Beautify is our app, so weigh our take accordingly. Every competitor fact below comes from that app’s own App Store listing or website, checked in October 2026, and nothing here comes from hands-on testing. Most makeup apps are built around virtual try-on, which shows a finished look on your selfie. This list ranks apps by how well they teach you to do the look yourself, and marks which ones are mainly try-on.
What is the difference between a makeup tutorial app and a try-on app?
A tutorial app teaches you how to apply a look in order, while a try-on app shows you the finished result on your photo. Try-on is a preview: useful for deciding whether you like a look, less useful when you are holding a brush. A good tutorial breaks the look into steps, explains what each step is for, and ideally adapts to your face shape or eye shape. Some apps here do both.
How we chose these makeup tutorial apps
We looked for apps whose own listings describe teaching makeup, not only applying it to a photo:
- Step-by-step guidance in text, routines or video.
- Named looks you can learn, not only filters.
- Personal fit, such as tips based on face shape, eye shape or skin tone.
- A clear pricing model stated on the listing.
How do these makeup apps compare?
Beautify, GlowUp - Makeup & Beauty and Glam Up describe step-by-step routines, while YouCam Makeup and Hiface are built around virtual try-on.
| App | Best for | Platforms | Scores out of 100? | Face shape | Makeup help | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beautify - Glow Up | Ten step-by-step looks plus personal tips | iPhone | Yes (eight scores) | Yes | Yes (step-by-step tutorials, no try-on) | Free download; tutorials need a weekly subscription |
| GlowUp - Makeup & Beauty | Try-on, then a routine with products | iPhone, iPad | Not stated | Not stated | Yes (try-on plus routine) | Free download; subscription |
| Glam Up | Routines plus color season | iPhone, iPad, Android | Not stated | Yes | Yes (step-by-step routines) | Free download; analysis needs a subscription |
| Perfect365 | Virtual makeup plus creator videos | iPhone, iPad, Android | Not stated | Not stated | Yes (virtual makeup, step-by-step videos) | Free download; monthly or yearly subscription plus one-off packs |
| YouCam Makeup | Live virtual try-on | iPhone, iPad, Android | Not stated | Yes (per its own blog) | Yes (virtual try-on) | Free download; monthly or yearly subscription, some features use credits |
| Hiface | Style ideas by face shape | iPhone, Android | Not stated | Yes | Yes (virtual try-on) | Free download; subscription plus extra analysis credits |
| Glow - AI Beauty Coach | Routines with a coach chat | iPhone, iPad | Not stated | Not stated | Partial (routines and hacks) | Free download; analysis needs a subscription |
1. Beautify - Glow Up: best for guided looks matched to your features
Beautify’s Tutorials tab teaches ten named makeup looks in five steps each, with tips at every step. The looks are clean girl, no-makeup makeup, soft glam, e-girl, Barbie, full glam, K-pop idol, 90s supermodel, cottagecore and 70s; you can read about each one on our makeup looks pages, starting with clean girl and soft glam.
What sets it apart is that the tutorials sit next to your own analysis. A scan names your face shape and eye shape, and each of those opens a page of makeup tips for that feature. An AI beauty advisor answers follow-up questions about makeup, skincare and products.
- Platforms: iPhone only, English only.
- Pricing model: free to download; the tutorials, results and advisor need Beautify Premium, a weekly subscription.
- Limitation: Beautify does not do virtual try-on, so you cannot preview a look on your selfie before you start.
2. GlowUp - Makeup & Beauty: best for try-on followed by a routine
GlowUp - Makeup & Beauty (by ZipoApps) combines both approaches. Its listing says it will “apply that makeup style to your face” from a no-makeup selfie, let you “preview your final makeup look before applying”, and then give a “step-by-step makeup routine with the exact products”. It also mentions learning “techniques like contouring, blending, and brows with AI coaching”. iPhone and iPad, free to download with subscription in-app purchases.
3. Glam Up: best for routines alongside face analysis
Glam Up - Perfect Your Look lists “step-by-step makeup routines, and product recommendations” as part of a wider glow-up app that also covers color season, face shape and eye shape. iPhone, iPad and Android. Free to download; the listing notes analysis requires a subscription.
4. Perfect365: best for virtual looks plus creator videos
Perfect365: Face Makeup Editor is a virtual makeup editor that also teaches. Its listing describes “over 3,000 professionally designed Hotstyles” to apply to selfies and says you can “learn new techniques from your favorite beauty creators through step-by-step videos”. iPhone, iPad and Android, with monthly or yearly PLUS plans and one-off packs.
5. YouCam Makeup: best for live virtual try-on
YouCam Makeup: Face Editor is the try-on pick. Its listing describes “Live Makeup Virtual Try On”, “hundreds of looks”, AI nail try-on and a chat-based beauty and editing assistant that needs a subscription. It does not describe step-by-step tutorials. iPhone, iPad and Android, with monthly or yearly plans and credits for some AI features.
6. Hiface: best for makeup ideas by face shape
Hiface - Face Shape Finder detects your face shape and suggests styles for “hairstyles, beards, glasses, or makeup”, with makeup options to try virtually and an “Ask Style AI” chat. It is a style-matching app rather than a tutorial app. iPhone and Android, with subscriptions and extra analysis credits.
7. Glow - AI Beauty Coach: best for routines with a chat
Glow lists “beauty routines and hacks”, personalized product recommendations and a “24/7 AI beauty coach chat”, with skin as its main focus. iPhone and iPad; analysis requires a subscription.
Bottom line: which makeup tutorial app should you use?
Use a tutorial app to learn a look and a try-on app to decide whether you want it. Beautify is the pick for ten guided looks tied to your face shape and eye shape, GlowUp - Makeup & Beauty if you want to preview first and then follow a routine, Perfect365 for creator videos, and YouCam Makeup for live try-on. Not sure which look to start with? Our clean girl vs soft glam comparison breaks down two common everyday looks side by side.