CapCut vs Final Cut Pro

CapCut

• Short-form video for TikTok, Instagram and YouTube
• Editing on a phone or tablet, with desktop apps for longer projects
• Adding captions, effects and music without separate tools

Final Cut Pro

• Mac-based editors who want an editor tuned for Apple silicon
• Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase for the Mac app
• Creators who also want Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro in one subscription

CapCut

• Prices shown are US App Store in-app purchases; what CapCut charges on the web or in the desktop app may differ.
• The US App Store also lists a yearly subscription at $89.99 and monthly subscriptions at $7.99 and $19.99 without naming their plan.
• On Windows, free auto captions are capped at 1 use a month in the US, UK, France, Germany and China, and up to 6 a month elsewhere.
• The Windows listing marks keyframe animation, optical-flow slow motion, chroma key and stabilization as Pro only.

Final Cut Pro

• Apple lists it for Mac and iPad: the Mac app needs macOS 15.6 or later, and the iPad app an M1 or later iPad, iPad (A16) or iPad mini (A17 Pro).
• The iPad version comes through the Apple Creator Studio subscription; the $299.99 one-time purchase covers the Mac app.
• After a subscription ends, projects stay on your devices but opening or editing them needs an active subscription.
• Visual Search and Transcript Search are available only in U.S. English and need Apple silicon.

CapCut

Multi-track timeline editing

Trim, split and merge clips on a multi-track timeline, change speed from 0.1x to 100x with speed curves, and freeze a frame.

Keyframes, chroma key and stabilization

Keyframe animation, optical-flow slow motion, chroma key and stabilization. The Windows listing marks this set as available in the Pro version only.

Auto captions and text-to-speech

Speech recognition turns dialogue into subtitles, and text-to-speech reads text in multiple languages and voices.

Background removal and AI video

Removes backgrounds automatically. The App Store listing also describes an AI video feature that turns text or images into video.

Effects, filters and music

Hundreds of effects such as Glitch, Blur and 3D, filters that are updated weekly, and a library of music clips and sound effects.

Export and sharing

Choose the export resolution, with 4K 60fps and smart HDR supported, then share the video to social media platforms.

Final Cut Pro

Magnetic Timeline

Move and trim clips while the rest of the edit stays in sync, which makes it quick to try different versions of a story.

Magnetic Mask and Object Tracker

Isolate people and objects from the background without a green screen, and track their movement to attach titles and effects.

Automatic captions and search

Captions are created from spoken audio. Visual Search finds objects and actions in clips, and Transcript Search finds spoken phrases.

Color grading and effects

Color curves, hue and saturation curves, color wheels and LUTs, plus a library of titles, transitions and effects that third-party plug-ins extend.

Final Cut Pro for iPad

Touch-first editing with Apple Pencil support, and Live Multicam recording from up to four iPhone or iPad devices. Projects can be exported to the Mac.

Motion and Compressor

Companion Mac apps for motion graphics and custom encoding, included in Apple Creator Studio or sold as one-time purchases.

CapCut

• Free$0

  Basic editing, effects, filters and background removal. Auto captions and audio extraction have monthly free-use caps on the desktop app.

• Standard$9.99

  per month, as a US App Store in-app purchase

  Sold in the app as "Standard Monthly Subscription". The store listings do not say what it adds to the free version.

• Pro$19.99

  per month, as a US App Store in-app purchase

  Sold in the app as "Pro Monthly Subscription". The Windows listing marks its advanced editing features as available in the Pro version only.

Final Cut Pro

• Apple Creator Studio$12.99

  per month, or $129 per year

  Subscription with Final Cut Pro for Mac and iPad, plus Motion, Compressor, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro and MainStage. Shareable with Family Sharing.

• Final Cut Pro for Mac$299.99

  one-time purchase on the App Store

  The Mac app bought outright. Some premium content is available only to Apple Creator Studio subscribers.

CapCut

No public discounts listed.

Final Cut Pro

• Annual discount

  About 17% less on the yearly plan

  Apple Creator Studio is $129 per year or $12.99 per month. Twelve monthly payments come to $155.88, so the yearly plan costs about 17% less.

• Education

  Students and educators: $2.99 a month

  Verified college students and educators pay $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year for Apple Creator Studio. Apple calls it a limited-time offer for individual use.

• Lifetime license

  One-time purchase for $299.99

  Final Cut Pro for Mac is also sold as a one-time purchase on the App Store for $299.99, with some premium content reserved for subscribers.

• Other savings

  3 months free with a new Mac or iPad

  Buyers of an eligible new Mac or iPad can try Apple Creator Studio free for 3 months, claimed within 3 months of activating the device.