Picsart is an Armenian-Americantechnologycompany based inMiami, Florida, United States, andYerevan, Armenia that develops the Picsart suite of online photo and video editingapplications, with a social creative community. The platform allows users to take and edit pictures and videos, draw with layers, and share the images on Picsart and other social networks. It is one of the world's most popular apps, with reportedly more than 1 billion downloads across 180 countries.[1]
Picsart was founded in November 2011 by Armenian entrepreneurHovhannes Avoyan, and Armenian programmers Artavazd Mehrabyan and Mikayel Vardanyan.[3] Its founders developed the first Picsart application as a stand-alone tool to help people alter a photo image on their phone, and additional capabilities were added over time.[4] The first Picsart app launched in November 2011 onAndroid devices.[5]
In January 2013, Picsart foriOS was released for theiPhone.[5] In May, it was released for theiPad.[6] In late 2013, Picsart photo editor became available forWindows Phone.[7]
In January 2014, Picsart became available on devices supportingWindows 8.[8]
By April 2015, the company reportedly had seen 250 million downloads for its iOS and Android apps, and had 60 million monthly active users.[9]
In 2016, Picsart reached 75 million monthly active users.[10]
In 2017, Picsart launched Remix Chat, a messaging system where users can share images directly or in groups and edit them collectively with friends.[11] The company also launched a feature to let its user community create and share custom stickers for free. Picsart also announced that it reached 90 million monthly active users.[12]
In July, Russian supermodel and philanthropistNatalia Vodianova joined Picsart to help increase social engagement and activism within the Picsart photo community.[13] In October, the company reached 100 million monthly active users and began announcing partnerships with major consumer brands and celebrities.[14]
In March 2019, Picsart reached 130 million monthly active users.[15] Also in 2019, the company was ranked by app analytics company Sensor Tower as the #4 top grossing social photo and video editing app, afterInstagram,Snapchat andYouTube.[16]
In February 2021, Humphrey Shi joined Picsart as its Chief Scientist and later founded Picsart AI Research (PAIR) as Picsart’s AI research and development arm.[19]
On August 26, 2021, Picsart CEO Avoyan announced that the company had raised $130 million in Series C funding fromSoftbank,Sequoia, G Squared, Tribe Capital, Graph Ventures and Siguler Guff & Company with a company valuation nearing $1.5 billion, making it the first techunicorn born in Armenia.[1]
In February 2022, Picsart acquired Code Republic, a learning platform, to be part of its education division, Picsart Academy.[20]
Also in February, the company launched a newAPI program called Picsart for Developers, allowing partners to implement Picsart features on their own platforms.[21]
In March 2022, Picsart released AI fonts, a new collection of fonts created with generative AI.[22][23]
In November 2022, Picsart added an AI Image Generator and an AI Writer to its platform, which make images and copy using generative AI.[24][25][26]
AI Style Transfer: This feature allows users to apply artistic styles to their visuals, transforming photos into artworks inspired by various art movements.
The company launched its AI Avatar feature in December 2022.[27][28] In January 2023, Picsart launched a new standalone app called SketchAI, which uses generative AI to turn sketches into digital art.[29][30]
Like many popular applications, Picsart has also seen the emergence of modified versions created by third parties. These unofficial versions often claim to provide additional features or unlock premium tools. However, the official developers do not endorse them, and their use may pose security and legal risks.[31] The company continues to update its software to enhance security and improve user experience.
Cybersecurity experts caution that unofficial apps may contain malware, leading to privacy breaches or data theft. Additionally, modified versions may violate the platform’s terms of service, resulting in account suspensions or bans.[32]
Picsart develops mobile apps and web browser tools for editing videos and photos. The app and website tools support social networking activities. The features include an AI image generation tool which converts text into images, as well as a background eraser to erase unwanted objects and replace the background. It also includes image filters like blur, retro, VHS, and Y2K.
The apps include:
Picsart Photo & Video Editor - a photo and video editing app with tools to add filters and various effects, with social network integration. The app is free to use and offers in-app purchases of stickers and other graphic elements.[33]
Picsart Animator - an animation app allowing the creation of cartoon videos,GIFs and other animation.[34]
Picsart's web browser tools for PCs have the same features as the Picsart Photo & Video app, but are designed forweb browsers on PCs running Windows 8.1 or higher.[39]
Built-in social networking features with the apps and website tools allow users to comment, favorite, and follow others using the tools.[33]
Picsart is headquartered in Miami, Florida and Yerevan, Armenia.[40] The company has additional offices in Beijing; Moscow; Tokyo; Paris; London; Berlin; Los Angeles; Atlanta; Glasgow, Scotland; and Bangalore, India.[41][40] In March 2019, the company reported that 70 percent of its then 360 employees worked in engineering and product development, and half of those employees were female.[14]
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