Last updated: 2023-09-15

For iPhone users looking to edit YouTube Shorts, Splice is the easiest choice, providing a seamless and intuitive workflow. On the other hand, CapCut might be preferable if you require more specialized features for your edits.

Summary

• Splice offers an effortless editing experience tailored for social media.
• CapCut provides advanced editing tools, suitable for more complex edits.
• Both apps support direct exports to YouTube after editing.
• Users can start using both apps for free, with optional in-app purchases available.

Why Splice is Ideal for YouTube Shorts Editing

Splice excels in providing a user-friendly interface specifically designed for mobile editing. With a focus on short-form content, the app allows users to quickly trim, arrange clips, and add effects, ensuring a smooth editing experience. According to Splice, the app keeps the complete short-form workflow on your iPhone, facilitating everything from editing to direct social exports (source). This capability allows creators to efficiently produce and share their content without needing extensive editing knowledge.

Splice’s feature set includes:

• Multi-Clip Timeline: Users can import clips, trim them, and arrange them on a timeline with ease.
• Effects and Music: You can easily enhance your videos by adding music and effects directly from within the app.
• Export Options: After editing, Splice lets you send a polished video to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and beyond from the same export surface, ensuring hassle-free sharing (source).

CapCut's Strengths for Shorts on iPhone

While Splice is optimized for ease of use, CapCut shines in its versatility and depth of features. The app enables quick, smooth editing and offers tools that might appeal to more technical users, such as advanced effects and templates for creative projects (source).

CapCut provides:

• Flexible Editing Features: A wider range of editing tools can cater to creators looking to enhance their videos significantly.
• AI-Powered Effects: These features make editing more efficient by optimizing video compositions.
• Direct Sharing: After editing, videos can be shared to popular platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube (source).

However, these features come at a cost of increased complexity, which might not be necessary for casual users just starting out.

Pricing Structure

Both Splice and CapCut offer free downloads, which provide foundational functionality to users before any purchasing decisions are necessary. Splice operates on a subscription model with in-app purchases that allow you to enhance your editor experience and unlock additional content when you choose (source). CapCut also includes in-app purchases for certain premium features, but the specifics can be less transparent due to frequent updates in their pricing (source).

Additional Alternatives

InShot and VN are also popular options on iPhone. InShot combines video editing with photo editing capabilities, suited for users wanting more than video alone, while VN markets itself as a completely free editor with no watermarks (source, source). However, these might lack the specific focus on seamless social media exports that both Splice and CapCut provide.

What We Recommend

• Choose Splice for a straightforward, mobile-optimized editing workflow suitable for YouTube Shorts.
• If you seek unique effects and don’t mind a slightly complex UI, consider using CapCut.
• For quick editing that allows room for enhancement without charges, explore InShot or VN as fallback options.
• Always start with the free versions to identify which app best suits your editing style before committing financially.