The best video editing apps in 2026

CapCut is the video editor we pick first for short vertical videos on TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. Templates, trending effects, auto captions, and direct sharing sit in one timeline made for social clips. It runs on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, and the web, so a draft started on a phone can finish on a laptop under the same CapCut account. CapCut Pro carries across those platforms on that account, up to five devices at once per CapCut's help pages.

CapCut is free to download. In the US App Store in October 2026, Standard Monthly is $9.99 and Pro Monthly is $19.99. CapCut's plan pages also quote Pro at $179.99 a year. Free editing covers cuts, text, and free assets. Pro-tagged templates, effects, fonts, and music put a watermark on the export unless you subscribe, and CapCut lists 4K and 60fps export among Pro benefits on desktop and web. Cloud projects and Pro need a CapCut account. The US App Store and Google Play both list CapCut in October 2026 under Bytedance Pte. Ltd.. TikTok's January 2026 USDS Joint Venture announcement says its safeguards also cover CapCut, with ByteDance at 19.9%. Pick VN for a free timeline that lists no watermark, or LumaFusion for a longer multitrack edit you pay for once.

Built for short social video

CapCut's templates, effects library, auto captions, and text-to-speech are aimed at vertical clips that leave the phone for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. The store listings advertise keyframe animation, chroma key, speed curves, and 4K 60fps export. That stack is why CapCut stays the default for creators who post often and want a finished look without making every effect by hand.

What CapCut costs

The editor itself costs nothing. The US App Store in October 2026 lists Standard Monthly at $9.99 and Pro Monthly at $19.99. CapCut's own plan pages quote Pro at $179.99 a year, about $15 a month billed yearly. Google Play also sells CapCut with in-app buys. Exact Android plan names and prices sit behind the paywall and can differ from Apple. CapCut's help pages say Pro benefits apply on mobile, desktop, and web under the same account, while Standard's paid benefits stay mobile-only where that plan is offered.

Who should skip it

Skip CapCut if you refuse ByteDance-related apps, if free exports with Pro assets leave a watermark you will not pay to remove, or if you need a desktop-style multitrack timeline with a one-time price. VN covers the free no-watermark lane on iPhone and Android. LumaFusion covers longer edits with six video-or-graphic tracks plus six audio tracks for a one-time store buy.

VN is the free editor we pick when CapCut's Pro prompts get in the way. The US App Store listing calls it free with no watermark and advertises a multitrack timeline, keyframes, auto captions, and export up to 4K at 60fps. It runs on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows, so the same style of timeline is available on either phone without buying CapCut Pro.

Core editing, including the multitrack timeline and free export up to 4K 60fps per the store copy, does not require a paid plan. Optional VN Pro and credit packs sit in the US App Store at $7.99 and $69.99 for Pro, with credit packs from $1.00 for 100 credits in October 2026. Pro removes ads and adds premium resources and AI credits in store coverage. The developer line on the App Store and Google Play is Ubiquiti Labs, LLC. We did not run a free export ourselves for this draft, so check for any end credit on your own phone before you rely on it for client work. Pick LumaFusion instead when the edit needs more tracks, color scopes, and a one-time buy with no Pro upsells in the free timeline.

LumaFusion is the closest thing to a desktop editor you can run on a phone. The base app gives six video-with-audio or graphic tracks plus six audio-only tracks, keyframes, color tools, LUTs, and USB-C drive access for longer projects. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, and ChromeOS. There is no Windows version.

The US App Store lists LumaFusion at $29.99 once in October 2026. Google Play sells a separate paid Android and ChromeOS build. US coverage of that listing also puts the base price at $29.99 once. Optional Creator Pass is $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year in the US App Store, and Speed Ramping and Enhanced Keyframing, Multicam Studio, FCPXML Export, and CoreMelt PaintX are each $19.99 once on iOS. The Android store copy lists Speed Ramping and enhanced keyframing as a separate buy or part of Creator Pass, and does not advertise Multicam Studio or FCPXML Export the way the iOS listing does. A phone screen is cramped for a twelve-track timeline. An iPad or large Android tablet is the better surface for long cuts. Pick CapCut instead for fast social clips with templates.

iMovie is Apple's free editor for family, travel, and school videos on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Magic Movie builds a styled cut from selected clips, Storyboards offer 20 guided shot lists, and there is no account and no watermark. It is Apple-only. Android has no version.

Apple lists iMovie as free, with Magic Movie, Storyboards, trailer templates, picture-in-picture, green screen, split screen, and export up to 4K at 60fps on compatible devices. The timeline is simpler than VN or LumaFusion: fewer tracks, no keyframe animation stack, and little help for vertical social formats beyond basic framing. On Android, the closest free built-in path is the Google Photos video editor, or Samsung's Gallery editor on Galaxy phones, for trims and light fixes. Move to CapCut for Reels and TikToks, or to LumaFusion when you need true multitrack control.