Stuck choosing between CapCut and Canva for your video editing needs? Dive into our detailed comparison guide to understand the key differences and make the right choice.
Choosing the right tool can significantly impact the quality of your work. We’ll help you sift through the overload of information out there so you can confidently choose the tool best suited for your needs.
Jump to a specific section:
- CapCut vs. Canva: An Overview
- CapCut vs. Canva: A Deeper Comparison
- CapCut Pros and Cons
- Canva Pros and Cons
- Final Verdict
[#TOC1]CapCut vs Canva: An Overview[#TOC1]
CapCut is a popular video editing app mainly used on mobile, but it’s also available on desktop and web browsers. It features a drag-and-drop interface that lets you quickly edit videos for social media and other creative projects. Content creators love CapCut for its filters, transition effects, and one-click AI tools for stabilizing your footage and removing your video’s background.
While Canva is mainly used for designing and editing images, it also has built-in video editing tools, allowing you to create engaging videos with ease. It also lets you use customizable video templates for social media, add music and animations, and collaborate with your teams to create professional-looking videos.
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[#TOC2]CapCut vs Canva: A Deeper Comparison[#TOC2]
CapCut and Canva both feature easy-to-use video editing tools that are accessible on mobile, web, and desktop. Here’s how they compare based on their key features, interface, and ease of use.
Key Features
CapCut
Most social content creators choose CapCut as their go-to video editor for its robust feature set, packaged in a user-friendly environment.
For instance, you can edit videos offline and save projects directly on your devices. It allows you to crop, resize, and enhance videos quickly for multiple social media platforms.
Its extensive stock media library and unique video effects also make CapCut one of the top choices for people who want to make fun and engaging videos. It also features AI tools that cut your work in half, such as the ability to auto-generate captions from spoken audio, stabilize your video, remove objects in one click, and more.
Here’s a quick look at CapCut’s key features:
- Clean, intuitive mobile and desktop interface
- Trendy video effects and transitions for social media videos
- Seamless integration with TikTok
- Auto captions
- One-click AI video stabilization
- Stylize videos in one click with AI
- Stock media
Canva
Canva is mainly a browser-based platform that is popular for its graphic design and video editing tools. It lets you easily create engaging visuals regardless of your video editing experience. You can personalize ready-to-use video templates, edit videos with its drag-and-drop interface, and use plenty of assets like images, fonts, and graphics for your content.
Another really fun feature of Canva that designers and content creators love to use is the option to use mockups on graphic designs and videos. You can choose from different mockup designs, such as billboards, computers, gadgets, and other cute elements like coffee cups, and place your video inside those objects, creating a trendy video effect. You can also deploy charts and tables to create more professional video presentations.
Here’s a quick look at Canva’s key features:
- Web-based platform with extensive design capabilities
- Mockups for videos and graphic design
- AI image generator
- A brand kit that lets you save your logos, custom fonts, and colors
- Wide selection of images and animated elements
- Change your video’s background in one click
Use Cases
CapCut
Ideal for social media content creation
CapCut is widely used for editing short-form videos, making it ideal for platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Its easy-to-use interface and trendy effects help content creators create engaging reels quickly and on the go.
Perfect for repurposing content
CapCut lets you quickly resize and reformat videos for different platforms, making it an excellent tool for repurposing content across various social media platforms. You can ensure that your content looks its best, whether it’s on a phone screen or a larger display.
Canva
An ideal tool for social media marketing
Canva is a great all-in-one solution for social media content creators and digital marketing professionals. You can easily create social media posts and promotional materials in multiple formats, including posters, video ads, and GIFs within the editor.
Great for internal communications and presentations
You can use Canva to create professional-looking presentations for your internal team, clients, and prospects with your brand assets. Create multiple brand kits for different business purposes.
Perfect for designing on-the-go
Canva's flexibility and accessibility make it a handy tool for visual storytelling and brand building. Its integration with various platforms and mobile-friendly app further enhances its appeal, allowing you to design on the go.
User Interface and Ease of Use
CapCut
CapCut has a professional look and feel, which can be intimidating for beginners. However, the tools are easy to use and logically organized to give you a smooth workflow. You can also hover your mouse over the tool icons to see what they do and the keyboard shortcuts you can use.
The interface is responsive and smooth, giving you a seamless editing experience even with multiple layers. You can easily navigate through the panels and customize their arrangement according to your preferences.
Here are some notable things about CapCut’s interface.
- Toolbar: The toolbar gives you quick access to essential editing tools for splitting, rotating, cropping, adjusting the speed, and mirroring your video.
- Media Library: You can access your uploaded videos, photos, and audio files on the sidebar on the desktop version. You can find your imported media under the “Media” tab at the top left. You can easily drag and drop your files directly onto the timeline.
- Effects and Filters Panel: This section provides various visual effects, transitions, and filters. They are categorized so you can easily find and add them to your video.
- Text and Stickers: There is also a panel where you can add text, stickers, and overlay other elements in one click. The panel also shows text templates and animations.
- Adjustment Tools: Under the “Adjustments” tab, you can add color grading and adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation of your videos to fine-tune and achieve the visuals you’re going for.
- AI Tools: Under the “Video” tab, you can stylize your videos instantly with AI, remove objects, automatically reframe your footage, and apply motion blur.
- Great for beginners and enthusiasts: Canva’s layout is perfect for beginners who want to make polished videos without a steep learning curve. It’s also a popular choice among video enthusiasts with intermediate video editing skills because of features like animation, speed manipulation, and green screen editor that allow for more creative and professional-looking edits.
Canva
Canva's interface lets you simplify your editing workflow. It’s focused on creators’ ease of use and a comprehensive set of drag-and-drop tools, making it a go-to platform for beginners and experienced video enthusiasts.
You can easily access the template library, stock photos, and other elements. They are organized, so it’s easy to find your way around.
- Main Dashboard: On the main dashboard, you will immediately see helpful tools you can use to create videos, like the template library and search bar. The templates are organized by categories. Select templates for social media posts, infographics, and presentations. Just click on a template to start a project and personalize the video.
- Editing Workspace: You have a spacious editing area where you can drag and drop elements like texts and arrange your visuals. They will also be shown in the layers panel. You can preview your video as you make changes.
- Toolbox: You can access text tools, graphics, GIFs, and color palettes on the toolbar on the side panel. This is also where you can add icons, shapes, and frames to your videos.
- Layer Management: You will see your layers at the bottom of the workspace. Canva provides intuitive tools for aligning elements, managing layers, and distributing objects evenly within the video project. Move elements forward or backward and lock layers to prevent accidental edits.
- Brand Kit: This allows you to save your brand colors, logos, and fonts to make your branding consistent across all your projects.
- Collaboration Tools: Work with your team on shared projects within the workspace with real-time editing and comments.
Pricing
CapCut
CapCut’s premium version may be steep for individuals, but it offers essential features critical for content creators. The pro subscription is more affordable than Canva's, giving you access to various advanced tools like custom background removal, auto-captions, and voice isolation.
Here's CapCut's pricing at a glance:
- Free version
- Pro versions start at around USD 8 per month
- CapCut Commerce Pro for teams is available from around USD 20 per month
Canva
While Canva’s pro version costs slightly higher than CapCut, it is more versatile in terms of design capabilities. You get a video editor and photo editing software in one subscription.
Here's Canva's pricing at a glance:
- Free version
- Pro versions starting at around USD 12 per month
- Canva for teams is available at around USD 10 per month per person
- Canva also offers premium subscriptions for teachers and schools
[#TOC3]CapCut Pros and Cons[#TOC3]
Pros
- Offline Editing Capabilities: Work on your projects on the mobile and desktop app and save them on your device.
- Optimized for Social Media Content: Automatically resize your videos for TikTok and other social media platforms.
- Trendy Video Effects and Transitions: Use unique, stylish effects, filters, transitions, and text animations that Canva does not offer.
Cons
- Auto Captions Require a Premium Subscription: CapCut has now limited the amount of auto-captions you can use for free.
- Stock Media Availability Depends on TikTok Trends: Most available stock media, filters, and transition effects are based on TikTok trends.
- Potential Privacy Concerns: Since TikTok has been banned in several states in the US, CapCut, built by the same developers as TikTok, faces a potential ban in the country for the same privacy concerns.
[#TOC4]Canva Pros and Cons[#TOC4]
Pros
- User-Friendly Interface: Canva’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes it accessible to content creators of all skill levels, allowing quick and easy video editing.
- Extensive Template Library: With plenty of templates across various categories, you can jumpstart your projects and customize them to suit your needs.
- Collaboration Tools: Canva’s real-time collaboration features let you quickly work with your team on video projects and improve your workflows.
Cons
- Limited Advanced Tools: While Canva is powerful for basic to intermediate design and video editing tasks, it lacks some advanced video editing tools and customization options in more specialized design software.
- Dependence on Internet Connectivity: Canva is primarily an online tool, which means you need a stable Internet connection to access and save your work.
- Cost of Premium Assets: While Canva offers many features and assets for free, some tools, templates, and elements require a Pro subscription, which can be limiting if you need extensive resources.
[#TOC5]CapCut vs Canva for Video Editing: Final Word[#TOC5]
CapCut is a powerful video editing software that is ideal if you need intermediate editing capabilities on a desktop or mobile device. It’s great for creating short videos for social media, especially for TikTok.
Canva is an excellent graphic design and video editing platform that caters more to beginners. It features a user-friendly interface, an extensive video template gallery, and collaborative tools, ideal for designers, educators, and social media marketing professionals.
If your primary goal is video editing, CapCut may be the better option. However, if you need a broader design tool for various types of visual content, Canva is the more comprehensive choice. Both platforms offer unique strengths that cater to different aspects of content creation.
Alternatively, you can use VEED’s online video editing software — which gives you all the tools you need to create professional-looking videos minus the learning curve. It features plenty of nifty AI tools to instantly generate subtitles, voiceovers, and talking head videos featuring virtual avatars. You can also look at a detailed comparison between VEED and CapCut.
If you’re looking for more video editor alternatives, you can check this detailed comparison of the best video editors in 2024 for all skill levels.
