The commercialization process of AI large model services has taken a crucial step forward. On June 24, Douyin officially launched three paid subscription services, namely the Standard Edition (68 yuan/month), Enhanced Edition (200 yuan/month), and Advanced Edition (500 yuan/month). With the smooth implementation of the paid system, all Douyin products have been fully integrated with the latest Douyin 2.1 series large model, achieving significant improvements in content output quality and model operation efficiency.

The official emphasized that this paid service launch will not change the daily usage rights for free users, aiming to provide differentiated choices for users with higher productivity needs.

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Looking at the global market, Douyin's pricing strategy shows a clear "high cost-effectiveness" orientation. In comparison, the paid subscription threshold of ChatGPT is relatively high, with the Plus version costing around 135 RMB per month, and the Pro version reaching as high as 677 RMB per month. By contrast, Douyin's standard edition priced at 68 RMB per month is only about half of its counterparts. When calculated on an annual basis, the cost of Douyin's Advanced Edition is less than one-third of ChatGPT's corresponding tier. Given the simultaneous iteration of core functions and model performance, this undoubtedly gives it a stronger competitive advantage in the domestic market.

In addition, other overseas mainstream models such as Claude and Gemini also adopt similar tiered payment models, with prices generally set at a high level. By reducing the usage costs for Chinese users to a reasonable range, Douyin aims to explore a path of AI commercialization that aligns with China's market characteristics while maintaining international competitiveness, ensuring model computing power and service stability.

Industry insiders generally believe that the launch of Douyin's paid service marks its transition from pursuing user scale expansion to tapping into the value of existing users. As the competition in large model development enters deeper waters, whether this high-cost-effectiveness strategy can retain a broad range of ordinary users while successfully screening and converting high-quality enterprise-level and professional creator groups will be key for Douyin to establish itself in the second half of the competition.