Five Great Alternatives to CapCut Now That It’s Been Banned

The disappearance and reappearance of social media platform TikTok is the biggest story in tech, but another popular app from TikTok parent company, CapCut, is also in a state of limbo. At the time of this writing, users who try to download this popular video editing tool will be met with this message:

Credit: Stephen Johnson – Apple

If you already have the app on your phone, it appears service has been restored—for now. But seeing as ByteDance’s status in the U.S. is very much tenuous at this time, it’s possible CapCut will go away again. Whether you’re worried about losing service in the future, or you are unable to download the app at all, let’s take a look at five of at the alternatives to CapCut.

Adobe Premiere Rush

Credit: Stephen Johnson – Adobe

The big advantage of Adobe’s entry into the “social media video editing” field is that it’s available on both your PC and mobile device. Videos are saved in the cloud, so you can start something on your phone then pick it up later on your PC, or work on the same edit on both iOS and Android devices. Plus, the basic functions are free. Adobe Premiere Rush lets you drag and drop files and photos into timelines, and create custom titles easily and quickly. To fully unlock Rush, the monthly cost is $9.99. You can access Rush on iOS and Android.

Inshot

Credit: Stephen Johnson – InShot

Inshot provides users with a ton of free features and it’s extremely easy to use, so if you’re looking for no-hassle way to add music, text, transitions, video collages and more, this might be the app for you. The free version lets you create and export your videos for the price of dealing with a few ads on the top of the editor, and a watermark on your final video. If you want all that stuff gone, the pricing is reasonable: A monthly subscription is $4, yearly is $15, and lifetime use is $40. Inshot is rated 4.9 with over two million reviews on the Apple store, so it’s a popular alternative to CapCut. Download Inshot on iOS or Android.

Filmora

Credit: Stephen Johnson

Filmora’s clean, easy-to-understand interface is a lot like CapCut’s, and it leans heavily on AI: Filmora offers Image to Video, which lets you upload an image and let the AI create a video from it; AI Auto Cut, which uses AI to make cuts for you; AI Object Remover, which paints out unwanted objects in the frame with AI (like Magic Eraser); AI Voice Cloning, which replicates your voice with AI; among other features. It allows quick video editing even if you’re a total beginner, but a deeper dive reveals more advanced features, so both neophytes and pros will be able to get down with Filmora.

There’s a free version of Filmora, but your videos will have a watermark and there are a ton of features locked behind a paywall. A yearly Filmora subscription costs $39.99 or you can pay $12.99 a month. You can download Filmora on iOS or Android.

LumaFusion

Credit: Stephen Johnson – LumaFusion

There is no free version of LumaFusion, but $29.99 will get you a professional-level video editing program on your mobile device that includes color correction, speed ramping, key-framing, green screen, and way more. The basic features are a lot, but if you want to take it even further, another $20 will add Multicam Studio, letting you switch between up to six video sources on the fly, all from your phone or tablet. Download LumaFusion on iOS or Android.

YouCut

Credit: Stephen Johnson – YouCut

YouCut is a straightforward, free video editing program for mobile devices that lets you join, trim, and split clips, and add effects, filters, transitions, background music, and more, for free, without adding a watermark to your creations. Of course, there is a pay tier: You can drop $7.99 per year or $19.99 for a lifetime membership for more filter, effects, and features, but that’s a reasonable price. You can download YouCut on iOS or Android.