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By the toolist.ai editors. Researched from CapCut's own pages and hands-on tests published by others, not hands-on tested by toolist.ai. Updated October 6, 2026.

CapCut review: pricing, features and what testers found

CapCut is ByteDance's free-to-start video editor for phone, web and desktop, built for fast social video with templates, auto captions and AI effects. Pro costs $19.99 a month; a Standard plan is $9.99 in the US App Store.

Our take

CapCut makes short social videos quick to edit on phone, web and desktop, and TechRadar called its free tier surprisingly capable. But more features have moved behind the paywall, Newsweek reported Pro's yearly price more than doubling in 2026, and CapCut has no pricing page; prices sit in a Standard-vs-Pro guide and the app stores. It is available in the US again and still published by ByteDance.

Based on CapCut's published plans and the hands-on tests linked below, not on a test of our own.

Good for

  • Short-form creators making TikTok, Reels and Shorts quickly
  • Beginners who want templates and one-tap effects

Watch out for

  • No pricing page on CapCut's website (its Standard-vs-Pro guide lists Pro at $19.99 a month); the in-app price varies by region and platform.
  • Newsweek reported Pro's yearly price rising from about $77 to $179.99 in February 2026.
  • Free exports that use any Pro asset or AI tool are blocked or watermarked.
  • A cancellation takes effect from the next month.
  • Still published by ByteDance; since January 2026 the TikTok US joint venture's safeguards also cover CapCut.

What CapCut does

Price

Free plan: Free to edit, but exporting anything that uses a Pro template, effect or AI tool needs a paid plan, and 4K and watermark-free export are locked on desktop.

PlanBilled monthlyBilled yearly, per monthIncludes
Standard $9.99 not listed A cheaper plan than Pro, announced in CapCut's help center; the price is from the US App Store
Pro $19.99 $15 $179.99 a year; Pro templates and effects, 4K and 60 fps export without watermark, 1,200 AI credits, 1 TB storage
Team $24.99 not listed From about $24.99 a month for collaborative work; details not published

Prices last checked: 2026-10-16 on CapCut's pricing page.

Price history

No price change since we first recorded these prices on October 6, 2026. We re-check them every week and list each change here.

What hands-on testers found

We have not tested CapCut ourselves. These are the published tests we found that used it hands-on, newest first; follow the links for the full reviews.

MakeUseOf · Chifundo Kasiya · January 28, 2026

What they tested: A former paying user's experience before switching to another editor.

  • Features that were free moved behind the paywall over time.
  • The mobile app showed intrusive ads, and the free tier adds watermarks.
  • Still credited as beginner-friendly, with good captions and background removal.

TechRadar · Steve Paris · January 14, 2026

What they tested: The mobile app, added to a roundup of the best video editors after a re-evaluation.

  • Very easy to edit with, and the free tier is surprisingly capable.
  • The mobile interface is locked to portrait and icon labels are tiny.
  • Some tools have no back button.

What users say

Test result

toolist.ai has not run its own test of CapCut; the findings above come from the published tests linked. See how we research and test.

Best editors tools

Compared with

Do you make CapCut? Claim this listing to correct it; it's free. To see whether ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity recommend it, and how many readers we send you: toolist.ai for AI companies.

Sources