CapCut vs Kapwing
We give CapCut a 3.6 GPA and Kapwing a 3.2, out of 4.0. CapCut grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
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
Kapwing
Online video editor with AI subtitles, dubbing and team workspaces
How we grade them
| 3.6GPACapCutExcellent | 3.2GPAKapwingVery 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. | BPro is $16 per member a month billed annually, or $24 monthly. That's about typical for this category. It gets you 1,000 credits a month, no watermark, 4K exports up to 2 hours long and 200 GB of storage. Business jumps to $50. |
| 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. | BThere's a free plan, but it's tight: every export is watermarked and capped at 4 minutes and 720p, with 30 minutes of exports a month and 10 credits. Free workspaces keep project files for 3 days. And there's no trial of the paid plans. |
| 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. | AA drag-and-drop timeline, auto subtitles translated into more than 60 languages, dubbing into 40+, text to speech, AI video generation, a tool that cuts long videos into social clips, and screen recording inside the editor. Teammates can edit a project at the same time. That's the whole job. |
| 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. | BNo rating is on record to go by, so a B. It runs in a browser with nothing to download, and the editor is a drag-and-drop timeline. The AI tools run on credits, so you do have to watch your monthly allowance. |
| 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. | BA web app, with ties to YouTube, TikTok and Unsplash. There's no downloadable app at all: the help center says the Android app is paused and phone users edit in a browser. |
| Best for | short videos edited on your phone | teams editing video together in a browser |
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 Kapwing. How we grade
Where they differ
- CapCut starts at $9.99 per month for Standard, as a US App Store in-app purchase. Kapwing starts at $16 per member / month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly).
- Only CapCut lists iOS, Android, macOS and Windows apps.
- Only Kapwing lists a web app.
- Kapwing also covers transcription, noise cancellation, templates and screen recording.
At a glance
| CapCut | Kapwing | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9.99 per month for Standard, as a US App Store in-app purchase | $16 per member / month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly) |
| 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. | Unlimited watermarked exports up to 4 minutes long at 720p, 30 minutes of exports a month, 5 GB of cloud storage and 10 credits, enough for 10 minutes of auto-subtitling. |
| Free trial | Free trial of premium features before subscribing; the store listings do not state its length | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Bytedance Pte. Ltd. | Kapwing |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | kapwing.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 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
Kapwing
- Marketing and social teams editing video together in a browser
- Subtitling, translating and dubbing videos for other languages
- Cutting long recordings into short clips for social platforms
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.
Kapwing
- The Free plan watermarks every export and caps videos at 4 minutes, 720p and 30 minutes of exports a month.
- Free workspaces keep project files for 3 days, and free projects are unlisted rather than private.
- There is no free trial of the paid plans, and Kapwing says it does not refund subscriptions.
- There is no downloadable app; the help center says the Android app is paused and phone users edit in a browser.
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.
Kapwing
- Timeline video editor
- Trim and combine clips on a drag-and-drop timeline, add overlays, transitions and stock assets, then export as MP4, GIF, MP3 or an image.
- Subtitles and translation
- Subtitles are generated automatically and can be translated into more than 60 languages or downloaded as SRT or VTT files. Minutes are metered: 10 on Free, 1,000 a month on Pro.
- Dubbing, text to speech and lip sync
- Dubbing translates dialogue into 40+ languages and text to speech turns text layers into voiceovers. Custom voice clones are listed under the Business plan, and lip sync minutes are metered by plan.
- AI video generation and repurposing
- The Video Generator builds a video with voiceover, visuals, subtitles and music from a text prompt, and Repurpose Studio cuts a long video into clips sized for social platforms.
- Screen and camera recording
- Record the screen, a browser tab or a window, with or without the camera and microphone, from inside the editor, then edit the recording in the same project.
- Team workspaces
- Members share a workspace with folders, leave comments on the video and can edit a project at the same time. Brand Kit stores logos, fonts and colors on paid plans.
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.
Kapwing
Free$0
Watermarked 720p exports up to 4 minutes long, a 2 GB upload limit, 5 GB of cloud storage and 10 credits.
Pro$16
per member / month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly)
1,000 credits a month, no watermark, 4K exports up to 2 hours long, 6 GB uploads, Brand Kit, custom fonts and 200 GB of storage.
Business$50
per member / month, billed annually ($64 billed monthly)
4,000 credits a month, custom voice clones, lip sync, the option to buy extra credits and 800 GB of storage.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom credits and storage, SAML single sign-on, custom billing, a dedicated account manager and onboarding.
Ways to pay less
CapCut
No public discounts listed.
Kapwing
- Annual discount
Save about 33% on Pro with annual billing
Pro is $16 per member a month billed annually ($192 a year) against $24 billed monthly. Business is $50 billed annually ($600 a year) against $64 monthly, about 22% less.
