creatorUpdated September 2026
CapCut review
A free-to-start AI video and photo editing app from ByteDance for cutting, captioning, and generating short-form social content. Best for quick AI-powered short-form video edits and trending templates. Starts at $9.99/mo.
Briefly delisted from US app stores in Jan 2025 under PAFACA; restored, and as of Jan 2026 operates in the US under the TikTok USDS Joint Venture (majority US-owned, ByteDance retains 19.9%)
What's free
Free Standard version with core trim/effects/templates, limited premium templates/fonts/music and AI tools; no watermark on free exports, but cloud storage is not free
Key features
- AI Video Generator
- Auto Captions
- Background Remover
- Text To Speech
- Templates
- Cloud Storage
Pros
- Free tier is highly capable
- Huge template and effects library
- Cross-platform: web, desktop, mobile
Cons
- Pricing structure changed and roughly doubled in 2025-2026
- Ownership tied to ByteDance draws ongoing privacy/regulatory scrutiny
- Some premium assets/AI features gated behind Pro
CapCut alternatives
VEED
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A browser-based AI video creation platform for generating, editing, subtitling, and brand-styling social videos.
- TikTok
- YouTube
- X (Twitter)
Kapwing
Free · $16+Video editing · Design & thumbnails
A browser-based video editing platform that combines a traditional timeline editor with AI tools for subtitling, dubbing, text-to-speech, and generating videos from text prompts.
- TikTok
- YouTube
- X (Twitter)
InShot
Free · $4.99+Video editing · Design & thumbnails
A mobile app for trimming, merging, and styling short-form videos and photos with music, filters, and AI effects.
- TikTok
- YouTube
Sources: www.capcut.com, www.capcut.com, www.capcut.com, www.capcut.com, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, legalclarity.org