TikTok: 10 Free Video Editing Apps That Anyone Can Use

For content to become viral, some social media apps like Facebook and Instagram rely on a heavy following. Yet, when TikTok came, it changed the game of who and what kind of content rises to the top.

In just five years, TikTok’s algorithm has allowed the democratisation of content creation and the possibility of going viral, despite low following. This is why it’s gained the love of all age groups, particularly teenagers. 

Now, TikTok has some of the coolest features: a library of the hottest music, quirky templates, beautiful fonts, trendy filters, and of course… the fun, over-the-top content. But TikTok is not TikTok without videos. And while it has its own in-app video editing tools, it lacks some of the features and finesse some might require to craft potentially viral content. 

So, we made a round-up of the best simple to use video editing apps around. While most of them have a premium version for upgraded features and tools, we found that the free versions did what we needed. 

The other great thing about these tools is they’re all mobile-friendly, so no need to use your computers. Your smartphone and a bit of imagination is all you need.

InShot 

InShot is the go-to for some TikTok creators. It has an up-to-date library of music, stickers and filters. And it’s very easy to edit a complete TikTok video. The design is almost the same too; hence navigation is easy if you’re used to editing on TikTok’s in-app tool. 

InShot allows you to import your pictures and videos while partnering them with some background music for more immersive content. The catch with this app is that they have a limited list of royalty-free songs. Free users will also have a visible watermark on their video. The app also has lots of ads, but if you can put up with that, it’s perfect for getting those TikTok videos up to scratch. 

CapCut

CapCut is a mobile-editing app that’s pretty famous in the TikTok world. It has all the features necessary to create a cute and funny video. Plus, it’s beginner-friendly without too many complicated buttons. 

Aside from the fact that it’s free for most features, the best thing with CapCut is it’s already connected with TikTok. Once you’re done editing your videos, you can choose to download them on your device or directly upload them to the platform, and unlike other free video-editing tools, CapCut doesn’t leave a watermark. 

BeeCut

BeeCut is a free, simple to use video editing app that’s perfect for TikTok. You can import your own pictures and videos, all of which you can cut, rotate, merge, add transitions and filters plus a lot more. When you want to layer those with music, you can import your own or you can choose from BeeCut’s vast selection of trendy royalty-free sounds. 

The best thing about this app is its wide range of available aspect ratios. You can produce videos in portrait (9:16), widescreen (16:9), square (1:1), TaoBao (3:4), or standard (4:3). While some apps have a fixed video length, BeeCut enables you to customise the length of your videos – perfect not only for TikTok but also for other social media channels, too. 

Videoshop

Videoshop is a simple, newbie-friendly editing app. It allows you to crop, trim, merge and add transitions and filters. You can also animate your titles, headers and thumbnails. Plus, you have options to change the speed of your videos: slow-motion, fast-motion or stop-motion. 

You can also take advantage of the exhaustive list of sound effects: from animal noises and fart sounds, to explosions and laughter… your videos can be as classy (or not) as you’d like. Videoshop also allows you to tweak the saturation, contrast and brightness of the video. And aside from TikTok, you can directly post it to other social media channels, even email. 

Kinemaster

Kinemaster is a fun mobile editing app that actually came before the TikTok craze, and has fast become a firm favourite of mobile video editors and editing newbies alike. Why? It’s super easy to navigate. You can choose the size of your videos from the few options, then import your media and edit it however you like. 

While it doesn’t have a wealth of updated music and filters like some other apps, Kinemaster is an excellent choice for those wanting a better cutting and merging experience. Perfect for lengthy, quality videos, like documentaries or short films, this video editing app is available not only for mobile users but on other platforms too. Plus, it’s free with just a minimal watermark. 

Magisto

Magisto’s powerful AI will create your movie for you. Once you import your media, Magisto will craft cute and funny videos based on the content and style of your choice. Yet, if you choose to create your own, Magisto allows you to do basic video editing like cutting, merging, adding transitions, background music, filters and effects.

You can upload your own music, or you can choose from the hundreds of available and commercially licensed sounds. Plus, there are several professional templates to pattern your videos. The basic version gets you a watermarked video lasting up to 60 seconds. Beyond that, you will need to shell out for the premium version to produce a zero watermark video with no length limits. 

iMovie

Apple users have long loved the iMovie app. It’s a free and vital editing tool for Apple products. For any TikTok content, iMovie mostly gets the job done. What’s more, is that you don’t need prior editing skills because this app is very easy to use. 

iMovie has some of the best video-editing features. It has a green screen effect, which is the same feature as TikTok’s in-app tool. This allows you to create customised backgrounds. With basic editing tools, iMovie can help you make whatever TikTok videos to your liking. However, this app has a limited music option, and you’re not allowed to import your own unfortunately. 

Vizmato

Vizmato serves much like TikTok’s in-app video editor. It has a good list of royalty-free music on top of snazzy video themes and visual effects. And what’s more fun is that, like TikTok, Vizmato allows you to modulate your voice to different sounds such as robotic, high-pitched, deep, high, etc. 

Vizmato has a built-in HD video recorder where you can include live visual effects and play music while recording. However, this app is a bit more expensive compared to other mobile video-editing tools if you want full use. Although the free version is available, you will need to upgrade to erase the watermark. 

Timbre

Timbre is an Android-only app suitable for all-around editing. What’s great about Timbre is it’s comfortable with all common video and audio file formats. Meaning you can import all types of media. And more than that, Timbre also allows you to convert the audio and video to whatever formats you prefer. 

For GIF lovers out there, Timbre might be the best app for you. It has a specific feature for GIF creation and conversion. Apart from that, Timbre is best for splitting, removing and changing the speed of audio or videos. The sad part though, is they lack visual effects and filters, as well as a built-in audio library. You can’t review a video before publishing either unfortunately. 

FilmoraGo

FilmoraGo is a complete mobile video editing app and it has all the tools you need for your next piece of TikTok content. But unlike Vizmato and other apps mentioned, it doesn’t have an in-app video-recording capability, and you have to pay for a watermark-free result. 

But other than that, FilmoraGo caters to most TikTok creators’ needs. From its wealth of updated and royalty-free music to its awesome stickers, effects and filters, FilmoraGo is a good place to start when it comes to editing video content. It’s also extremely easy to sync videos and music together in FilmoraGo – which is one of the most difficult things to do in other apps. As an added bonus, this app can also help you adjust the volume of the audio. 

TikTok is one of the best places to spread brand awareness right now, especially with younger audiences. Yet businesses are not the only ones who can take advantage of TikTok’s algorithm and massive audience. Individual’s are making their mark through the power of video now more than ever, a mark that can quickly become multichannel if done right.

Thankfully, for creators with zero design experience, creating visual assets for TikTok is not only easy, but also affordable. Try this logo maker for free, or you could hire a designer if you’re looking for a full branding package. 

What’s great about TikTok is it has allowed ordinary people to shine, proving that professional video-editing experience is not always necessary to get noticed. TikTok’s very own editing tools can be enough, but you could take things to the next level by using one of the video editing apps mentioned above. Whatever you choose, have fun and happy TikToking!