Forget fancy subscriptions - the truth is you don’t need to pay mega $$$ to become a viral sensation! The TikTok favourite; CapCut, is boasting trend-setting effects and effortless transitions. The Instagram Maestro, InShot, wields laser-sharp precision and user friendly charm! Both have completely FREE versions that you can use straight off the bat - but which one has the best free version? Grab your phone, ditch the credit card as we unravel which one reigns supreme! - CapCut vs InShot - Epic edits without spending a dime!

Feature Face-off!

Transitions:

Think of transitions as your video's dance moves. Transitions play a vital role to any content creator or editors work - but so much of the time you have to pay for the better transitions. CapCut's got TikTok trends on lock with mind-blowing zooms and glitchy goodness, while InShot offers classic dissolves and wipes for a smooth, cinematic feel.

CapCut: CapCut offers a wide range of transitions for free. The transitions CapCut offers are dynamic and smooth - and much more on trend with TikTok with their dynamic zooms and glitchy goodness!

InShot: Classy and clean, like a perfectly curated feed. InShot has smooth fades and elegant swipes, ideal for crafting Insta reels that ooze sophistication. Think more classic dissolves and swipes to the left and right. This is much more relevant to an Instagram type reel than a trendy TikTok one in my opinion. But both offer a good range of free transitions!

Effects:

Want your video to stand out like a neon cat in a library? Effects are your secret weapon. CapCut lets you blast off with futuristic filters and face-altering magic, while InShot keeps it real with easy-to-use effects and keyframes.

CapCut: CapCut is an effects bullet! It offers a myriad of effects for clips, with dynamic animations, video effects, body effects, speed ramping, removal of background, mask, motion blur, stabilise footage, freeze clip, reverse clip… the list goes on! WOW, that’s a mouthful - but with a handful of FREE effects like that - how could you go wrong! Basically, anything short of turning your grandma into a unicorn is on the table.

The dynamic animations include; shakes, zooms, swings, slides and flips. This is what I would call a diverse range of effects, especially for FREE!

Video effects are a bit different - with pulses, strobing lights and other crazy overlays - if anything this is just an extension of the animations features. There is a ton to choose from.

Speed ramping (with presets to choose from), being able to remove the background and stabilising footage feels like it shouldn’t even be free - but it is! These tools make this editing software really stand out to me!

InShot: More of a "less is more" approach. InShot has got video effects like zoom, tremble, roll, focus, and more. Perfect for adding a subtle touch without going overboard.

InShot also has tools like freeze, and reverse clip, and speed ramping also for FREE. However with the speed ramping in InShot, they don’t have pre-built presets to choose from, but you can create your own however you see fit!

Inshot also has recently added keyframes! Which are a video editors saviour! This allows you to choose when an animation starts with your text, stickers, or video layers. This is something CapCut doesn’t have yet.

Filters and Colour Adjustments:

With CapCut, Unleash your inner colourista with a vibrant palette of filters, from cinematic moods to playful hues. Adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and more for granular control over your visual vibes. InShot embraces a more natural approach with subtle filters and precise colour adjustments. Fine-tune highlights, shadows, and warmth to create a polished look.

CapCut: CapCut Has a variety of playful filters to choose from! These filters have an amazing cinematic look - polishing any ordinary footage into a masterpiece! For more in-depth colour adjustments, they also have shadows, highlights, contrast, saturation and brightness to play with. Plus, HSL slider tabs (a photographer's dream) let you fine-tune individual colours for ultimate control.

InShot: InShot has polished and natural filters that give your videos a refined look. They have a good selection for free that you can choose from, whether that be to have a brighter look, or a warmer tone. InShot has all the same features as CapCut in terms of being able to change the shadows, highlights, contrast and brightness. You get all the basic colour adjustments, but no HSL sliders anymore in the free version, sadly. Still, for subtle tweaks, it's a winner.

Music:

CapCut pumps up the party with trendy beats and royalty-free tunes, while InShot brings the chill with calming melodies and instrumental vibes.

CapCut: The TikTok party starter! CapCut has heaps of trending and upbeat songs you can use for free. They have a large library of trending songs to choose from which is great! All funky and upbeat - and exactly what you’d want to use to become a viral sensation!

InShot: More like a spa day for your ears. InShot focuses on the classics, a slow melodic masterpiece. These perfectly suit travel type of videos you see on Instagram! To post these for free however, you are asked to credit the artist where you post the video.

Text Editing:

Make your words pop! CapCut goes bold with animated titles and dynamic overlays, while InShot shines with customisable fonts and precise positioning.

CapCut: CapCut has a FREE section that uses AI to caption your videos! It also highlights the word as it’s being said - which I see used a lot! When I say this is a life-saver for people creating podcasts, or TikToks needing text, this is an incredible feature to have for free which saves you time and energy - leaving you more space to be creative!

InShot: InShot has auto captions too for FREE right now! (for a limited time however) InShot has more classic styles of text to choose from. The animations to put onto the text are different types of fades in, or letters dropping in. Think elegant titles that wouldn't look out of place in a Vogue magazine.

Some Key Differences to Consider:

While both of these programs have a lot to offer, there is some key differences to highlight. To use the free version of InShot, you need to watch an ad to remove the watermark for free, and to export you will also need to watch another ad; CapCut doesn’t have this. Another highlight of CapCut is that there is a desktop version you can use - which InShot doesn’t offer. Not only does CapCut have lots of editing capacity for you, it also has loads of free trending templates used in TikTok for you to choose from - with prebuilt edits and music - all you have to do is choose your clips.

Whats the Verdict?

The truth is - it’s up to you! Both CapCut and InShot offer amazing FREE features perfect for social media domination. Personally after reviewing both of these - I am more inclined to choose CapCut for its ease of use, and its many free features to choose from. I am more of a TikTok fiend than an Instagram maestro however - so my approach may be different to yours!
I think InShot has amazing features if you’re looking for more classic simple edits with trendy travel music. It has less features initially - so it can be less daunting that CapCut.

Ultimately, the winner is you! Choose the app that speaks to your editing style and creative vision. And hey, no shame in switching between them depending on the project - I do all the time! Now go forth, edit with freedom, and conquer the social media world!

Remember to leave a comment below and tell me which app you choose!

P.S. Don't forget to have fun! Editing should be a blast, not a chore. So grab your phone, unleash your creativity, and show the world what you've got! Here is some edits I did with the different editors. Hope you enjoy :)

CapCut Edit

Instagram Edit