InShot vs KineMaster (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, InShot grades higher than KineMaster: 3.2 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
InShot grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
InShot
Mobile video and photo editor for iPhone and Android
KineMaster
Mobile video editor with templates, layers and AI tools
Which one is for you
Pick InShot if
- Fits if you cut short clips for social media on your phone
- Works for people who want captions and music added without a laptop
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you edit on a computer, since there is no desktop version
- Tight if you stay free: you get ads, and removing them costs $3.99 apart from Pro
- Pricey if you buy monthly, at $4.99 against $19.99 for the year
- Watch out: effect, transition and filter packs are separate $1.99 to $3.99 purchases
- Watch out: the Pro price read was the US App Store's, and Google Play billing was not read
Pick KineMaster if
- Fits if you want layers and a timeline on a phone
- Works for people making social videos from templates
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you edit on a computer, as it runs on iOS and Android only
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $9.99 against about $4.17 a month on the annual plan
- Watch out: the App Store shows several Premium prices, from $8.49 to $11.99 monthly
- Watch out: many Asset Store items are sold separately, from $0.19 to $77.77 on Google Play
- Tight if you want to stay free, as the listing does not spell out what stays free
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAInShotVery good | 2.4GPAKineMasterFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APro is $19.99 a year, about $1.67 a month, under 60% of the $8.33 where the cheaper quarter of video tools starts. Lifetime is $49.99. | BPremium is $49.99 a year, about $4.17 a month, but the store shows other prices from $49.99 to $59.99 a year and $9.99 monthly, so we stop at B. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree to download with core editing tools and ads, and one person could use it that way. Removing ads is a separate $3.99, and some features are Pro. | CFree to download, but the listing does not say which features stay free and many assets cost extra. |
| Features | BTrim, merge, speed from 0.1x to 100x, text, music, keyframes, chroma key, stabilizer, auto captions and photo collages. Effect and filter packs cost $1.99 to $3.99 each on top. | BMulti-layer timeline, AI captions and voices, templates and 4K export; nothing missing from the basic job. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 on the App Store from about 2.5 million ratings. Open it, pick clips and start cutting. | CNo store rating on record, and a layered timeline has a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | CiPhone and Android only. No desktop or web version and no integrations listed. | CiOS and Android only; no desktop or web editor. |
| Best for | quick edits on a phone | layered video editing on a phone |
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: InShot and KineMaster. How we grade
Price against what you get
InShot starts at $1.67 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. KineMaster starts at $4.17 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
InShot scores higher and starts $2.50 a month lower. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, none scores higher than InShot for less, and 6 score higher than KineMaster for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- InShot can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- KineMaster also covers templates.
At a glance
| InShot | KineMaster | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.99 per month for InShot Pro, or $19.99 per year | $9.99 per month, or $49.99 per year (App Store prices vary) |
| Free plan | Free to download with in-app purchases; ads can be removed for $3.99. | Free to download with in-app purchases; the store listing does not spell out which features stay free. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | InShot | KineMaster Corporation |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
InShot
- Phone app only: the site lists the App Store, Google Play and AppGallery and no desktop version.
- The free app shows ads; removing them is a separate $3.99 purchase, apart from Pro.
- Effect, transition and filter packs are sold separately in the App Store listing, at $1.99 to $3.99 each.
- Prices are the US App Store's; the billing basis for Pro on Google Play was not read.
KineMaster
- It runs on iOS and Android only; the site lists no desktop or web editor.
- The App Store shows several Premium prices ($8.49 to $11.99 monthly, $49.99 to $59.99 annual), so the amount charged can differ.
- Many assets in the Asset Store are sold separately; Google Play lists items at $0.19 to $77.77 each.
Key features
InShot
- Trim, merge and speed control
- Trim, split and merge clips, reverse video, and change speed from 0.1x to 100x with speed curves.
- Text, stickers and music
- Add text, emoji and stickers, a music library, sound effects, voice-overs and voice effects.
- AI captions and speech
- Auto captions with speech-to-text, bilingual subtitles and text to speech, plus AI Cut to remove silence and filler words.
- Keyframes, chroma key and stabilizer
- Keyframe animation, green-screen removal, picture-in-picture layers and a video stabilizer.
- Photo editing and collages
- The same app edits photos and builds collages, with filters, effects and background removal.
KineMaster
- Multi-layer timeline
- Stack videos, images, text, stickers and effects on a full-screen timeline, with keyframe animation and a keyframe graph.
- AI captions and voices
- Auto captions transcribe speech in 36 languages, and text-to-speech turns typed text into voiceover audio.
- AI visual tools
- AI tracking, background removal, super resolution and style filters are built into the editor.
- Templates and Mix
- Start from thousands of video templates, or save your own project as a template to share.
- Asset Store
- The vendor lists 75,000+ stickers, fonts, stock videos, effects, music and transitions to download.
- 4K export
- Export up to 4K at 60 frames per second, or save a GIF or a video with a transparent background.
Plans
InShot
Free$0
Core editing tools with ads; the Remove ads purchase is $3.99.
InShot Pro - Monthly$4.99
per month
Pro subscription as listed in the US App Store in-app purchases.
InShot Pro - Yearly$19.99
per year
Pro subscription billed yearly, per the US App Store listing.
InShot Pro - Lifetime$49.99
one-time
One-time Pro purchase as listed in the US App Store in-app purchases.
KineMaster
Premium (Monthly)$9.99
per month
Subscription sold in the app. The App Store lists several monthly prices, from $8.49 to $11.99.
Premium (Annual)$49.99
per year
Yearly subscription. The App Store also lists $59.99 for annual Premium, so the price shown may vary.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, InShot or KineMaster?
As of Nov 13, 2026, InShot is cheaper to start with: $1.67 a month when paid by the year, against $4.17 a month when paid by the year for KineMaster. InShot starts at $4.99 per month for InShot Pro, or $19.99 per year, and KineMaster starts at $9.99 per month, or $49.99 per year (App Store prices vary).
Which has a free plan, InShot or KineMaster?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both InShot and KineMaster have a free plan.
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.