The invention discloses a monosubstituted or polysubstituted amphiphilic hypocrellin derivative, and a preparation method and application thereof. The amphiphilic hypocrellin derivative substituted by a group containing PEG, a quaternary ammonium salt or the like prepared according to the invention has an obvious red shift in its absorption spectrum and a significantly enhanced molar extinction coefficient, compared with the parent hypocrellin, can efficiently produce singlet state oxygen and other reactive oxygen species under photosensitive conditions; has different amphiphilicities and increased biocompatibility with cells or tissues by regulating its hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity; can meet the requirements of different clinical drugs, and solves the requirements of different drug delivery methods for different drug hydrophilicity and lipophilicity. Under identical conditions, the amphiphilic hypocrellin derivative photosensitizer according to the invention has higher ability to photodynamically inactivate tumor cells than the first and second generation commercial photosensitizers.