Doubao, the artificial intelligence assistant developed by ByteDance, is preparing to introduce a paid tier with additional services layered on top of its free offering, according to a service notice on its app store page cited by 36Kr.
The notice outlines three subscription tiers:
- Standard, priced at RMB 68 (USD 10) per month, or RMB 688 (USD 100.8) per year.
- Enhanced, priced at RMB 200 (USD 29.3) per month, or RMB 2,048 (USD 300.1) per year.
- Professional, priced at RMB 500 (USD 73.3) per month, or RMB 5,088 (USD 745.5) per year.
These paid features have not yet been rolled out within the Doubao product.
In an official statement, Doubao said it has consistently provided free services but is exploring value-added offerings to address differing user needs. It added that the plans remain in a testing phase, and full details will be released through official channels once finalized.
A source familiar with the matter told 36Kr that the paid features are expected to focus on complex, productivity-driven tasks, including slide deck generation, data analysis, and film and video production. As the underlying model improves, the product is being positioned to handle more advanced, higher-value use cases. These tasks are likely to require greater computing resources and longer inference times.
KrASIA features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Li Xiaoxia for 36Kr.
Note: RMB figures are converted to USD at rates of RMB 6.82 = USD 1 based on estimates as of May 7, 2026, unless otherwise stated. USD conversions are presented for ease of reference and may not fully match prevailing exchange rates.