Technology
12 of the Best TikTok Video Editing Apps
As TikTok continues to surge ahead as one of the largest social media platforms out there, there are greater demands for video editing software and making these short videos, editing them, and delivering them on a massive scale. We’ll cover several of the best video editing software options out there for TikTok and how to edit TikTok videos. Sometimes it might even be essential to use more than one app, depending on the needs.
WHAT ARE TIKTOK VIDEO EDITING APPS?
TikTok is a social media platform that is all about the short video. While there are many ways to make your video stand out, one of the most important things you can do is use apps to edit your videos and make them more engaging.
There are a variety of different apps available for this purpose, some of which are standard video editing apps and others that are catered more toward the brief videos that we see on TikTok. All of them are meant to help TikTok Videos go viral, so it’s important to know what they can do for you!
12 of the Best TikTok Video Editing Apps
App Name | Compatible OS | Features | Est No. of Downloads | |
1 | InShot | Android / IOS | Easy to use with a huge number of features | 500M+ |
2 | iMovie | iOS / macOS | Free initial movie editor for the Mac / iOS community | N/A comes preinstalled with every mac device |
3 | YouCut | Android | A great, completely free option with simple editing | 100M+ |
4 | CapCut | Android / iOS | Made by the same group that built TikTok with native features | 250M+ |
5 | Vizmato | Android / iOS | Excellent for those looking for voice modulation | 1M+ |
6 | Splice | Android / iOS | Huge music and sound library compared to others | 1M+ |
7 | Lomotif | Android / iOS | Focused on making short videos and TikTokers | 225M+ |
8 | Adobe Rush | Android / iOS / Windows / Mac | Cross-platform and cross-software superior video editing software | 1M+ |
9 | Timbre | Android | Great for stripping down or converting larger videos | 5M+ |
10 | GoPro Quik | Android / iOS | Perfect for those that already have a GoPro | 10M+ |
11 | Magisto | Android / iOS / Online | A robust tool editor that has synergies with VIMEO | 50M+ |
12 | Funimate | Android / iOS | One of the largest available libraries for effects | 10M+ |
Here’s a more detailed review of the TikTok video editing apps:
InShot
InShot is one of the more popular options out there. Even its free version is full of features that many can use to edit their TikTok videos.
With just the use of your finger, you’re able to split into multiple videos or trim videos. You can also simply cut and edit out whole sections of the videos for what you’ll need it for. It also comes with built-in filters of their own, from bright to dark, or that grainy film filter, or even one that makes the colors glitch out. It also comes with its own sound library to help get the right music effect with your TikTok video.
Pros
• Easy to use and is straight to the point – great for beginners
• Simple to add sound
Cons
• Has a watermark if you aren’t paying
• Limited in its free features
iMovie
iMovie helps to make anyone who owns any Apple product such as an iPhone, MacBook, or Mac desktop become an amateur video editor with this built-in.
It’s a simple app that’s also very intuitive. iMovie helps guide any type of user, even with no experience, to develop storyboards and cinematics in no time.
Pros
• Make a video in no time, even with just images
• Add layers and templates to your videos to go from zero to professional fast
• Easy to add on additional content
• Some minor trim and editing support
Cons
• No Android supports
• Many reach its limited offering and need to look elsewhere
YouCut
A great alternative for many who are starting out. This will give you enough features before you need to upgrade to a more premium TikTok video editor.
When you use YouCut, you won’t have to ask yourself how to edit TikTok videos as it has a functional UI / UX design. You can easily combine clips while editing each individual clip as you see fit.
It doesn’t stop with the clip itself, as you can apply filters, add soundtracks, and cut in with photos as needed. Then posting on TikTok is also seamless.
Pros
• Free at the start with no watermark
• Super simple to use
• Easy to include customized soundtracks
Cons
• Android only
• Ads in free model
CapCut
This video editing software is perfect for TikTok as it is made by the same company that created TikTok.
That means you can cut and trim videos as needed and speed up, rewind or even rotate out videos easily. It’s built mainly to add a sophisticated level of video editing yet still has a huge library of templates, filters, and sounds.
Pros
• Exactly the features needed for a TikTok video
• Numerous trending filters
• Free forever – no freemium model
Cons
• Functional editing primarily for TikTok-type videos.
• There’s a limit to how long each video can be
Vizmato
What you find here is a mid-tier application that’s one of the best for voice modulation or lip syncing.
There are a lot of video themes to choose from and an experienced community of content creators built in to help with ideas and see what’s trending. If you upgrade to the pro version, you’ll get more features during a live session, such as the ability to add more effects and sounds.
Pros
• A great option for voice and audio
• Engaged digital community for support
Cons
• Watermark and ads in the free version – need to pay to remove
• Mid-tier option priced at a premium
Splice
As the trend continues to focus on mobile-only applications for video editing, Splice joins that arena perfectly with a user interface to match.
It’s very friendly to navigate, but this simplicity is still packed with many features from transitions to overlays, with numerous filters for any type of video. It also has one of the biggest sound libraries out there.
Pros
• Mobile-first design
• Huge music library
Cons
• More premium option so comes at a price of around $10 per month
• Focus on music versus extensive video editing tools
- Lomotif
Another mobile social media only video editor. If that’s what you’re looking for, then Lomotif is still a solid choice.
It still has just the right type of editing software to make it one of the best TikTok editing apps out there. You’ll still be able to crop and edit videos as well as add video effects to your videos, making it the right choice to have videos go viral.
Pros
• Robust yet simplistic editing tools (even with cut and trim functionality)
• Throw in additional content easily, from gifs to songs
Cons
• Another social media only video editor
• Focus on music versus extensive video editing tools
Adobe Rush
No stranger to image and video editing, Adobe is also on the scene with its perfectly crafted mobile application. You’ll get the feature-rich options from Adobe while at the same time being able to sync with Creative Cloud and work on your content with premiere video editing software.
When you’re done with your video, you can directly export it to TikTok and other social media platforms, making this also one of the best TikTok editing apps.
Pros
• Cross-platform and direct sharing to social media platforms
• Full video editing features to have a professional video every time
Cons
• Free version is limited with only 3 exports/month
• It may not be available everywhere yet
Timbre
Focused on cutting videos or converting them into new formats, Timbre is the go-to app. It helps to strip down videos to be able to prepare them for TikTok.
It has some nifty features with the ability to choose your bitrate and thus reduce your file sizes, but it’s not one of the best TikTok editing apps on its own. Its video editing features after compression stop after trimming, cutting, or merging.
Pros
• Completely Free
• Great for combining and refining multiple sources of audio and video
Cons
• Really for compression with minimal editing software
• Doesn’t come with any content
GoPro
The native app with GoPros is the perfect option for those action TikTok videos.
It’s best used with GoPro cameras but, when combined, is one of the best TikTok editing apps possible. You can use it to sync your phone and GoPro, which helps to capture those special shots. In addition, fast editing tools help keep you in the action.
Pros
• Unlimited high-definition cloud storage
• Full suite of editing tools and ability to sync music
Cons
• Limited without using a GoPro
• Premium version is nearly $50 per year
Magisto
This is owned by Vimeo and is an online video editor first. However, it does have mobile apps, so you can edit on the fly for TikTok.
What helps to make this one of the best TikTok editing apps is that it comes with the ability to use iStock photos. Another element that is often ignored is that there are analytical reporting tools.
Pros
• Huge photo library to choose from
• Works with Vimeo and has shared subscription plans.
Cons
• Another app with a maximum time limit (10 minutes)
• Can get quite costly
Funimate
This is one of the best TikTok editing apps when you’re looking to make your videos a bit more fun. It has a huge library of AI masks and looping functionality on top of standard video editing software.
Funimate seamlessly works to engage users specifically on social media channels such as TikTok with its ability to add so much content inclusive of audio and music as well as text to videos.
Pros
• Massive selection of video effects and backgrounds
• Ability to seamlessly add intros and outros
Cons
• Ads play on the free version
• Free version has a watermark
HOW TO USE TIKTOK VIDEO EDITING APPS
No matter how popular TikTok or any other video app becomes, there are still some standard routines that get followed when using them.
Step 1 – Record and upload all the videos to be used
Step 2 – Use standard video editing features to splice up and combine all these videos together
Step 3 – Now we add those effects such as rotation and fade out, as well as throw in the audio (which can also be done via TikTok)
Step 4 – If necessary, add the finishing touches of any types of captions or additional text.
Once you’re satisfied, push it out to TikTok itself!
FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A TIKTOK VIDEO EDITING APP TO USE
Don’t get distracted by all the features some of these more premium options may offer. Always start with a free option and understand how to use all the features before expanding your horizons. For example, video editing for TikTok can be relatively simple, but the best TikTok editing apps are the ones that you’re comfortable using.
WRAP UP
Now that you see how many options you have available, keep in mind that you’ll have to keep practicing how to edit TikTok videos to make the best ones that may one day go viral. You also can try out various options to see which one you seem to work with the best. Just note that gone are the days where you can simply just upload a video to TikTok in many cases, and you will need to edit it at some point.