FaceApp
The app that made everyone's grandparent-self go viral in 2019 is still here in 2026 — still made by a Russian company, still worth knowing the facts about before you upload a selfie.
What is FaceApp?
FaceApp is a photo editing app built by Wireless Lab, a company registered in St. Petersburg, Russia, best known for its realistic AI-powered age progression filter that went massively viral in 2019 — millions of people, including celebrities, posted aged versions of themselves within days of each other. The app has kept expanding since: gender swap filters, hairstyle changes, smile adjustments, and other realistic photo transformations that remain some of the more convincing consumer-grade face editing available, built on years of refinement to the underlying technology.
What's genuinely worth knowing, factually, before using it: its Russian ownership has been a source of sustained scrutiny since 2019, when the FBI named it in congressional letters about foreign-app counterintelligence risk, and that scrutiny has intensified since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, as many Western governments have restricted or banned Russian-made software on official devices. FaceApp's own position is that photos are processed on servers running on Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services and deleted within 48 hours, and that no data is transferred to Russian state authorities — claims that are difficult for outside parties to independently verify. Separately, its terms of service have drawn attention for granting the company a broad, perpetual, royalty-free license to use uploaded content, including for commercial purposes. None of this means the app is unsafe for casual use, but the facts are genuinely different for someone using it for fun versus someone in a government, defense, or otherwise sensitive role.
Company origin, government scrutiny, and terms-of-service details are drawn from multiple independent sources (Help Net Security, CPO Magazine, PBS, ExpressVPN, Grokipedia) spanning FaceApp's 2019 controversy through 2026 coverage. FaceApp's own privacy claims are presented as reported by the company; independent verification of server-side data handling is inherently limited.
Key features
Age progression & regression
The signature feature — realistic aging or de-aging filters applied to a portrait photo.
Gender swap
Generates a realistic version of a photo with the subject's apparent gender altered.
Hairstyle & hair color change
Preview different hairstyles and colors on your own photo.
Expression editing
Adjust a smile or facial expression realistically after the photo was taken.
Background & makeup filters
Additional editing tools beyond core face transformation features.
Mobile-first app
Built as a fast, simple iOS and Android experience rather than a desktop-first tool.
Pricing
Free
- Core filters with a watermark on export
- Ads included
- Good for casual, occasional use
Pro (Annual)
- No watermark or ads
- Full filter and feature access
- Among the cheaper subscriptions in this category
Weekly and monthly billing options are also typically available through the App Store and Google Play at higher effective rates than the annual plan. Prices reflect FaceApp's published pricing as reported through 2026.
Available models
Integrations & platforms
Pros, cons & best for
Pros
- Still among the most realistic consumer-grade age and gender filters available
- Simple, fast, mobile-first experience
- Cheap annual subscription relative to the category
Cons
- Ongoing, unresolved scrutiny tied to its Russian ownership
- Broad terms of service grant wide commercial rights over uploaded content
- Data-handling claims are difficult to independently verify
Best for
- Casual, low-stakes entertainment use
- Not recommended for people in government, defense, or similarly sensitive roles
- Anyone privacy-conscious should read the terms of service directly first
Take a look inside
Alternatives
If ownership transparency and clearer data policies matter more to you:
Our verdict
FaceApp's underlying technology has genuinely held up — the age and gender filters remain some of the more convincing available in a consumer app, and the price is hard to beat. What's kept it from scoring higher for years, and what's only intensified since 2022, is the honest, unresolved question mark hanging over a Russian-owned company processing facial photos at scale, combined with terms of service that grant unusually broad rights over what you upload. None of that makes casual use dangerous for most people, and the app's continued survival through repeated controversy suggests it isn't going anywhere. But it's a genuinely different risk calculation depending on who you are and what you do, and that's worth weighing honestly rather than assuming it doesn't apply to you.
FAQ
Is FaceApp Russian-owned?
Yes, it's developed by Wireless Lab, a company registered in St. Petersburg, Russia — a fact that's been publicly documented since the app's 2019 controversy and remains true in 2026.
Is FaceApp safe to use?
For casual, personal entertainment use, most security researchers have found no evidence of malware or the app accessing more of your photo library than what you explicitly select. For people in government, defense, intelligence, or finance roles, the concerns tied to its Russian ownership and broad terms of service are more substantive.
What does FaceApp do with my photos?
The company states that photos are processed on Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services servers and deleted within 48 hours, and that data isn't transferred to Russian authorities. These claims are difficult for outside parties to independently verify.
What do FaceApp's terms of service say about my content?
They grant the company a broad, perpetual, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, and distribute uploaded content, including for commercial purposes — terms that have drawn scrutiny as unusually expansive even by industry standards.
Is FaceApp free?
Yes, a free tier includes core filters with a watermark and ads. The Pro subscription, around $19.99/year, removes both and unlocks the full feature set.
Why does FaceApp keep coming up in security discussions?
The FBI referenced it in 2019 congressional letters about foreign-app counterintelligence risk, and scrutiny of Russian-owned software has increased generally since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with several Western governments restricting Russian software on official devices.