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TikTok maker ByteDance finds new success in US with CapCut, a hit video editing app

  • CapCut downloads nearly tripled to 140 million in the first half of the year, making it ByteDance’s latest hit video product on mobile
  • Like TikTok, CapCut collects identifiable user information, a practice US lawmakers have raised security concerns about when coming from Chinese apps

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TikTok maker ByteDance’s newest hit app is a video editor called CapCut, which briefly became the most-downloaded free iPhone app in the US at the end of May. Photo: Reuters
Josh Ye
Video editing app CapCut has become the latest app from TikTok owner ByteDance to become a breakout hit in the US, despite Washington’s scrutiny of the Beijing-based company and its apps amid privacy concerns.

The app, combined with its Chinese version Jianying, saw downloads reach 140 million globally in the first half of the year, up 272 per cent year on year, making it the world’s ninth-most downloaded mobile app, according to app tracking firm Sensor Tower. It has been one of the most-downloaded free iPhone apps in the US for the last couple months, temporarily topping the charts at the end of May, Sensor Tower data show.

CapCut launched globally in April 2020, nearly 11 months after Jianying launched in China. The app was designed to make video editing more accessible to beginners, including a trove of stickers, soundtracks and special effects that users can easily insert into their videos.

“Jianying has democratised video editing,” said Ye Jiatang, a short-film producer in Guangdong. “The app is really catching on among young people, many of whom now want to make vlogs and videos for a living.”

“Compared to having to use a bulky professional camera to film and transfer footage on a high-spec PC to edit, using your phone to film and edit on the go is incredibly forcing for most people,” he added.

CapCut’s sudden success has made it ByteDance’s second app, behind TikTok, to make Sensor Tower’s most-downloaded chart this year. While TikTok continues to see millions of new downloads, it peaked last year, falling 38 per cent in the period from January 1 through June 23. However, spending on the app, combined with its Chinese version Douyin, rose to US$920 million.
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