CapCut
: How to use it, features, and the business problems it solves
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What is CapCut?
CapCut is a video editing app from Bytedance Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), part of the ByteDance group behind TikTok. It runs on mobile, desktop, and browser, offering auto captions, background removal, and AI image/video generation for free to start. CapCut Pro costs JPY 1,080+/month or JPY 9,900/year via the Japan App Store (as of August 2026), with a fully Japanese UI.
Business problems it solves
About "CapCut"
What is CapCut?
CapCut is a video editing app provided by Bytedance Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), part of the ByteDance group that operates TikTok. It runs on smartphones, PC (desktop version), and in the browser (online version), and covers everything from basic cutting and captions to auto subtitles, text-to-speech, background removal, and AI image/video generation in a single app. It is one of the world's most used tools for short-form video editing for TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, with a fully localized Japanese UI.
It is free to start, and the paid CapCut Pro unlocks advanced effects, AI features, and 100 GB of cloud storage. At the same time, its terms of service grant ByteDance broad rights to content you upload — a clause that drew wide attention when the international terms were revised in 2025 — so understanding the terms is essential for business use (see below).
How to use
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Get the app and create an account
Install from the App Store / Google Play or open the online version at capcut.com. You can also log in with a TikTok account. No credit card is required.
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Import and edit video
Start a new project, import footage, and cut, trim, adjust speed, and add transitions on the timeline. The controls are intuitive and everything can be done on a phone.
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Add auto captions and text
Use "Text" → "Auto captions" to recognize speech and generate Japanese subtitles automatically. There is a large library of animated text templates.
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Use AI features and templates
AI features include background removal, image enhancement, text-to-speech, and AI image/video generation. You can also pick a template and just swap in your own clips.
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Export and post
Choose a resolution and export. Even the free tier supports watermark-free HD export (per the official online-version pages), and you can share directly to TikTok and other platforms.
Key features
- Core editing — cut, trim, speed control, keyframes, chroma key, stabilization, picture-in-picture.
- Auto captions — automatic multilingual subtitle generation from speech, including Japanese.
- Text-to-speech — AI voice generation from text (described as English on the official site).
- AI image/video generation — image generation from text or reference images, plus AI video generation. ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 video model has been built in since March 2026.
- Background removal and enhancement — one-click background removal for images and video, AI upscaling.
- Templates — a large library of trending templates for TikTok and Reels; just swap in your footage.
- Cloud storage — 100 GB of cloud storage as a Pro benefit (official help).
Pricing
CapCut Pro has no single list price published on the official site or help center; prices vary by purchase channel (in-app vs. web checkout), region, and timing. The primary sources we could verify are below (as of August 19, 2026).
| Source | Plan / billing item | Price (JPY, tax included) |
|---|---|---|
| Japan App Store in-app purchases | Monthly subscriptions | JPY 1,080–2,180 |
| Japan App Store in-app purchases | Yearly subscription | JPY 9,900 |
| Official help | CapCut Pro (monthly / yearly) | No amounts listed (check the purchase screen) |
The plan structure was reorganized in 2026 and multiple monthly tiers exist (the JPY 1,080 and 2,180 above). Which features belong to which tier is authoritative only on the purchase screen, so always check the in-app or web purchase screen for current prices and contents before subscribing. Per the official help, Pro comes in monthly and yearly forms and includes text templates, effects, filters, creative assets, and 100 GB cloud storage. Team/business offerings also exist.
Free plan and trial
The free tier alone covers the core workflow: cutting, transitions, auto captions, background removal, and HD export (the official online-version pages state watermark-free export). Pro-only items include some advanced effects, filters, and assets, higher AI feature allowances, and cloud storage. Low-priced introductory trials that auto-convert to the regular price are sometimes offered, so note the renewal date and post-trial price when trying one.
Japanese language support
- UI — Japanese UI is available in the app, desktop, and online versions, and the official site has Japanese pages (capcut.com/ja-jp).
- Input/output — Auto captions support Japanese speech recognition. Text-to-speech is described as English on the official site, so verify Japanese voice quality before relying on it.
- Billing — You can pay in JPY via the Japan App Store / Google Play.
- Support — Via in-app and official site support channels; no dedicated Japanese support desk is stated.
Reputation and track record
- The official Japanese site cites 100 million downloads and 20 supported languages (as of August 2026).
- On the Japan App Store it holds a 4.4 rating with about 130,000 reviews (as of August 19, 2026). Positive reviews praise how much the free tier covers and the variety of transitions, while some reviews raise concerns about the content license terms.
- In January 2025, the service was temporarily suspended in the US alongside the TikTok ban and later restored. It is worth factoring in this kind of geopolitical risk when standardizing on the tool for business.
Commercial use and the terms of service — know before you sign
For business use, two points must be considered separately.
01How the terms position the service
The terms of service for Japan (last updated May 23, 2021; verified August 19, 2026) state that the service is provided for personal, non-commercial use. Meanwhile, the official site promotes business-oriented features and assets such as "CapCut for Business", leaving a gap between the terms and practice. For commercial deliverables such as client work and ads, the safe approach is to verify the license terms of each asset (templates, music, etc.) for explicit commercial permission.
02License to content you upload
The terms grant ByteDance and its affiliates an unconditional, royalty-free, fully transferable (including sublicensable), perpetual, worldwide license to content you upload or post through the service, along with a waiver of moral rights (to the extent permitted by law). When the international terms were revised in June 2025, the breadth of such clauses was widely reported in and outside Japan. Decide whether to upload unpublished client material or confidential footage to cloud features in light of your internal policies and client contracts.
How it differs from other tools
CapCut's strengths are the breadth of its free tier and the convenience of covering everything from editing to AI generation in one app.
| Aspect | CapCut | Vrew | VEED | Opus Clip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | All-in-one short-form editing | Subtitle/text-based editing | Browser editing for teams | Auto-clipping long videos into shorts |
| Japanese | UI and captions supported | Very strong Japanese focus | UI mostly English | UI in English |
| Entry price | Free + Pro (JPY billing available) | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans | Free tier + paid plans |
| Provider | ByteDance group (Singapore) | VoyagerX (Korea) | VEED (UK) | OpusClip (US) |
For subtitle-centric editing see Vrew, for browser-based team use VEED, for mass-producing shorts from long footage Opus Clip, and for template-driven video production inVideo. For individuals and small teams making short-form video primarily on phones, CapCut is the leading choice.
FAQ
Q. Is CapCut free?
Yes. Core features — editing, auto captions, background removal, HD export — are free. Advanced effects, higher AI allowances, and 100 GB cloud storage require Pro (paid).
Q. How much does CapCut Pro cost?
There is no officially published flat price; it varies by channel, region, and timing. Japan App Store in-app purchases are JPY 1,080–2,180/month and JPY 9,900/year (as of August 19, 2026). Check the purchase screen before subscribing.
Q. Can I use it commercially?
Commercial use is widespread in practice, but the Japan-facing terms describe the service as for personal, non-commercial use, and licenses differ per asset (templates, music, etc.). For commercial work, verify each asset's commercial permission and the latest terms. Music in particular is often restricted for commercial use outside TikTok.
Q. What happens to videos I upload?
Under the terms, uploaded content is subject to a broad license to ByteDance (perpetual, worldwide, sublicensable). For confidential or unpublished material, check your internal policies before using cloud features.
Q. How do I cancel?
For in-app purchases, cancel from App Store / Google Play subscription management. Subscriptions auto-renew until canceled. If you signed up via an introductory discount, the regular price applies from the second period.
Q. I heard it might be risky — is it?
The provider is the same ByteDance group as TikTok, not an unknown operator. The main considerations are: (1) the broad content license clauses, (2) data being processed on overseas servers, and (3) geopolitical risk, as seen in the temporary US suspension. The weight of these risks differs between personal SNS use and confidential business use, so judge by use case.
Provider
The contracting entity is Bytedance Pte. Ltd. (1 Raffles Quay, Singapore), part of ByteDance, the privately held company founded in Beijing, China, that operates TikTok. The governing law is Singapore law. Related products include TikTok, the Dreamina generative AI platform, the Seedance video generation model, and the Seedream image generation model — AI models that are progressively being built into CapCut.
The information on this page is based on content published on the official website as of August 2026. Features and pricing may change; please check the official website for the latest information.
