TECH

ByteDance Plans Subscriptions for AI Chatbot Doubao

Published: May. 5, 2026 2:40 p.m. GMT+8

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ByteDance Ltd. plans to introduce a paid subscription service for Doubao, aiming to turn the artificial intelligence chatbot’s massive user base into sustainable revenue amid intense industry competition.

While Doubao’s basic version will remain free to meet users’ simple needs, the platform prepares to offer three paid packages, according to information on the Apple App Store download page for the app on Monday. The packages consist of a standard version priced at 68 yuan ($10) per month, an enhanced version available at 200 yuan per month and a professional version that costs 500 yuan per month. The fees are all charged on a continuous subscription basis.

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ByteDance plans paid Doubao subscriptions: 68 yuan ($10)/month standard, 200 yuan enhanced, 500 yuan professional; basic free.
Paid features target complex tasks like presentations, data analysis, video production.
Doubao leads China with 345M MAU (March), 100M new Q1 users; ByteDance investment rose to 1.5B yuan in 2025.

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Who’s Who

ByteDance Ltd.: ByteDance Ltd. plans paid Doubao subscriptions: standard (68 yuan/$10/month), enhanced (200 yuan), professional (500 yuan). Basic version free, focusing on complex tasks like presentations, data analysis, video production. Doubao leads China AI apps with 345M MAU (March); investment rose to 1.5B yuan in 2025.

Baidu Inc.: Baidu Inc.'s Ernie Bot previously attempted paid subscription models but was made completely free in April 2025, amid challenges for Chinese AI developers to monetize via consumer subscriptions.

Zhipu AI: Zhipu AI's Qingyan chatbot previously attempted paid subscription models, like other Chinese AI apps (e.g., Baidu's Ernie Bot), but no domestic AI has sustained revenue solely from consumer subscriptions amid monetization challenges.

Moonshot AI: Moonshot AI’s Kimi chatbot previously attempted various paid subscription models, alongside Baidu’s Ernie Bot, Zhipu AI’s Qingyan, and Alibaba’s Qwen, amid industry monetization challenges. (27 words)

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s Qwen AI chatbot previously attempted paid subscription models but faces monetization challenges. It ranks second among top AI apps in China with significant monthly active users (behind Doubao's 345 million in March) and added 126 million new users in Q1.

Tencent Holdings Ltd.: Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s Yuanbao ranked among the top four AI apps by monthly active users in China in March, per QuestMobile research.

QuestMobile: QuestMobile is a research firm reporting that in March, China's top four AI apps by monthly active users were Doubao (345 million), Qwen, DeepSeek, and Tencent's Yuanbao. Doubao added 100 million new users in Q1, vs. Qwen's 126 million.

DeepSeek: DeepSeek ranks third among the top four AI apps by monthly active users in China in March, per QuestMobile, behind Doubao (345 million MAUs) and Qwen, ahead of Tencent's Yuanbao.

AI generated, for reference only