CapCut vs Splice (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CapCut grades higher than Splice: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CapCut grades higher on the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
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
Splice
Mobile video editor for iPhone and iPad with a subscription
Free trial · from $9.99
Which one is for you
Pick CapCut if
- Fits if you make short videos for TikTok, Instagram or YouTube
- Works for editing on your phone, with a desktop app for the longer projects
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if a moving paywall winds you up, as reviewers say effects they used for free are now in Pro
- Tight if you caption a lot on the free desktop app, which allows 1 auto caption a month in the US
- Pricey if all you're missing is keyframes or chroma key, since those sit in Pro at $19.99 a month on the US App Store
- Watch out: the store listings never say what Standard at $9.99 a month adds, or how long the trial runs
- Not for you if you want to edit in a browser or through an API, as the listing shows neither
Pick Splice if
- Fits if you cut short social videos on your phone
- Works for people who want a simple layered editor on an iPad
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you edit on a computer, as there is no desktop or web version
- Watch out: the listing shows $9.99 for every purchase without saying if it is per week, month or year
- Tight if you want to stay free, as editing features are sold as a subscription
- Watch out: the free trial length is not shown, so check before you start it
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACapCutGood | 2.0GPASpliceFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStandard is $9.99 a month as a US App Store in-app purchase, which is exactly the middle for video tools here, with Pro at $19.99 and a year at $89.99. And the store listings never say what Standard adds to the free version, so you're paying on trust. | C$9.99 is the only figure in the listing, with no billing period shown, so it cannot be set against the category and sits in the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree to download, and one person could genuinely live on it: multi-track editing, effects, filters, background removal and a music library. The walls are real though. 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. | DThe weekly plan has a free trial, but its length is not shown and the store takes a payment method. |
| Features | BA multi-track timeline, speed from 0.1x to 100x, keyframes, chroma key, stabilization, auto captions, text-to-speech, background removal, hundreds of effects and 4K 60fps export. The short-video job is covered, as Filmora and Clipchamp cover it. | CTrimming, speed ramps, overlays, masks, chroma key and a 6,000-track music library, but only the basics of a timeline. |
| Ease of use | B4.61 from about 1.1 million App Store ratings, just shy of our top mark. People say it's far quicker to get going with than the professional editors, and the ready-made templates do a lot of the work. | BNo store rating on record, but it is an app you install and start cutting in. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows, so phone and computer both, and it shares straight to TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. The listing shows no web version and no API. | CiPhone and iPad only on the listing, with sharing to YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook; no desktop or web editor. |
| Best for | short videos edited on your phone | quick video edits on an iPhone or iPad |
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 Splice. How we grade
Where they differ
- Splice also covers file sharing.
In commoniOSAndroidVideo editing
At a glance
| CapCut | Splice | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $9.99 per month for Standard, as a US App Store in-app purchase | $9.99, billing period not shown in the App Store listing |
| 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. | None |
| Free trial | Free trial of premium features before subscribing; the store listings do not state its length | The weekly subscription is offered with a free trial; its length is not shown. |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Bytedance Pte. Ltd. | AI Creativity S.r.l. |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
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.
Splice
- The App Store listing shows $9.99 for every in-app purchase without saying whether it is per week, month or year.
- The site links to the App Store and Google Play only; there is no desktop or web editor.
- The App Store lists subscription lengths of weekly, monthly and yearly; confirm the price in the app before starting a trial.
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.
Splice
- Clip editing tools
- Trim, cut and crop clips, change playback speed with speed ramping, and adjust exposure, contrast and saturation.
- Overlays and masks
- Layer photos or videos on top of each other, apply masks, and remove a background with chroma key.
- Soundtrack library
- Pick from 6,000+ royalty-free tracks, mix several audio tracks, record narration, or use a song from your own iTunes collection.
- Slideshows and Ken Burns effect
- Animate still photos with pan and zoom, and add title slides, text overlays and a custom outro.
- Sharing
- Send finished videos to YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Mail and Messages, or save them to the camera roll.
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.
Splice
Splice Weekly$9.99
weekly plan with free trial; period not shown in the listing
In-app purchase listed as Splice Weekly With Free Trial. The listing says plans run weekly, monthly or yearly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CapCut or Splice?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CapCut starts at $9.99 per month for Standard, as a US App Store in-app purchase, and Splice starts at $9.99, billing period not shown in the App Store listing.
Which has a free plan, CapCut or Splice?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only CapCut has a free plan. Splice does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do CapCut and Splice run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only CapCut lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.