CapCut vs iMovie
We give CapCut a 3.6 GPA and iMovie a 3.2, out of 4.0. CapCut grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. iMovie grades higher on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CapCut
Video and photo editor with effects, auto captions and AI tools
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
How we grade them
| 3.6GPACapCutExcellent | 3.2GPAiMovieVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BStandard is $9.99 a month and Pro is $19.99, as US App Store in-app purchases, with a yearly subscription at $89.99. That's about what video tools here typically start at. But the store listings don't say what Standard adds to the free version, so we can't call it a bargain. | AIt's free on the App Store and the Mac App Store, and neither listing shows any in-app purchases. Nothing to pay for, now or later. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree to download, with basic editing, effects, filters and background removal. But the limits bite. On the desktop app in the US, auto captions get 1 free use a month, and the Windows listing marks keyframes, chroma key and stabilization as Pro only. | AThe complete app is free on iPhone, iPad and Mac, trailers, themes, effects and export at up to 4K included. There's no paid version to upgrade to. |
| Features | AA multi-track timeline, speed from 0.1x to 100x, keyframes, chroma key, stabilization, auto captions, text-to-speech, background removal and hundreds of effects. Exports go up to 4K 60fps. That's the whole job, from the first cut to captions and music. | BMagic Movie, 20 Storyboards, trailer templates, green-screen and picture-in-picture effects, and editing at up to 4K. Solid basics. But Apple sends you to Final Cut Pro for more advanced tools, and reviewers say they can't choose the resolution of an export. |
| Ease of use | A4.6 from about 1.1 million App Store ratings. Commenters call it easier to get going with than the professional video tools, and reviewers keep coming back for the ready-made templates. | B4.4 from about 315,000 App Store ratings. Reviewers and commenters call it simple and quick to pick up. The grumbles are about control: trailer templates fix the music and the clip lengths. |
| Platforms and integrations | AiPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows, so phone and desktop are both covered. It shares straight to TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. | CiPhone, iPad and Mac only, which is one family of devices. It hands projects on to Final Cut Pro and works with Photos, iCloud Drive and GarageBand. No Windows, Android or web version. |
| Best for | short videos edited on your phone | a first video editor if you own Apple devices |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CapCut and iMovie. How we grade
Where they differ
- CapCut starts at $9.99 per month for Standard, as a US App Store in-app purchase. iMovie is free.
- Only CapCut lists Android and Windows apps.
- iMovie also covers templates.
In commonFree planiOSmacOSVideo editing
At a glance
| CapCut | iMovie | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $9.99 per month for Standard, as a US App Store in-app purchase | Free |
| Free plan | Free to download with a range of free tools. On the desktop app, auto captions get 1 free use a month in the US, audio extraction gets 9, and the advanced editing set is marked Pro only. | Listed as free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad and on the Mac App Store, with no in-app purchases shown on either listing. |
| Free trial | Free trial of premium features before subscribing; the store listings do not state its length | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Bytedance Pte. Ltd. | Apple |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
iMovie
- First-time editors who already own an iPhone, iPad or Mac
- Family, school and travel videos built from templates
- Starting an edit on a phone and finishing it on a Mac
Worth knowing
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.
iMovie
- Apple lists iMovie for Mac, iPad and iPhone only.
- Magic Movie and Storyboards are created in the iPhone and iPad app; the Mac app imports those projects into its timeline.
- The current Mac version requires macOS 26.6 or later, and the iPhone and iPad version requires iOS or iPadOS 17.6 or later.
- For more advanced tools Apple points to Final Cut Pro, which can import iMovie projects and is a paid product.
Key features
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.
iMovie
- Magic Movie
- On iPhone and iPad, pick an album or a group of clips and photos and iMovie assembles a video with titles, transitions and music.
- Storyboards
- 20 Storyboards for popular video types on iPhone and iPad, with placeholder clips you record into or fill from the Photos library.
- Trailers
- Trailer templates with graphics and original scores: 14 on iPhone and iPad and 29 on Mac, with editable studio logos, cast names and credits.
- Themes, titles and filters
- The iPhone and iPad app has 8 themes, 13 video filters and 11 animated title styles. The Mac app adds 3D globes and travel maps.
- Effects and Cinematic mode
- Picture-in-picture, split-screen and green-screen effects, slow motion and fast-forward, and focus-point editing for Cinematic mode video.
- 4K editing and handoff
- Edit and save at up to 4K, and send a project to a Mac by AirDrop or iCloud Drive to finish in iMovie or Final Cut Pro.
Plans
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.
iMovie
Free$0
The complete app on iPhone, iPad and Mac, including trailers, themes, effects and export at up to 4K.
