CapCut vs Zencastr

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

Zencastr

• New podcasters who want recording, editing and hosting at no cost
• Interview shows with remote guests recorded on separate tracks
• Creators who would rather describe edits than work on a timeline

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.

Zencastr

• The free plan caps a recording at 6 participants, a team at 4 seats and an account at 5 podcast shows.
• The pricing table lists 60,000 video views and 6,000 for video RSS on the free plan, without stating the period.
• Apps are listed for the web and iOS only; no Android app is mentioned.
• Anything beyond the free plan's limits is a custom Enterprise quote; no self-serve paid tier is listed.

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.

Zencastr

Separate-track recording

Records each of up to 6 participants locally on their own device, with cloud backup, in up to 4K video and 48 kHz WAV audio, from a browser or an iPhone or iPad.

Editing by chat

Instead of a timeline, you ask the Producer for the edits you want. It also removes background noise, balances levels and cuts long pauses and filler words.

Transcripts, chapters and captions

Every recording or upload is transcribed automatically in 10 languages with speaker labels, then split into chapters and turned into burned-in captions.

Hosting and distribution

Unlimited audio and video hosting for up to 5 shows, with publishing to Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube, an embeddable player and listener analytics.

Clips and social posting

Export clips in up to 4K with animated captions and AI layouts, and schedule posts to the major social platforms.

Live streaming

Stream in 1080p to Twitch, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Each stream is recorded and can be turned into an episode or clips.

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.

Zencastr

• Vibecastr$0

  Unlimited recording, hosting and transcription for up to 6 participants, with 4 seats, 5 podcast shows, 4K video and 1080p live streaming.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Custom limits for participants, seats, shows, hosting and support, arranged with the sales team.