Capcut: the perfect business model

Introduction

CapCut is a beginner-friendly video editor made by ByteDance, the company behind TikTok. In the past few years, it has experienced quite a few major changes that are, no doubt, harmful to the consumer. I am here to share my personal user experience and explain how the app itself made me want to quit using it.

Story

We all need a simple, good video editor once in a while, and for most of us, it being free is the final decision-making factor. Since its release in April 2020, it has been quietly dominating this field. It was user-friendly, 100% free, and left users wondering why all editors cannot be like it.

However, after having the "free for now" mark on many of its base functions, around 2023 it just started to aggressively push the Pro subscription, locking many core options behind a paywall. However, instead of acting like any other beginner-friendly editor and having a paywall right away, it grew a large user base over 3 years that became practically addicted to its simplicity and accessibility.

The aftermath

All this left many users disappointed and looking for a solution. However, ByteDance thought of that long before and integrated strong forced-update policies into all previous versions, so users are left with the choice of either leaving their favorite editor behind or giving them money.

Conclusion

I wish for everyone to find the best-fitting app for them, even if it means paying, but I want to remind you that somewhere there is always a free open-source alternative.