What Ufoto does

Ufoto (legal name Hangzhou Gexiang Technology Co., Ltd., 杭州格像科技有限公司) is a Chinese mobile software company founded in November 2015 and headquartered in Hangzhou, with additional engineering offices in Xi'an and an international business presence in Hong Kong. The company develops consumer-facing mobile photo and video editing applications for the overseas market, with a portfolio led by Sweet Selfie (500M+ global users), Sweet Snap (200M+ users), Beat.ly/VidChic (50M+ users), and StoryChic (10M+ users), supplemented by a long tail of secondary apps covering face swapping, video effects, collage, and poster creation. Core technology centers on AI-powered mobile computer vision: real-time facial recognition and beautification filters, 1000+ AI dynamic stickers, beat-synchronized music video template matching with 600+ video templates and 700+ music samples, and one-tap editing workflows designed for non-technical users. Distribution is primarily product-led through Google Play, Apple App Store, and Huawei AppGallery, with the company having earned 300+ editor's recommendations, Google Play Best of 2016, and Google Outstanding Developer 2018 recognition.

Ufoto operates a freemium revenue model offering free app downloads with optional in-app purchases for premium features, additional templates, and ad-free experiences; revenue mechanics lean on in-app advertising and IAP conversion rather than disclosed subscription tiers. The customer base is a horizontal segment of global consumer mobile users across 50-200 countries, with sub-segments including casual selfie users, social media content creators, and vloggers/music video creators. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wondershare Technology Group Co., Ltd. (300624.SZ), a Shenzhen-listed Chinese software conglomerate, following an acquisition that integrated Ufoto as the group's mobile video and photo creativity business unit. As of January 13, 2025, the standalone ufotosoft.com website was taken offline and product information consolidated under wondershare.com/ufotosoft, signaling ongoing brand consolidation within the parent group while product services and user rights continue unaffected.

Name

Ufoto

Legal name

杭州格像科技有限公司 (Hangzhou Gexiang Technology Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://www.ufotosoft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ufoto is a Hangzhou-based mobile software subsidiary of Wondershare Group (300624.SZ) that develops AI-powered photo and video editing apps — notably Sweet Selfie, Sweet Snap, Beat.ly, and StoryChic — for global consumer users, distributed through Google Play, Apple App Store, and Huawei AppGallery under a freemium model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Photo & Video Editing Applications

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121), Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Short-Form Video Creation, Editing & Templates Apps (MPACAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mobile Music Creation Apps (Beatmaking, Songwriting, Practice) (MPAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Mobile video editing apps
• Photo editing software
• AI beauty filters
• Music video creation
• Short-form video apps

Headquarters

HQ city

Hangzhou

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Mobile App Downloads (Freemium): Free mobile applications with optional premium features and in-app purchases. Users download apps at no cost and can purchase additional features, templates, or remove ads.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ufoto develops and publishes consumer mobile applications for photo and video editing targeted at overseas users, including flagship apps Beat.ly (music video creation), StoryChic (story-style video editing), Sweet Selfie (selfie and beauty camera editing), Sweet Snap (face-editing and retouching), and VidChic (trendy short-video editing). The apps combine AI-driven filters, beat-synchronized templates, dynamic stickers, music libraries, and one-tap editing flows, distributed globally through the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Huawei AppGallery under a freemium model.

Product overview

Ufoto is a mobile video and photo creative software company offering a portfolio of consumer-facing apps under the Wondershare Group umbrella. The core product line includes three main categories: music video creation (Beat.ly), short video and collage creation (StoryChic, VidChic), and photo selfie/beauty apps (Sweet Selfie, Sweet Snap). Additional secondary products include video effects apps (SnapFx, Shot FX, StoryVibe, Mivo), photo editing tools (Mint, Photochic, FaceSwap), and utility apps (Vidart, Mojito, Viamaker, Videap, TrueMeCalm). These apps are positioned for global users seeking easy-to-use mobile creative tools with AI-powered features like beauty filters, dynamic stickers, and music-synced templates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beat.ly (VidChic): Music video creation app with dynamic beat synchronization, suitable for vloggers and music video creators with 700+ music samples and 50 million global users.
• StoryChic
• Sweet Selfie
• Sweet Snap

Products and services

• Beat.ly A consumer mobile app for creating beat-synced music videos using templates, licensed music, and AI-powered one-tap editing, targeting overseas social-media content creators.
• StoryChic A consumer mobile app specialized in story-format short video editing with templates, transitions, filters, and music for Instagram-style story sharing.
• Sweet Selfie A consumer mobile selfie camera and face-retouching app offering AI-powered beauty filters, smooth skin, and one-tap beautification for self-portraits and short video.
• Sweet Snap A consumer mobile face-retouching and filter app that uses AI beautification and AR stickers to edit selfies and short portrait videos.
• VidChic A consumer mobile app focused on trendy short-form video creation with templates, music, effects, and AI-driven editing for platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels.
• SnapFx A consumer mobile photo-effects application offering filters, overlays, and stylized photo edits for overseas users.
• Mivo A consumer mobile music video editor app with slide-show style templates, transitions, and licensed music for short-form video creation.
• Mint A consumer mobile photo editing and collage app emphasizing minimal, clean filters, layouts, and presets for sharing aesthetic photography on social media.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• FacebookcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 October 2020Ufoto became a global partner of Facebook-Sharing to Stories, enabling users to directly share content created with Ufoto apps to Facebook Stories. Sweet Selfie launched Stories feature during F8 Conference in 2018.
• HuaweicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2020Ufoto participated in 2020 Huawei Developer Conference and won best innovation partner award for Huawei Smart Device. Partnership with AppGallery for Latin American market innovation and ecosystem building.
• GooglecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2018Built relationships with global users via Google platform. Attracted fans through Android Go program. Recognized as Google Outstanding Developer in 2018. Distribution and technical integration through Google Play.
• Wondershare Group (万兴科技)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUfoto is a member company of Wondershare Group (stock code: 300624.SZ). Wondershare acquired Ufoto to enable the future of creativity and empower a new video era. Ufoto operates as part of Wondershare's mobile video and photo portfolio.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Adobe Express: Adobe's mobile-first template-based design and short video creation tool. Operates in the broader creative-tooling space that Ufoto targets, offering integrated templates, video editing, and AI features as part of Adobe's broader creative suite.
• FilmoraGo (Wondershare): Wondershare's own mobile counterpart to its flagship Filmora desktop editor. As Ufoto operates under Wondershare, FilmoraGo is a sibling product with overlapping video editing capabilities and shared platform/parent context.

Direct peers

• CapCut: ByteDance-owned mobile video editing app with template-based short-form video creation, AI effects, and music sync. Direct competitor in the same short-form video creation category that Ufoto's Beat.ly, StoryChic, and VidChic address, with a substantially larger distribution advantage via TikTok.
• VN Video Editor: Free mobile video editor with music integration and template features popular among vloggers. Directly comparable to Ufoto's VidChic and Beat.ly in the mobile video editing category.
• B612 / SNOW Corporation: Beauty camera and short-video app with real-time filters, AR stickers, and AI beautification. Directly comparable to Ufoto's Sweet Selfie and Sweet Snap in the selfie/beauty camera category.
• Meitu: China-origin beauty camera and photo/video editing app with AI-powered portrait enhancement. Closely comparable to Ufoto's Sweet Selfie product and its real-time beauty technology.
• VivaVideo: Mobile video editor with template-based short-form video creation and music synchronization. Closely comparable to Ufoto's VidChic and StoryChic product offerings.
• InShot: Popular mobile video and photo editor with templated effects, music integration, and AI-powered beautification. Competes directly with Ufoto's Sweet Selfie and StoryChic for the same global consumer creator audience.
• PicsArt: Mobile photo and video editing platform with AI tools, stickers, templates, and a creator community. Competes with Ufoto across photo editing (Sweet Selfie, Sweet Snap) and short-form video (StoryChic).
• KineMaster: Mobile multi-layer video editor widely used by creators and vloggers. Comparable to Ufoto's VidChic and Beat.ly in the mobile video editing and music-video creation category, with both offering templated and freeform editing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ufoto