Instagram’s “Edits”: A CapCut Clone with a Meta Twist

In a move that seems directly inspired by CapCut’s success, Instagram has unveiled “Edits,” a standalone video editing app that bears striking similarities to the TikTok-affiliated editor. The timing of this launch, coinciding with CapCut’s uncertain future in the US, appears far from coincidental.

The feature-for-feature comparison is hard to ignore.

Like CapCut, Edits offers precise frame-by-frame editing, green screen capabilities, video overlays, and AI-powered animations. Even the user interface elements described in the App Store listing – from custom fonts to video filters and stickers – mirror CapCut’s popular toolkit. The automatic subtitle generation and background noise reduction features also echo functionality that CapCut users have long enjoyed.

Where Instagram attempts to differentiate Edits is through its analytics integration. The app includes a live insights dashboard that breaks down engagement metrics between followers and non-followers, and tracks metrics like skip rates – features that leverage Instagram’s social media expertise. This focus on analytics represents one of the few genuine departures from CapCut’s primarily editing-focused approach.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri’s careful framing of the launch seems to acknowledge the app’s role as a potential CapCut replacement.

The timing of the March 13th, 2025 release, alongside CapCut’s uncertain future, positions Edits as a ready alternative for creators who might soon need a new editing solution.

While Edits offers solid features like 1080p export capability, watermark-free videos, and granular camera controls for dynamic range and frame rates, these capabilities were already standard in CapCut. Instagram’s strategy appears to be less about innovation and more about providing a familiar, reliable alternative at a crucial moment in the social media landscape.

The pre-launch availability on iOS (with Android development in progress) suggests Instagram is racing to capture CapCut’s market share while the opportunity exists. For creators, this means a potentially seamless transition to a new editing tool – albeit one that feels more like a strategic clone than a groundbreaking innovation in video editing technology.