Kwai

RegionChina

Platform · this deep dive is built from the official pages of the platform itself and of the tools that support it.

Overview

Kwai is a short-video and live-streaming app, the international product of the Chinese Kuaishou team. The platform describes itself like this: "Kwai is a social network for short videos and trends" — a claim about itself, not an independent assessment. The site footer carries the copyright line "Copyright © 2012-2026 Joyo", and on Google Play the publisher is given as Joyo Technology Pte Ltd, a Singaporean legal entity.

The main practical feature: Kwai's help centre is written first and foremost for Brazil. The currency in the examples is reais, the payment channels are PIX and Brazilian bank accounts, and the tax identifier in the rules is CPF. This is visible in how the site is built too: the machine-readable llms.txt index lists the es, pt-BR and ar locales, while full translations of the help centre exist only in English and Portuguese — 244 articles in each version.

The second difference is that earning is built into the app from the outset and on several levels: an advertising revenue share, paid brand tasks, gifts in streams, and a partner programme with a guaranteed minimum. At the same time we found no open publishing API for Kwai.

Who's here

Kwai publishes no audience figures of its own on the pages we checked: the "About" page describes the product in words, without metrics.

Measurements come from the app stores. Google Play reports more than 500 million downloads of the Android app, a rating of 4.3 and 11 million reviews, with an age rating of USK: Ages 12+. These are Google store figures as of the check date and for Android only.

Geography can be read from the help centre. In its answer about withdrawals the platform names the rate "10,000 Kwai Golds = R$1" and lists the channels: a bank transfer to an account in Brazilian reais, PIX, mobile phone top-ups, e-commerce vouchers and gift cards from Bob's, iFood Alimentação, McDonald's and Carrefour. In other words, the platform is able to pay out money above all in Brazil.

There are four language versions of the site: English without a prefix and the localised es, pt-BR and ar — that is how the paths are arranged in llms.txt.

Getting started

Sign-up happens in the app; Kwai has no separate web creator account — all the tools live inside the "Creator Center". Publishing is described in the help centre literally step by step: tap the camera button at the bottom, shoot a video or pick a file from "Album", edit it and tap "Share".

Live streaming does not open right away. To get the right to broadcast you have to reach at least 500 followers, then apply through the "Live" button and fill in a form; the outcome arrives as a direct message. Data may update with a delay — the help centre asks you to wait 24 hours. You can broadcast from a computer too: you will need OBS and Kwai Studio.

The verification badge. The conditions are named outright: more than 100 thousand followers on Kwai or a verified account on another social network, original videos with no screen recordings, and a low share of blocked clips. An application needs photos of both sides of an identity document and a selfie holding the document, and with an audience under 100 thousand also screenshots of a verified account on another network with a link to it. The application is submitted through Creator Center → Creator Verification, and the item may be missing if the app is not updated. For popular creators the status lasts one year, with periodic checks.

It is separately noted that public admission to verified status is not open at present, and that when it opens, priority will go to creators with original videos and notable influence.

What you can publish

The main format is vertical short video. The platform names the length on its creator page: "You can shoot videos up to 5 minutes long" — you can shoot clips of up to five minutes, with pauses and resumed shooting. The same page describes the "Memories" assembly from photos and video and one-tap automatic subtitles.

Other types: duets (the help centre has a separate article about inviting someone to a duet), live streams, goods and orders (the "Shop & Sales" and "Shopping & Orders" categories in the help centre index). There are no requirements for file weight, resolution, codecs or frame rate in the public help centre — we do not cite those numbers.

A pre-publication check is mandatory: videos are reviewed against the community rules, and on a breach the creator gets a direct message with the details and may appeal. The prohibitions themselves are gathered in the "Safety Center" section, but at the time of our check the community rules page served only navigation: the text is loaded by a script.

How to grow

Kwai does not disclose its algorithm. What it does write about it is in the answer "My video doesn't get many views": for a video to spread you need a good level of engagement — watches through to the end, likes, shares and comments; the more strongly a clip engages, the wider it spreads. The platform names no specific weights or thresholds.

Paid promotion is called Booster. The help centre describes it as the official promotion tool that shows a post as advertising. Before first use you have to choose an account type — Creator Account or Business Account — fill in qualification details and pass a review; the account type cannot be changed afterwards. One order promotes one public video, and the goals are views, followers or clicks to a site; the platform calls the result forecast indicative. The review of an application is described separately: after a rejection you can look at the reasons and reapply, but the account identifier, the country of registration and the currency do not change.

Advertising for brands is not bought self-serve. The help centre suggests writing to kwai.business@kuaishou.com and stating in the letter the company name and its registration number (in the example, the Brazilian CNPJ), the site, the size of the company, the target audience, the industry, what you expect from the advertising and a monthly budget in reais.

Statistics are available in the Creator Center: when checking the terms of the advertising programme, the help centre points to the path "Creator Center → Work Analysis → Publication → 30 days → Views". The same place runs the "Kwai family" mechanic — an association of creators with shared interests, where members earn points for certain actions and get traffic support.

Path to monetization

The platform gives a general list of ways to earn on its creator page: an advertising revenue share programme, paid brand tasks, gifts in streams, the Praise feature, the Kwai Creator Marketplace exchange, an e-commerce partnership and a direct contract with the platform (a "platform signed creator").

Ad Revenue Program

The only programme whose thresholds are named as numbers. To take part you have to meet every condition at once:

a creator level above 6 or more than 500 followers;
publishing original content;
more than 12 posts over the past 30 days;
an average of more than 1000 views over the past 30 days, or at least 10,000 views in total over 30 days;
being of legal age.

The same page notes: views obtained through Booster do not count; data updates with a delay of up to two days; videos with a hashtag do not enter the programme. If the conditions stop being met, the creator goes into a 14-day probation period and either restores their figures or drops out. Income is calculated from actual ad impressions and lands in the creator's wallet. The programme is opening up gradually: "gradually opening up to high-quality creators".

UGC Subsidy / Partner Program

The second programme is for creators of original video. The platform counts a clip as original if it was shot and edited by the creator themselves, with the creator appearing on camera; material from the internet and re-uploads of other people's work do not count as original. The account must hold the "Original" classification: if it is removed, the right to take part is lost.

There are two parts within the programme. The guaranteed minimum ("Guaranteed Minimum Income") goes only to members: without joining the programme a creator will keep receiving the view-based bonus, but not the guarantee. The view-based bonus is credited to the wallet in reais under the name "UGC Subsidy Program Rewards".

Your place in the programme is determined by an overall score. The platform lists its components: views, engagement (likes, watches through to the end, comments, shares), the frequency and regularity of posting, the originality rating and the number of followers. There is no formula and no weights.

Withdrawing money

The payout rules are described in detail and are plainly Brazilian:

the rate is 10,000 Kwai Golds = 1 real;
withdrawal once every 24 hours, which is also one request a day;
the fee is paid by the platform, not the creator;
crediting takes usually 4–5 working days, and on failure the sum is returned to the balance; for payouts under the partner programme the help centre names up to 5 working days;
a withdrawal requires a linked phone and a code from an SMS or a call, one name and one CPF are linked to one account, and two cards can be linked.

Tools and automation

We found no open API for publishing, statistics or administration at Kwai: the full site index has no developer section, and neither do the 39 help centre categories. The only official external tool named by the platform itself is Kwai Studio for streaming from a computer together with OBS.

The site itself, meanwhile, is prepared to be read by programs: it has llms.txt and an extended llms-full.txt listing every entry point — the help centre, the safety sections, the legal block, the brand book and the creator pages.

Limits and rules

A following limit. The number of people you can follow is capped: on reaching the limit the platform suggests unfollowing someone or coming back in 24 hours. The number itself is not named.

Booster and the advertising programme do not add up: views bought through Booster do not count towards the Ad Revenue Program conditions.

Originality. Re-uploads and material from the internet take an account out of the payout programmes; a link to a page with examples of clips not admitted to monetization is given in the answer about original video.

The rules and legal documents are gathered in the Safety Center and Legal hubs. At the time of our check both served only navigation: the texts are loaded by a script.

Geography. The withdrawal rules are written for Brazil (CPF, PIX, reais). Terms for other countries are not described in the public help centre.

Who it's for

It suits creators of vertical video working with a Brazilian and Latin American audience: this is the only large platform we know of where the entry thresholds for the advertising programme are published as numbers and start at 500 followers rather than tens of thousands. It suits those who shoot for themselves and appear on camera: both payout programmes are built around originality.

It suits small businesses for paid promotion: Booster opens as soon as the qualification check is passed. It does not suit you if you are counting on scheduling and programmatic analytics: there is no official API. It does not suit you if your bank and tax profile are outside Brazil: the help centre describes only Brazilian withdrawal channels. It does not suit precise planning around technical requirements: the platform does not publish file weight, resolution or codecs.

Verified data

The checked data this deep dive rests on.

About the platform

the platform describes itself as follows: "Kwai is a social network for short videos and trends. Discover funny short videos. Contribute to the virtual community with recordings, videos of your life, playing daily challenges or likes the best memes and videos. Download the app to share your life with short videos and choose from dozens of ma"

Self-description: this is the platform's claim about itself, not an independent assessment

source, checked 2026-07-28

A Singaporean legal entity

source, checked 2026-07-28

Who's here

Google Play reports more than 500 million downloads of the Android app, a rating of 4.3 and 11 million reviews; the age rating is USK: Ages 12+

Store data as of the check date, Android only

source, checked 2026-07-28

Getting started

the right to livestream is granted on application and only with 500 followers, verbatim: «If you want to become a Kwai streamer, please make sure you have at least 500 followers.»; then comes an application form, and the outcome arrives as a direct message in the app

a help article of the platform, dated at the bottom «Last updated July 30, 2026». The platform warns that follower counts update with a delay and that it is worth checking again after 24 hours

source, checked 2026-08-07

the right to stream is granted on application with at least 500 followers; the outcome arrives as a direct message, and data may update with a delay of up to 24 hours

The article's update date is 27 July 2026

source, checked 2026-07-28

Account and access

the badge is granted on application and requires a threshold: «1. have more than 100k followers on Kwai or have a verified account on other social networks.»; original clips without screen recording are required, along with a low proportion of blocked videos and documents: a photo holding an identity document and images of both its sides

a help article of the platform, dated at the bottom «Last updated July 30, 2026». The platform calls this information mandatory: «The above information is mandatory for account verification»

source, checked 2026-08-07

for the badge you need more than 100 thousand followers on Kwai or a verified account on another social network, original videos with no screen recordings and a low share of blocked clips; photos of both sides of an identity document and a selfie with the document are required

With an audience under 100 thousand, screenshots of a verified account on another network are needed

source, checked 2026-07-28

for popular creators verification status lasts one year, during which the account is checked periodically

source, checked 2026-07-28

public admission to verified status was not open as of the check date; when it opens, priority is promised to creators with original videos and notable influence

source, checked 2026-07-28

the figure of the minimum age is not named: the terms of the advertising programme require «Fulfilling the age limit for adults», but there is no age figure in that document

the age requirement is claimed by the platform but without a figure. The user agreement page kwai.com/legal?id=terms_service was requested on 7 August 2026: 53,149 bytes of markup, and 236 characters after the markup is stripped — only the site menu, since the text of the agreement is assembled by a script. The safety section kwai.com/safety?id=safety_minors returns the same menu (173 characters). The kind of absence of the figure: cannot be collected this way

source, checked 2026-08-07

What you can publish

the platform states that you can shoot clips up to 5 minutes long, with pauses and resumed shooting

There are no requirements for file weight, resolution or codecs in the public help centre

source, checked 2026-07-28

Advertising

Booster is the official paid promotion tool: a post is shown as advertising; before starting you choose an account type (Creator Account or Business Account), and the type does not change; one order covers one public video, and the goals are views, followers or clicks to a site

The account identifier, the country of registration and the currency do not change after the review

source, checked 2026-07-28

advertising for brands is not bought self-serve: the help centre suggests writing to kwai.business@kuaishou.com and stating the company, its registration number (CNPJ in the example), the site, the size, the audience, the industry and a monthly budget in reais

source, checked 2026-07-28

How the money works here

Who is admitted. in the Brazilian UGC Subsidy partner programme the threshold in views per clip is named verbatim: «Currently, videos with 1,000 views are eligible for monetization.»

a help article of the platform, dated at the bottom «Last updated July 30, 2026». The same place says that submitting the form is the registration and that a confirming message arrives within 5 days: «Submitting the registration form means that you have successfully completed the registration and can start monetizing your videos. You will receive a specific official message confirming the successful registration within 5 days after submission.»

source, checked 2026-08-07

Who is admitted. in the Brazilian UGC Subsidy partner programme the threshold in views per clip is named verbatim: «Currently, videos with 1,000 views are eligible for monetization.»

source, checked 2026-08-07

in the Ad Revenue Program the platform opens access gradually and not to everyone: «Currently, the Ad Revenue Program is gradually opening up to high-quality creators.»; meeting the conditions does not in itself guarantee participation

a help article of the platform, dated at the bottom «Last updated July 30, 2026». The same place describes a 14-day probation for those who have stopped meeting the conditions: without putting the numbers right, the creator drops out of the programme

source, checked 2026-08-07

Ad Revenue Program conditions: a creator level above 6 or more than 500 followers; original content; more than 12 posts over 30 days; an average of more than 1000 views over 30 days or at least 10,000 views in total over 30 days; being of legal age

Views from Booster do not count; videos with a hashtag do not enter the programme; if the conditions are not met — a 14-day probation period

source, checked 2026-07-28

the advertising revenue share programme opens gradually and not to everyone: "gradually opening up to high-quality creators"

source, checked 2026-07-28

a video counts as original if it was shot and edited by the creator themselves and the creator appears on camera; material from the internet and re-uploads of other people's work do not count as original

A link to a page with examples of clips not admitted to monetization is given in the article itself

source, checked 2026-07-28

the overall score in the partner programme is made up of views, engagement (likes, watches through to the end, comments, shares), the frequency and regularity of posting, the originality rating and the number of followers

The platform publishes no formula and no weights

source, checked 2026-07-28

the withdrawal rate: 10,000 Kwai Golds = 1 Brazilian real; the channels are a bank transfer in reais, PIX, mobile phone top-ups, vouchers and gift cards from Bob's, iFood Alimentação, McDonald's and Carrefour

The withdrawal rules are written for Brazil

source, checked 2026-07-28

withdrawal is possible once every 24 hours; the fee is paid by the platform, not the creator; crediting usually takes 4–5 working days, and on failure the sum is returned to the balance

The limit of one request a day is confirmed by a separate help centre article

source, checked 2026-07-28

under the partner programme a payout may take up to 5 working days

source, checked 2026-07-28

Where it is available. the UGC Subsidy partner programme is described by the help centre for Brazil only: the invitation comes from the account «Kwai Brasil Oficial», and the reward is credited to a Brazilian wallet — «The reward will be credited to your BRL Wallet in Kwai»

the help section «UGC Subsidy Activity» was read in full — 20 questions. Brazil is the only country named in the section. The platform does not publish a list of countries where the programme operates, so we cannot assert that it exists only in Brazil: this is what is visible in the document, not a declared list

source, checked 2026-08-07

only members of the partner programme receive the guaranteed minimum income; without joining, a creator keeps receiving the view-based bonus but not the guarantee

The size of the guarantee is not named: the answer refers to a clip inside the app

source, checked 2026-07-28

Limits and restrictions

one name and one CPF are linked to only one Kwai account; two bank cards can be linked to an account

The card limit is confirmed by a separate help centre article

source, checked 2026-07-28

the number of accounts you can follow is capped: on reaching the limit the platform suggests unfollowing someone or coming back in 24 hours

The platform does not name the number itself

source, checked 2026-07-28

Legal

during the check the Safety Center and Legal pages served only navigation: the texts of the community rules, terms of use and privacy policy are loaded by a script

The browser panel was not used under the sprint's rules

source, checked 2026-07-28

Languages

front page interface language: en; the declared language versions are: ar, en, es, id, pt-br, zh

The language is taken from the markup attribute, the versions from hreflang

source, checked 2026-07-28

the canonical paths are English without a prefix; the localised versions are es, pt-BR, ar; full translations of the help centre exist in English and Portuguese (244 articles in each)

source, checked 2026-07-28

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