Instagram’s ‘Edits’ App Surpasses CapCut in Launch Downloads: A New Era for Mobile Video Editing
Instagram's new video creation app, 'Edits,' has made a splash in the mobile video editing market, achieving a staggering 7 million downloads in its first week. This launch significantly outpaces that of its competitor, ByteDance's CapCut, marking a potential shift in the landscape of social media video creation tools.
According to data from Appfigures, Edits recorded an estimated 702,900 iOS downloads in its first two days alone, 37 times more than CapCut's initial iOS performance. The app's swift adoption propelled it to the top of the U.S. iPhone App Store charts, demonstrating the power of Meta's network effects in launching new applications within its ecosystem.
'Edits' is designed as a streamlined video editing app focused on creating content for Instagram Reels, Stories, and other social media platforms. While the app has been praised for its ease of use, ad-free experience, support for 4K video, and watermark-free exports, some critics point out that it currently lacks features found in CapCut, such as templates and transition effects. Social media marketing consultant, Lia Haberman, highlighted the mixed reactions from creators in her newsletter.
Meta emphasizes that 'Edits' is built for creators. The app boasts features like longer camera capture (up to 10 minutes), easy project management, a frame-accurate timeline, auto-enhance, green screen, and data-driven insights to help users optimize their videos for distribution. The company plans to continue evolving the app based on user feedback, with upcoming additions including keyframes, AI-powered modifications, collaboration tools, and more creative options.
While 'Edits' is initially more approachable, especially for those unfamiliar with video editing, creators seeking more fine-tuned control may find CapCut's extensive features more appealing. One key difference is that 'Edits' is currently mobile-only, while CapCut also offers a desktop version.
While Edits had a stronger launch, it still has a long way to go to catch up with CapCut's overall user base, which has reached 1.22 billion downloads worldwide (excluding China) since its launch in April 2020. Will 'Edits' continue its rapid growth and challenge CapCut's dominance, or will it fall behind in the long run?
What are your thoughts on Instagram's 'Edits' app? Which video editing tools do you prefer? Share your opinions in the comments below!
