstyles, Dye and the beard filter preview the change on a real photo of you. Fewer surprises after the appointment.
Makeup experimenters
You like trying looks such as Y2K gloss or bold eye makeup but do not want to buy products just to test them. Makeup filters apply a full look you can tone down or combine. You find out what suits you before spending on cosmetics.
Keepers of family and travel photos
A stranger walked into the best frame from your vacation or a relative’s wedding. Remover brushes out people and objects and rebuilds the background, and the Face and Background layers fix a face that is darker than the scenery. Personal albums get rescued instead of cropped.
Meme makers and group-chat regulars
You want a reaction image or a laugh, not a polished portrait. The Emotions folder adds expressions such as Surprised, Crying or Furious, and the aging filters show an older or younger you. The aging filters work in the free version too, so you can play before paying.
FaceApp pricing
FaceApp has no pricing page on its website. The app is free to download, and the paid tier, FaceApp PRO, is sold only as an in-app subscription through the Apple App Store and Google Play. FaceApp never charges your card directly, so prices, trials, renewals and refunds follow the store’s rules, and the Terms say FaceApp itself has no refund obligation. The PRO screen inside the app shows the current plans in your local currency, and the FAQ says monthly and yearly plans give the same benefits, with only the billing period differing. PRO opens all filters and tools and removes watermarks.
Many filters and tools are included, the aging filters work without paying, and some PRO filters can be previewed on your own photos before you subscribe. Edits from the free version may carry a FaceApp watermark.
billed every month at the price shown on the PRO screen for your region. A free trial may be offered in some countries. Cancel in your App Store or Google Play subscriptions and access continues to the end of the paid period.
The FAQ calls the annual plan usually the best value, and it includes the same filters and tools as the monthly plan.
the US listing shows FaceApp PRO in-app purchases at $10.00, $20.00, $60.00 and $100.00 without saying which billing period or offer each one is. App Store reviewers in October and November 2026 describe paying $10 a month and $60 a year after a recent increase, which matches two of those listings.
FaceApp key features
Impression one-tap portraits
This filter group changes several facial details at once, so the result reads as one coordinated look rather than a stack of separate tweaks. Options include Revamp 2, Kiss, Hollywood, Cute, Muse, Silk, Charm, Passion, Grace, Glance and Movie, most with four or five strength levels. Multiselect lets you combine several of them at low intensity for a more personal result.
Hairstyles, hair color and beards
The women’s interface offers Volume, Straight, Wavy, Lush, Blowout, Keratin, Dye, Long, Bob Cut, Haircut and Bangs, plus Transfer, which adapts a hairstyle from a reference photo. The men’s side has Volume, Lush, Wavy, Haircut, Hitman, Long and fringe options, and separate filters add a beard or mustache. You can preview a cut or color before you commit to it in real life.
Makeup, retouch and face detail tools
The app store listing counts more than 60 photorealistic filters, including makeup looks, acne and blemish removal, wrinkle smoothing, color lenses and light effects. You can also enlarge or minimize facial features and fine-tune temperature and saturation. A Compare tool at every step shows the original next to the edit.
Remover for objects and people
You brush over a photobomber, a cable or a coffee cup, and FaceApp reconstructs the background from nearby colors, textures and lighting. The company advises removing several objects one at a time rather than in one swipe, which gives the fill more context. Results depend on how busy the background is and how much of the frame the object covers.
Reshape and layered adjustments
Reshape refines face, body or silhouette, and on iOS the Lock Background option stops straight lines and architecture from bending. Adjustments split the photo into Face and Background layers with Mask Editing, so you can brighten a face without blowing out the sky.
Emotions and aging filters
Emotions, announced in September 2026, changes facial expressions with eight options: Kiss, Slavic Stare, Pleading, Surprised, Crying, Disgusted, Furious and Terrified. The Old and Young aging filters that made the app famous are still there and work in both free and PRO versions. These are the tools people use for memes and reaction images.
Presets and Merge
Presets save your favorite filter combinations so a set of photos taken minutes apart can share one look, though custom presets are not available on Android. Merge, in the three-dot menu, locks current edits as a new baseline so you can keep refining one feature without stacking effects across the whole face. Together they keep a multi-step edit from turning plastic.
FaceApp Pros & Cons
Pros
FaceApp is built around faces, so its filters do things general photo editors rarely attempt: a believable new haircut, a beard, a different expression or an older version of you, rendered from a single selfie. Strength levels and Multiselect give you more control than a typical beauty filter, and Compare keeps you honest about how far an edit has gone. The app has a large, active user base, with a 4.7 rating from about 1.8 million ratings on the US App Store and more than 500 million Google Play downloads. Its current privacy setup is clearer than in 2019: only selected photos leave the phone, encrypted with a device key and purged within 24 to 48 hours of the last edit. Start with low strength and add filters gradually.
Cons
Pricing is opaque because there is no web price list, and recent reviews describe a shrinking free tier, watermarks and a price rise to about $10 a month. Billing complaints about trials and refunds show up repeatedly on the App Store and Trustpilot. Features also disappear: the FAQ admits tools get removed, and longtime users still mourn face swap and morph. Every filter runs in the cloud, so you need a stable connection, and some tools are iOS-only. Beyond photos, the Google Play data safety form lists approximate location, device IDs and app activity as shared for analytics and advertising. Read the privacy policy, skip photos of other people’s children, and manage any trial directly in the store.
Use FaceApp if you want…
- Polish a selfie with one realistic filter tap.
- Preview a new haircut or hair color first.
- See how a beard or mustache would look.
- Try full makeup looks without buying cosmetics.
- Erase photobombers from vacation and family photos.
- Turn a portrait into a funny reaction image.
- Age or de-age your face for a laugh.
- Brighten a face without touching the background.
FaceApp alternatives
FaceApp Reviews
Longtime App Store users praise how realistic the makeup, hair and face-shaping filters look and say updates keep adding options, though several feel the women’s filters push toward a heavy, done-up look even when you only want a subtle touch.
People who cleaned up wedding and vacation shots like how quickly the removal tool erases background strangers and fixes awkward frames, but some ask for extras such as teeth whitening and offline filters for places with weak internet.
Recent US reviewers say the free version leaves little you can actually save without upgrading, and that the PRO price has climbed to around $10 a month, which many consider steep for an app they use for fun.
On Trustpilot the score sits around 2 out of 5 from a few dozen reviews, with complaints about charges after cancelled trials, refused refunds and the removal of face swap and morph, while a few reviewers credit support with quick fixes.
FAQ
Is FaceApp free to use?
Yes, the app is free to download and many filters work without paying, including the aging filters. FaceApp PRO adds every filter and tool and removes the watermark that free edits may carry.
How much does FaceApp PRO cost?
FaceApp does not publish prices on its website; the PRO screen in the app shows monthly and yearly plans in your local currency. The US App Store lists FaceApp PRO purchases at $10.00, $20.00, $60.00 and $100.00 without naming the billing period for each.
Does FaceApp keep my photos?
Only photos you select for editing are uploaded, encrypted with a key stored on your device and cached on Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services. The cache is deleted within 24 to 48 hours after your last edit, and you can delete it sooner under Settings, Privacy & Legal, Delete Cloud Photo Cache.
Is FaceApp a Russian app?
FaceApp Technology Limited is headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus, and its FAQ states it has no business ties to the Russian Federation. In 2019 the company told TechCrunch its core R&D team was in Russia but user data was not transferred there, and an FBI letter later that year described any Russian-developed app as a potential counterintelligence threat without citing misuse of FaceApp data.
What rights does FaceApp get to my photos?
You keep ownership, and the current Terms of Use, updated November 4, 2024, license your content to FaceApp solely to provide the service. That is narrower than the 2017 terms criticized in 2019 for a perpetual, irrevocable license that also covered users’ likeness.
How do I cancel a FaceApp subscription?
Cancel in the store you paid through: App Store, your profile, Subscriptions, FaceApp, Cancel Subscription on iOS, or Subscriptions in Google Play on Android. Deleting the app does not stop billing, and access lasts until the end of the paid period.
Can I use FaceApp edits for commercial work?
No, the Terms of Use limit the service and subscriptions to personal use and forbid editing photos to provide services for third parties. Photographers retouching client images need a tool licensed for professional use.
Does FaceApp work offline?
No, filters are processed in the cloud, and FaceApp’s own troubleshooting guide says the app needs a stable internet connection to work properly.
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