CapCut Killer? Meta’s New “Edits” App Just Stole the Spotlight

Meta has added another weapon to its creator arsenal: Edits, a standalone video-editing app that quietly hit iOS and Android on 22 April 2025. Announced by Instagram chief Adam Mosseri after months of beta testing, the launch gives Reels makers a full production suite – shooting, planning, editing and analytics – in one watermark-free package.​

Open the app, and you’re greeted by five tabs that mirror a filmmaker’s workflow. Ideas acts as a digital mood-board; Inspirations surfaces trending audio and viral clips; Projects houses works-in-progress; Record offers up to 10-minute high-resolution capture; and Insights shows real-time metrics such as skip rate or average watch time.

Editing happens on a frame-accurate timeline with clip-level splits, automatic captions, green-screen, precision cut-outs and an “Animate” tool that turns still images into motion graphics. Crucially, videos export without a watermark – something CapCut charges for.​

Meta says Edits was built “alongside creators” throughout 2024, but the timing is strategic. CapCut’s brief removal from U.S. app stores during TikTok’s legal turmoil exposed how dependent influencers were on a Chinese-owned editor. By offering a first-party, free alternative, Meta keeps creators – and the data they generate – inside its ecosystem while hedging against any future TikTok bans.​

The gambit is already paying off: within 48 hours, Edits jumped to the No. 1 spot in the App Store’s video-editing chart, knocking CapCut off the perch. Reviewers praise the streamlined interface and lack of paywalls; critics note the similarity to its rival and question whether Meta will eventually charge for premium AI effects. Mosseri, responding to Threads users who called the app a clone, insisted Edits will “end up pretty different from CapCut” and aim at professional creators rather than casual users.​

Meta is already teasing a roadmap: advanced Keyframe control, a Modify button to apply AI styles with one tap, collaborative review links, and a larger royalty-free music catalogue. Mosseri also hinted some heavy-duty AI filters could sit behind a paywall, though the core toolset is slated to remain free.

For now, Edits offers creators a frictionless way to shoot, polish and post videos to Instagram, Facebook – or any rival platform – without ever leaving Meta’s orbit.​