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Both cover video editing. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
Free vertical video editor from the makers of TikTok
Browser video editing with subtitles
CapCut | Kapwing | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $9.99 | From $24 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export |
Free vertical video editor from the makers of TikTok
CapCut is free, runs on a phone or desktop, and every trending template lands here first. Auto captions are quick and accurate. Read the licence terms before using it for client work.
Our note
The best free video editor there is, with a caveat that has nothing to do with the software: it is owned by ByteDance, and the terms you agree to about your footage are worth ten minutes of reading before a client project goes through it.
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Browser video editing with subtitles
Kapwing edits video in a browser tab, which suits anybody working across two machines or unwilling to install anything. Subtitling, dubbing into forty languages and trimming by editing the transcript are the parts people come for. A repurpose tool cuts a long video into social clips. The free tier is real and the paid ones are metered in credits and minutes.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.
| Not stated |
| Their cut | None | None |
|---|
| Runs on (they differ) | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Web |
|---|
| Covers | Short-Form & Clipping, Video Editing | Video Editing, Captions & Subtitles |
|---|
| Works with | YouTube, Instagram, TikTok | YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch |
|---|
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
|---|
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
|---|
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
|---|
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
Our note
Trimming by transcript and the repurpose tool are what justify this over a free editor, particularly if subtitles are a weekly job. Descript does the transcript editing better; Kapwing wins on needing nothing installed.
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