Instagram Launches Video App ‘Edits,’ a Near-Clone of TikTok’s CapCut

Instagram is rolling out “Edits,” a new video editing app that closely resembles the Chinese-owned platform CapCut, which went offline along with TikTok.

On Sunday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced that the company was launching Edits as a video editing app to rival CapCut.

CapCut is the popular video editing app used by millions of TikTok creators and is owned by TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance.

When the law banning TikTok on national security grounds came into effect on Sunday, the video app and CapCut went dark in the U.S. and became inaccessible to American users.

But hours later, TikTok restored access to its 170 million users in the U.S. after Trump said he would issue an executive order to give the app a reprieve when he took office.

However, while TikTok resumed services, CapCut remains inaccessible in the United States as of Monday morning.

According to a report by Fast Company, CapCut users are still greeted by a message explaining that the video editing app has been swept up in the same law that required ByteDance to sell up or face a ban.

Instagram Takes on CapCut

Instagram has now attempted to capitalize on CapCut’s ban with the release of its own video editing app Edits. The app appears to be an exact clone of TikTok’s video editing app.

View on Threads

“Today we’re announcing a new app called ‘Edits,’ for those of you who are passionate about making videos on your phone,” Mosseri says in an Instagram video.

“There’s a lot going on right now, but no matter what happens, it’s our job to provide the best possible tools for creators.”

Mosseri revealed that the app will offer a range of creative tools, including a tab for inspiration, another for organizing ideas, and a high-quality camera. Users will also be able to share drafts with friends or collaborators.

After Threads users slammed Edits as a near-identical copy of CapCut, Mosseri acknowledged this but also described the app as “more for creators than casual video makers.”

While the iOS App Store lists Edits with a March 13 release date, Mosseri says that the platform is expected to launch in February. Pre-orders are available now on iOS, with an Android version “coming soon.” However, Mosseri warns that the initial release of Edits will lack some features and urges users to be patient.

According to the App Store listing, Edits will allow users to create videos up to 10 minutes long, with adjustable settings for resolution and frame rate. Key features will include auto-generated captions, video filters, voice effects, background noise reduction, and AI-powered image animations. A live insights dashboard will let creators monitor the performance of their Instagram reels in real time once published.

In recent years, Instagram has consistently tried to replicate TikTok’s success and chase the app’s astronomical growth in short-form video.

In 2020, Instagram introduced Reels, a near-identical copy of TikTok’s signature short-form video format. Since then, Reels has become one of the most popular features on the app.