Is CapCut Free? What the Free Plan Includes and Where It Stops
Quick answer: Yes. CapCut has a Free plan at $0 that covers basic editing tools and free templates, and a video built from your own clips can usually be exported without a watermark. Items carrying a Pro mark can be previewed, but the export screen asks for a subscription before a video that uses them will save.
How this page earns: this site is an independent affiliate of CapCut, and we earn a commission if you buy CapCut Pro through our CapCut link, at no extra cost to you (disclosure). This guide reads CapCut's own pricing page and help centre, linked at the end, and reports where those pages disagree. No test account was used.
What does the free plan include?
The pricing page lists two things under Free: basic editing tools and free templates. CapCut's plan guide spells the basics out: cutting, trimming, merging and splitting clips, a selection of free filters, transitions and effects, text and stickers, and basic audio editing with a free music library.
That is a complete editor for a simple job. You can load footage, cut it, add titles, lay your own audio under it and export a finished file.
| Item | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Basic editing tools | Included | Included |
| Free templates | Included | Included |
| Premium templates and Pro-marked effects | Preview only | Included |
| Monthly AI credits | None listed | 1,200 |
| Cloud storage | A subscriber benefit | 1 TB |
What is behind the paywall?
Three groups of things, according to CapCut's pages. First, premium assets: templates, advanced effects, fonts and music tracks marked Pro. Second, the heavier AI tools, which draw on a monthly credit allowance. Third, cloud space: CapCut's storage help page says space storage is exclusive to subscribers, and Pro lists 1 TB.
Without a subscription, plan on keeping projects on your own device and backing them up yourself.
Why does CapCut ask for Pro when I try to export?
Because something in the project is Pro-marked. CapCut's help page on the upgrade prompt explains the design: the app lets you preview and apply paid features while editing, then checks the project at export and asks for a subscription if any are present. Nothing is wrong with your account.
To export without paying, CapCut gives three steps:
- Remove any feature or material that carries a Pro icon.
- Replace it with a free alternative.
- Check the whole project once more before you export.
A quick habit that saves time: scan the timeline for Pro icons before you spend an hour polishing. It is easier to swap one transition early than to rebuild a sequence at the end.
Can I export without a watermark for free?
In most cases, yes. CapCut's watermark help page says a project built in the normal editor from your own clips exports without one, depending on the features you use and your app version. A watermark usually arrives with a template's branded ending clip, which you can delete, or with a premium asset, which you can swap. The full steps are in our guide to exporting from CapCut without a watermark.
Are auto captions and AI tools free?
CapCut's pages do not agree, so be careful with deadlines. Its caption tool pages describe automatic captions as free. Its help centre names auto captions as a feature that includes Pro-only functionality, and its plan guide lists the auto caption generator among Pro tools.
The safe reading: the button is there for everyone, some of what it produces is Pro-marked, and the export screen is where you find out. Generate captions on a short test clip and export it before you build a whole workflow on it. Our auto captions guide covers the steps.
Do AI features cost money on the free plan?
They run on credits. CapCut prices each credit at $0.01, and shows the cost of an AI action before you confirm it. Pro includes 1,200 credits a month; the Free plan lists none.
CapCut's guide to its free tier says to treat three things as separate gates: the Free plan, the 7-day Pro trial, and credits. It mentions free daily credits for its AI video generator, and warns that expecting unlimited free generation is unsafe. Credits buy AI work only; they cannot buy Pro.
For plain editing, none of this matters: credits are for AI features, and basic editing tools are part of the Free plan.
Is CapCut free on a computer as well as a phone?
Yes. The Free plan is not tied to one device: CapCut runs as a phone app, a desktop app and a web editor, and each can be used without a subscription. The paid plans are where devices start to matter. Standard covers the phone app only, and Pro covers all three. Our comparison of the three versions shows which features live where.
Is the free plan enough for a release clip or a shop promo?
Often, yes. A musician cutting phone footage to a finished song, or a bakery posting a short clip of the morning bake, needs cuts, text and a clean vertical export. Free does that.
Pro starts to earn its cost when you rely on premium templates every week, edit on a computer with paid features, or want the storage. If that is you, see what Pro costs in your country and read our breakdown of CapCut plans and prices first. CapCut also offers new subscribers a 7-day trial in supported regions.
Businesses have one more thing to check: which library items may be used in an ad. That is a licence question, not a plan question, and it is covered in CapCut commercial use rules.
Primary sources
- CapCut pricing page
- CapCut guide: Standard vs Pro, features and pricing
- CapCut help: Why am I prompted to join Pro?
- CapCut help: How do I expand my space storage?
- CapCut help: Exporting without a watermark
- CapCut help: What are credits?
- CapCut guide: What the free tier includes
- CapCut help: Using a subscription across platforms
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Frequently asked questions
Is CapCut completely free to use?
The editor has a Free plan that costs nothing and includes basic editing tools and free templates. Premium templates, Pro-marked effects, monthly AI credits and cloud storage belong to paid plans. You can preview paid items while editing, but a project that contains them will ask for a subscription when you export.
Does the free version of CapCut add a watermark?
Usually not. CapCut's help centre says a video built from your own clips in the normal editor exports without one, depending on the features used and the app version. Watermarks usually come from a template's branded ending clip or from premium assets. Delete the ending clip at the end of the timeline, replace any Pro-marked items, and export again.
Why is CapCut asking me to pay when I export?
Your project contains a feature or material marked Pro. CapCut lets everyone preview paid items during editing and checks at export. Remove the Pro-marked items or swap them for free ones, check the project again, and the export will go through without a subscription.
Does CapCut Free include cloud storage?
CapCut's storage help page says space storage is a benefit for subscribers, and the pricing page lists 1 TB with Pro. On the Free plan, keep your projects and source footage on your own phone or computer and make your own backup before you delete anything.
Is there a free trial of CapCut Pro?
Yes. CapCut offers a 7-day Pro trial to new subscribers in supported regions. It renews into a paid subscription on its own, so cancel at least 24 hours before the renewal date if you do not want to be charged. Accounts that have subscribed before do not see the offer.