Doubao: ByteDance's AI assistant, in practice limited to China
Doubao is the consumer AI assistant from ByteDance, the company behind TikTok. Outside China, doubao.com displays a region restriction and points you to Dola, ByteDance's international version.
Data as of October 22, 2026
Key figures
| Developer | ByteDance |
|---|---|
| Country | China |
| Launched | Not disclosed |
| Free version | Not disclosed |
| Official website | doubao.com |
Features
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Web search | Not disclosed |
| Agent mode | Not disclosed |
| File upload | Not disclosed |
| Image generation | Not disclosed |
| Voice mode | Not disclosed |
| Memory | Not disclosed |
| Code execution | Not disclosed |
| Autonomous browsing | Not disclosed |
Where to use it
| Where to use it | |
|---|---|
| Web | Yes |
| iPhone | Not disclosed |
| Android | Not disclosed |
| Windows | Not disclosed |
| macOS | Not disclosed |
| Browser extension | Not disclosed |
| French interface | Not disclosed |
| Spanish interface | Not disclosed |
Privacy
| Privacy | |
|---|---|
| Opt out of training on your chats | Not disclosed |
| Temporary chat | Not disclosed |
| EU data residency | Not disclosed |
Doubao outside China: the short answer
Doubao is ByteDance’s AI assistant, powered by models from its research team, ByteDance Seed. In China it is a widely used consumer service. Elsewhere the picture is different: as of October 22, 2026, doubao.com shows a message in Chinese saying the service is region-restricted, that you must log in first, and that you can choose to use Dola instead.
In other words, Doubao is not built for users in Europe or the Americas. Even if a login screen is technically offered, the interface, terms and pricing target the Chinese market. We could not verify Doubao’s prices or the details of its features from outside China, so they are not listed in the table above.
Dola, the international counterpart
ByteDance steers users outside China to Dola, and the old cici.com address now redirects to dola.com. Dola is run by SPRING (SG) PTE. LTD. in Singapore. Its official pages show:
- web chat, a Windows app and a mobile app;
- image generation;
- file uploads, up to 50 documents;
- sign-in with a Google account.
Its terms of service, updated on August 25, 2026, provide for paid subscriptions. We have not verified their prices.
Privacy and precautions
For Dola, the privacy policy dated August 31, 2026 says a setting in your account lets you opt out of training, and that data may be stored outside your country. For Doubao, the available documents follow the Chinese framework. In both cases, avoid entering other people’s personal data or confidential work information; our GDPR entry covers the key questions.
If you simply want a free, well-documented assistant, compare the options in the AI assistants comparison, or try Qwen Chat and DeepSeek if you are curious about other Chinese models. The Dola website presents the international version.
Strengths
writing · searching with sources
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Frequently asked questions
Can I use Doubao from Europe or the US?
Not easily. As of October 22, 2026, doubao.com shows a region-restriction message to visitors outside China, asking them to log in first and suggesting Dola instead.
What is Dola?
Dola is ByteDance's international assistant: the old cici.com address now redirects to dola.com. It is run by SPRING (SG) PTE. LTD., a Singapore company, and offers chat, image creation and file uploads.
How much does Doubao cost?
We could not verify Doubao's prices on an official page reachable from outside China. Dola's terms of service mention paid subscriptions, but we could not verify their prices either.
Does Dola train on my chats?
According to its privacy policy updated on August 31, 2026, a setting in your account lets you opt out of having your data used for training. Your data may be stored outside your country.
Data sources
Data as of October 22, 2026
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