What are the best video editing apps to replace CapCut?

TikTok and CapCut are back, but for how long? I edited the same clips using 5 different video editing apps in hopes of achieving the same result as I got from CapCut. And it was hard.

CapCut wasn’t the first video editing app I used when I started my journey in social media, and it certainly won’t be the last. However, I’ll admit—it was the easiest to learn and worked seamlessly with both Instagram and TikTok. 

As a full-time content creator, there are certain video editing essentials I prioritized when testing five contenders I thought could rival CapCut. Nonetheless, whatever app you choose, be prepared to upgrade to the premium version to access advanced features like auto captions and watermark-free exporting. These tools are not just convenient—they’re often essential, especially if you create content professionally.

Can you still use CapCut despite the ban? 

Short answer: yes. Since It’s also owned by ByteDance, the same parent company as TikTok, it was also impacted by the TikTok ban. Although there is a temporary suspension of the ban, it’s not guaranteed CapCut will stay. And if you haven’t downloaded it before the ban, you’re unfortunately out of luck because it hasn’t returned to Apple or Google app stores yet. 

If you still have drafts saved in CapCut, it might be worth holding onto. Otherwise, I’d recommend moving on and learning a new app in case we lose CapCut again. 

To fairly evaluate how useful a mobile video editing app is for a full-time content creator, I created a checklist with five main categories: Importing, Image, Audio, Text, and Exporting.

Interview with KRON4 News at Muttville regarding the TikTok Ban

Checklist for a good video editing app:

1. Importing

• Select videos through both gallery & albums

2. Image

• Background remover

• Overlay with picture behind

3. Audio

• Batch mute audio from original videos 

• Insert background lofi music from in-house library

• Record voiceovers

• Scrub out background noise

4. Text

• Generate auto captions

• Have a nice text library to choose from 

5. Exporting

• Can at least export at 1080P at 30 fps

• Export without watermark

Editing a restaurant video using Splice

1. Importing- As someone who organizes content in multiple folders on my iPhone (i.e. SF Symphony Vids, Epic Steak Vids, Persona Vids), I often need to access older videos buried deep in my gallery. I need to easily pull up the most recent videos or quickly browse through preview albums, organized from the newest to the oldest (I have over 100 albums). 

2. Image- For promotional videos, I would always use the “Green Screen” effect in TikTok to film myself while displaying a promotional poster in the background. This process can also be done in CapCut, though it requires a few extra steps. A solid video editing app should include both a background removal tool and an overlay feature, making it simple to place an image behind the subject without a background. 

3. Audio- When editing 10+ clips, I prefer to batch mute all the original audio at once before recording a voiceover. Then, I’ll add copyright-free background music (like a lofi track) and remove any background noise from the voiceover. While some clients don’t care about copyright-free music, larger corporate clients (e.g., hotels and brands) often provide their own music library or require I use a video editing app’s built-in copyright-free track. 

4. Text-I rely on two types of text tools: manually added text (titles and subtitles) and auto-captions generated from video or voiceover audio. The auto-captioning feature is a premium tool in most apps, but it’s so worth it. It saves me so much time from having to type everything manually, although I usually have to fix a few typos. 

5. Exporting - Nothing turns me off more than a video with a watermark. While most video editing apps can export at a minimum of 1080p at 30fps, many require a premium upgrade to remove their logo or watermark. For professional content, especially for clients, watermark-free exports are non-negotiable.

So what app should I use? 

I’d recommend either InShot or Splice. Finding an app that meets all the criteria on my checklist was like pulling teeth (good luck finding  a FREE one that does it all). Even with CapCut, I had to upgrade to premium to access tools like auto-captions and background noise reduction for voiceovers. So be ready to pay up. 

For this list, I didn’t bother including the most frustrating apps, like KineMaster or Videoshop, which either force you to edit with your phone horizontally or lack essential features like a timeline for trimming videos with precision. If I had started creating content with apps like those, I might have quit on day one.  

Below is my analysis of the five apps I tested, ranked from best to worst: Inshot, Splice, VN Video Editor, Fillmore, and Adobe Rush (rankings and star ratings are based on the iOS App Store). 

Editing a performing arts video using InShot

1. InShot (2M ratings, 4.9 stars)

   1. It’s free, but you need the premium version to add auto captions, remove InShot logo watermark, ads, etc. 

   2. Premium is $4.99/mo, $19.99/yr, or $49.99 lifetime 

2. Splice (396K ratings, 4.6 stars)

1. It’s a free 7-day trial, then it’s $9.99/wk or $99/yr 

2. The UI/UX is very clean and categorizes your projects better than InShot

3. VN Video Editor (220K ratings, 4.8 stars)

1. Couldn’t remove background

2. Couldn’t auto caption from voiceover

4. Filmora (75K ratings, 4.7 stars)

1. Can’t add overlay (no option to add “layers” or “tracks” )

2. Most good music is on pro or premium

3. Auto caption on pro or premium only

4. Need pro or premium to export

5. Adobe Rush (126K ratings, 4.6 stars)

1. Hard to flip through albums to get to most recent

2. Can’t upload files sometimes

3. No full screen preview

4. Editing screen is too tiny

5. Timeline markers are too spaced out

6. No background remover 

7. Can reduce noise but requires premium

8. Can’t add simple texts; only large title screens, overlays for YouTube

9. Overlay and music is only on premium

I’ve edited a couple videos for clients using Inshot over the past 2 weeks, and it’s honestly the most cost-effective option while meeting all the criteria on my checklist. For now, I’ll be sticking with it—at least until the next big app comes along (rumor has it Meta might release their own video editing app, Edits, this spring).  I hope this analysis helps!