Are you looking to start editing but don’t have access to a PC? That’s perfectly okay and you shouldn’t let it discourage you! As someone who’s been editing on mobile for many years, hopefully my experience can help you pick out an app best fitted to your needs. Though before we get into the specifics I’d like to clarify that there isn’t a singular “best app” as it entirely depends on what you’re trying to achieve as well as how much money you’re willing to spend. Generally speaking, this topic is very subjective and can change at any time as companies continue to release new features.
1. Alight Motion
Overview
Alight Motion made a major impact upon release in 2018 as it was the first professional editing application to provide users with high-quality tools for motion graphics, animation, visual effects, video compositing, and more all on a smartphone. It’s the application all editors are talking about, and one well worth considering! Alight motion is available on iOS and Android.
Pros
One of the easiest apps to navigate given its well-designed UI and organized layout with a search bar, not to mention a large variety of effects and advanced tools to choose from. Alight Motion is great for creating animations, masking, raw editing, motion graphics, and is one of the most popular mobile options available. You can also create, share, and import project files and presets amongst other editors online.
Cons
Undoubtedly the least free-user-friendly out of the bunch, nor does it have any velocity or speed manipulation tools available despite it being one of the most popular editing styles on TikTok. The app can also get laggy pretty quick as well as crash depending on your devices specs and how heavy your project is which can make previewing your work a tedious task.
Pricing
Alight Motion is free to download, however the free version does come with limitations. This includes your edit being watermarked (an app logo will be on your saved project), being blocked off from accessing a portion of effects and tools, as well as having to watch an ad in order to export your project. Alight Motion offers a premium subscription to users who wish to avoid all these restrictions.
Subscription options
A proper list cannot be provided at this time due to the fact the company recently changes their prices. You may be presented with different options depending if you’ve subscribed before and if you’re subscribing in the app itself or through the App Store/Play Store. Your best bet would be to download the app and check your options.
2. Node Video
Overview
Although Node Video is the youngest among its competitors as it was released in 2020, it’s one of the most powerful editing applications you can download on a phone as it offers many revolutionary features. It’s arguably a must-have for any pro editors even if it’s being used as a side app. If you end up choosing things solely based on their popularity, you could be missing out on something as great as Node Video! Node Video is available on iOS and Android.
Pros
If you’re trying to get that “After Effects look” on mobile, Node Video has the most similar effects in comparison to competitors as it’s more or less what the company strives for. Some advanced tools include but are not limited to a motion tracker, puppet pin, time interpretation, saber, and more! Node Video is great for any complex style of editing that requires a lot of overlapping and layers.
Cons
The primary reason Node Video hasn’t been able to take off yet in popularity despite it being powerful is mostly due to its overwhelming UI design. Picture the After Effects layout being crammed together on a small mobile screen – not exactly pretty, right? Because of its trickier UI, Node Video is considered one of the more time-consuming applications to learn, nor is it ideal to run on lower-end/older devices.
Pricing
Node Video is free to download, however without premium you’ll be blocked from about 10% of the app. This said I do feel it’s notable to mention that the premium section is much smaller than its competitors, nor does it have a watermark or ad’s making it the most free-user-friendly of the batch, compared against apps that make paying necessary to have a good experience. Node Video offers a subscription for users who want to utilize all tools inside the application.
Subscription options
$3.49 monthly or $24.99 annually (USD)
3. Video Star
Overview
While Video Star is the oldest out of its competitors as it was released in 2011, it wasn’t originally designed for the type of editing that it’s known for today. To give you a bit of a backstory, It was formerly directed towards younger people looking to make homemade music videos. However as editing communities continued to grow, more and more users switched over to Video Star for its variety of editing effects and tools. Since then, the company has changed its focus by frequently releasing updates catering to the community. Video Star is on iOS only.
Pros
Video Star currently has one of the biggest effect libraries available compared to its competitors with over hundreds of effects, looks, and tools to choose from. The company is quick to release new updates to match current editing trends and as of now the app is most popular on TikTok and well-loved for its velocity-like tools, inspired by After Effects. Additionally, the company behind Video Star is very interactive with their users as they often host free subscription giveaways and other events online.
Cons
Video Star’s biggest con is the UI, though not because its overwhelming, but because its restricting. It’s very difficult to re-arrange, trim or expand clips after importing them resulting in you having to start over from scratch if you change your mind, unlike other apps where you can adjust lengths at any time and any editing done will adjust respectively. Video Star is not ideal for any style of editing that would require a lot of overlapping layers/media or with audios that are harder to sync such as fast or consecutive beats.
Pricing
Video Star is completely free to download, however, without in-app purchases you’ll be blocked off from accessing a wide range of effects and tools, overall limiting your editing capabilities. Video Star offers two purchasing options, the first one being a subscription and the second one being “packs”. Subscribing gives you access to everything inside the app for a temporary amount of time while packs are permanent and one-time purchases. Each pack contains a handful of effects or tools, and you can also preview packs inside the app before deciding to buy them.
Subscription options
Subscriptions are the ideal choice if you want access to everything at all times or are constantly change editing styles, assuming that you don’t mind paying more. You can choose from either $4.99 monthly, $12.99 quarterly, or $29.99 USD annually. That said, packs are much cheaper in the long run and are the ideal option for those not looking to spend more than needed. Most editing styles should cost no more than a one-time payment of $10-30 USD total in packs, which again last permanently. It’s highly unlikely you’ll use most or even half of the tools available.
4. CapCut
Overview
CapCut is a simple video editing tool specifically developed to complement the famous social platform TikTok, as they’re owned by the same company. While CapCut might not be as powerful as its competitors, it’s the most ideal for making quick videos for social media. The main reasons are its cost-effectiveness and its typically easier and less time-consuming for users to learn and get the hang of.
Pros
CapCut is free-user-friendly and one of the easiest apps to learn for beginners or for your casual editor, TikToker or YouTuber. The application supports templates which more or less creates an edit for you in an instant, many of which you can find published online by other editors. Additionally, CapCut has built-in tools for auto captions ideal for something like shorts.
Cons
It’s not ideal for more advanced or visual effect type of editing due to the limited tools available, especially when compared to other competing applications. The graph editor is also very limited.
Pricing
A small portion of tools are available only to premium-subscription users.
Subscription options
$7.99 monthly or $74.99 annually (USD)
KIRA
testing comments 0: