Verdict
Edits is free, exports in 4K with no watermark, and does most of what casual Reels makers used to pay CapCut for. It needs an Instagram account, clips are capped at 10 minutes, and the AI animate and restyle tools produce soft, low-resolution results in testing. Meta can train its AI on public Instagram posts from UK adults unless they file an objection form.
Best for
Free Reels and short clips for Instagram
Skip if
People without an Instagram account or editing long videos
Key facts
- Category
- Video making & editing
- Made by
- Instagram (Meta Platforms)
- Based in
- United States
- Launched
- 2025
- Works on
- iPhone, Android
- In the UK
- Yes
- Free plan
- Free, with 4K export and no watermark
What it does
- edits video with single-frame precision on the phone
- exports in 4K with no watermark
- adds automatic captions
- animates images with AI and swaps backgrounds with green screen or cutout
- cleans up audio and removes background noise
- shows a live insights dashboard for reels
Ratings
What people say
Instagram creators mostly like Edits for being free, simple and tied into Instagram, and several believe Reels made in it get more reach, which nobody can prove. Complaints focus on missing features compared with CapCut, interface changes and Meta pushing creators to use it. Store ratings (4.74 UK App Store, 4.66 on Google Play from 1.8 million) are broadly in line with this mixed but positive user reviews mood.
“I use it for almost everything. I’d say it’s more user friendly than capcut”
Individual user review, 21 November 2025 · source
“Unlike CapCut it’s also free (I paid something like £99 for the basic CapCut version for a year) and I don’t have to crop out the annoying CapCut watermark at the end of videos.”
Individual user review, 21 November 2025 · source
“I’m using Instagram’s Edits app, super easy to use & store content”
Individual user review, 25 September 2026 · source
“Compared to TikTok it’s dog shit at editing videos”
Individual user review, 22 November 2025 · source
“why is Meta trying SO hard to get creators to use their terrible editing app?”
Individual user review, 16 September 2026 · source
Press reviews
- Planoly 2026-02-17
Hands-on: interface 'smoother, cleaner, and more beginner-friendly' than CapCut or InShot; AI animation came out 'blurry and low-res' and auto-captions need work.
- The Verge 2025-01-19
Announcement report framing Edits as Instagram's rival to CapCut, launched while CapCut was offline in the US.
- Social Media Today 2025-06-24
Calls Edits an 'increasingly handy video creation tool' as Instagram keeps shipping updates such as keyframe editing.
Privacy
- Trains on your data
- Meta trains its generative AI on public posts, comments, photos and captions from UK adults on Instagram and Facebook; private messages and under-18 accounts are excluded (Meta, Sep 2024). Edits drafts are not addressed specifically: unknown whether unpublished Edits projects are used.
- Opt-out
- Yes, Meta's objection form for AI training, reachable from in-app notices and the Privacy Centre
- Retention
- Governed by the Meta Privacy Policy (kept as long as needed for the stated purposes); deleting the linked Instagram account also deletes Edits data (Planoly)
- Incidents
- Oct 2026: Ofcom opened its first Online Safety Act investigation into Meta over the Instagram Instants feature (not Edits). The UK App Store privacy label lists contact info, photos or videos and usage data as possibly used for third-party advertising. No Edits-specific breach or fine found in web searches.
- Age limit
- Needs an Instagram account (Instagram minimum age 13); App Store rates the app 4+
FAQ
Is Edits free?
Yes. The UK App Store lists it as free and it exports in 4K with no watermark. The listing mentions in-app purchases, but no paid plan is advertised.
Do I need an Instagram account to use Edits?
Yes. Edits logs in with an Instagram account, and deleting that account also deletes Edits data, according to Planoly's review.
Can Edits videos be posted to TikTok or YouTube?
Yes. The App Store listing says videos export without a watermark and can be shared to any platform.
Does posting from Edits get more views on Instagram?
Some individual reviewers say their Reels reach went up after switching to Edits, but none could show it was the app rather than the content. Instagram has not said it boosts Edits videos.
Edits or CapCut?
Edits is free and simpler for Instagram Reels. CapCut has more effects, templates and a desktop app, but its best features now sit behind subscriptions costing £21.99 a month for Pro in the UK.
Scores are based on published evidence, not lab tests. How we score.
Similar tools
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