CapCut is a popular video editing app that allows users to easily edit videos for social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. It provides intuitive editing tools and effects to create high-quality, creative videos. TikTok is a viral short-form video app that has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. Known for its fun music and diverse content, TikTok has become one of the most downloaded apps globally.
While CapCut and TikTok are separate apps, they have an affiliation that allows easy exporting and crossover between the two platforms. Understanding the connection between these apps can help creators utilize them most effectively.
CapCut Overview
CapCut is a free video editing app launched in April 2018 by the Chinese company ByteDance. Initially released in China under the name XCUT, CapCut launched globally for iOS and Android devices in April 2020 (Source: https://gacha-tubers.fandom.com/wiki/CapCut). The app provides users with a wide range of video editing tools and effects to create short videos for platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Key features of CapCut include transitions, filters, stickers, text, sound effects, multi-layer video editing, and speed control. As of 2022, CapCut has over 300 million users worldwide (Source: https://tiktok.fandom.com/wiki/CapCut). In August 2022, ByteDance released desktop versions of CapCut for Windows and MacOS to complement the mobile app.
TikTok Overview
TikTok is a popular social media app that allows users to create and share 15-60 second short-form videos. The app was launched in September 2016 by the Chinese technology company ByteDance. Originally called Douyin in China, TikTok quickly gained popularity worldwide, becoming the most downloaded app in the U.S. in October 2018 according to Wikipedia. As of 2022, the app has over 1 billion monthly active users globally across over 150 markets and is available in 75 languages.
CapCut’s Association with TikTok
Though CapCut can be used as a standalone video editing app, it is most known for its strong connection to TikTok. CapCut has been widely adopted by many popular TikTok content creators and influencers as their go-to video editing tool for creating high-quality TikTok videos. As described on the CapCut website, CapCut is a “free TikTok video editor” that allows users to easily “crop 9:16 footage” and add other edits optimized for the TikTok platform (https://www.capcut.com/create/tiktok-video-editor).
The simple and intuitive editing features of CapCut cater directly to the needs of TikTok creators. As TikTok has grown into one of the most popular social platforms, CapCut has become the video editor of choice to quickly and easily edit clips into polished TikTok videos.
CapCut Ownership
CapCut is owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance Ltd., which also owns the popular video-sharing app TikTok. According to The Record, ByteDance acquired Shanghai-based video editing app CapCut in 2020. Since then, CapCut and TikTok have been under the same corporate ownership.
Headquartered in Beijing, ByteDance has grown rapidly to become one of the most valuable startups in the world. However, ByteDance and its apps have also faced scrutiny from U.S. regulators over potential national security risks and data privacy concerns due to its Chinese ownership.
TikTok Ownership
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd., which was founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming. ByteDance owns several popular apps including TikTok, Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), and news aggregator Toutiao. Though ByteDance is headquartered in Beijing, TikTok operates as a separate entity with headquarters in Culver City, California. (1)
There has been confusion over TikTok’s ownership because ByteDance originally acquired Musical.ly, a Shanghai-based video sharing app, in 2017 and migrated Musical.ly accounts over to TikTok in 2018. So while TikTok did not originate as a ByteDance product, ByteDance has owned TikTok since acquiring Musical.ly.
Though TikTok and Douyin share the same underlying AI technology, their user data is stored separately by ByteDance to comply with Chinese and other countries’ cybersecurity laws. TikTok has repeatedly asserted that the Chinese government does not have any access to TikTok user data. (1)
(1) https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-au/the-truth-about-tiktok
Business Relationship
Though owned by separate companies, CapCut and TikTok have an extensive business relationship and integrate closely with each other. According to TikTok’s FAQ page, the two apps currently do not allow syncing draft videos between them, but do have plans to add this feature. TikTok highlights CapCut in its TikTok for Business program, like in this video introduction aimed at potential business users of the apps.
The apps connect via authorized partner APIs that allow CapCut to access certain TikTok user data like draft videos. TikTok also provides direct download links for users to get CapCut from the App Store and Google Play Store. These integrations aim to create a seamless editing experience by making it easy to export TikTok drafts into CapCut for advanced editing.
User Data Sharing
There is concern that user data collected by CapCut may be shared with TikTok. According to this article, data collected through CapCut can be shared across all other services owned by ByteDance, including TikTok. Personal data such as photos, videos, location, gender, and birthday can potentially be shared with TikTok.
A recent lawsuit alleges that CapCut secretly collects user data and shares it with its parent company ByteDance without proper consent, as reported in this article. The lawsuit claims CapCut violates privacy laws by collecting and distributing users’ biometric information without informed consent.
While the data sharing practices are not conclusively confirmed, the connection between the two apps and their shared parent company raises reasonable concerns over how user data may be handled across ByteDance’s products.
Feature Integration
CapCut and TikTok have several shared features that allow for seamless integration between the apps. According to TikTok’s CapCut guide, CapCut was designed to empower TikTok creators to easily edit high-quality videos. The apps integrate in the following ways:
Templates – CapCut allows users to instantly access a wide selection of TikTok templates and easily drag and drop them into projects. This makes it simple to create videos styled for TikTok.
Effects & Transitions – Many of TikTok’s viral effects and transitions are available directly within CapCut. This means users can replicate the same effects seen in top TikTok videos.
Music Library – CapCut and TikTok share access to the same licensed music library containing trending songs and audio used in TikTok videos. Users can browse TikTok’s music collection and seamlessly add clips to projects.
Hashtag Integration – CapCut makes it easy to add relevant TikTok hashtags to videos that will be posted on the platform. This helps users optimize their videos to reach target audiences.
TikTok Posting – After editing videos in CapCut, users can post directly to TikTok from within the CapCut app. This enables one-click publishing to TikTok.
Overall, the deep integration between CapCut and TikTok streamlines video creation for TikTok users by making trending effects, music, and templates accessible within the editing workflow.
Conclusion
In summary, while CapCut and TikTok have an affiliated business relationship and feature integration, they are separate apps owned by different companies. CapCut is owned by ByteDance, the same parent company that owns TikTok. However, CapCut operates as its own distinct video editing app, originally starting in China as an editing tool called QuVideo before expanding internationally under the CapCut name.
There is significant integration between the apps, with CapCut offering templates, effects, and music optimized for creating TikTok videos. User data may also be shared between the apps to enable cross-platform analytics. However, CapCut remains a versatile video editor used by creators beyond just TikTok. Ultimately, the two apps have a symbiotic relationship as part of the larger ByteDance ecosystem, but are managed and developed as distinct products.