Edits / Comparisons / Edits vs InShot
InShot is one of the most-downloaded mobile editors there is: trim, merge, speed ramps, chroma key, smart tracking, keyframes, auto captions, filters and collages - free with ads and a watermark, Pro to remove them. Edits is Instagram's Reels editor: free, clean, a multi-track timeline with keyframes, one-tap bilingual captions, tagged audio, a teleprompter camera, AI effects and Insights. This is one of the closer fights. Ten rounds, an honest score, who should pick which - and how to switch.
InShot has caught up: keyframes, auto captions, chroma key, tracking, speed ramps - it's a serious editor now. The difference is how you get it. InShot's free version watermarks your export and shows ads; getting a clean file costs about $20 a year, and even then nothing is tagged on Instagram, there's no camera and no analytics. Edits gives you a clean file, captions, tagged audio, a teleprompter camera, AI effects and Insights for nothing. Three rounds to InShot (toolbox, collage and photo, platforms), one tie on timeline, six to Edits.
Many InShot users don't switch so much as add Edits for Reels - the switching section covers both.
Scored for a creator making Reels. Someone who already pays for InShot Pro, edits collages and slow-mo clips all day and posts to a dozen different apps would weight rounds 4, 8 and 10 up and could reasonably stay put.
Free, no tiers. Optional in-app purchases listed; nothing in the editor is gated. Pricing
Free to download; Pro is roughly $5/month, $20/year or $50 lifetime on the US App Store, plus a separate ad-removal purchase. Prices vary by region and change.
No watermark, no ads, ever. No-watermark export
Free exports carry InShot branding and ads interrupt editing until you pay. Instagram deprioritises Reels carrying another app's logo.
Multi-track clips, overlays, text, audio, SFX; keyframes for position, scale, rotation, opacity; Project Versions. Keyframes
Layered timeline with custom keyframe animations and picture-in-picture. Closer than you'd expect - InShot is no longer a "simple" editor.
Trim, split, speed, transitions, In & Out effects, Opacity blending. Trim & split
Speed ramping, chroma key, smart tracking, smooth slow-mo, reverse, auto background removal, voice effects. A bigger bag of tricks.
Auto captions in one tap - free, styled, bilingual in 15 languages, automatic lyrics. Auto captions
Auto captions (speech-to-text) are listed as an AI feature - good, but part of a product that's watermarked and gated on the free tier.
Instagram's tagged library, import, Enhance, ducking, loudness match, beat markers. Music & audio
Music, sound effects, voice-over and voice effects. Reviewers note limited advanced audio - no echo or pitch tools - and nothing tagged on Instagram.
Built-in camera: HD→4K, 60 fps, 10-minute takes, teleprompter, timer, green screen. Camera tools
No capture tools - you import footage.
Reels, photo-to-Reel and cover tools. Reels from photos
Sold as a video, photo and collage maker: collages, photo edits and quick resizing for different feeds. More than just video.
Ideas, Inspiration, Projects, Camera, Insights - retention curves next to the timeline; share with the audio tag.
Exports and shares to social apps. No audio tag, no analytics.
iPhone and Android; desktop announced, in testing. Desktop guide
iPhone, iPad, Android, and - per the App Store listing - Apple-silicon Macs and Vision Pro. Wider reach today.
| Edits | InShot | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Instagram (Meta) | InShot (Shantanu Pte) |
| Price | Free | Free + Pro ~$20/yr |
| Watermark | None | Free: yes · Pro: no |
| Ads | None | Free: yes |
| Timeline | Multi-track | Layered |
| Keyframes | Yes | Yes |
| Speed ramp / chroma key / tracking | Speed, green screen | Yes, all three |
| Auto captions | Yes, free, bilingual | Yes (AI feature) |
| Audio tagged on post | Instagram's | No |
| Voice effects | Enhance, ducking | Voice effects |
| Camera / teleprompter | Yes | No |
| Collage / photo tools | Photo-to-Reel | Collage + photo |
| AI effects | Animate · Restyle · Cutouts | Background removal, tracking |
| Analytics in editor | Yes (Insights) | No |
| Desktop | Announced | Apple-silicon Mac |
| Best for | Reels, clean and free | Quick edits, collages, slow-mo |
Note: InShot's Pro prices vary by region and store and change often; check the listing for the figure you'll actually pay. Our full take on Edits alone is in the review; the CapCut comparison is here; all head-to-heads in Comparisons.
Projects don't transfer between the apps. Keep your original clips, rebuild one edit, and keep InShot for the jobs only it does.
Edits is free, exports clean, and does captions, audio and camera in the same app.