CapCut

CapCut is a video editor from ByteDance that runs on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and directly in the browser. It grew popular as a fast, approachable tool for short-form social video, and it still covers everything from quick TikTok clips to more layered multi-track projects.

The current 2026 version is a heavily AI-focused release. The headline additions are AI Auto-Edit, where you describe the video you want and CapCut assembles it; the Seedream 5.0 text-to-image model; OmniHuman digital avatars that generate a talking presenter; a generative effect engine with 50,000+ effects; plus Long-Video-to-Shorts and AI script and text-to-speech tools.

On the editing side you get a real multi-track timeline, keyframe animation, chroma key, auto-captions and a large library of templates, transitions, fonts and stock audio. The free tier is genuinely capable: multi-track editing, keyframes, chroma key, basic AI voiceover and 1080p export.

Pricing was restructured in 2025-2026. The free plan remains, and plain manual exports generally have no watermark, though Pro-locked templates and some AI-generated clips do add a CapCut mark. Paid tiers are Standard (about $9.99/month, mainly mobile, removes watermarks and unlocks more templates and fonts), Pro ($19.99/month or $179.99/year, adding 4K export, the full AI toolkit, more cloud storage and collaboration) and a Team plan starting around $24.99/month.

The main limitation is that the features people now come to CapCut for, the full AI suite, 4K export and the premium effects, sit behind Pro. Prices also vary by region and platform: App Store checkout can differ from the web price, and taxes or promos change the final figure. A student discount of roughly 50% on Pro has been reported.

CapCut suits creators who want quick, polished social video without a steep learning curve, and who are comfortable paying for Pro once they rely on the AI tools or need clean 4K output. If you only ever need simple 1080p edits, the free tier alone may be enough.