CapCut vs Adobe Express
CapCut and Adobe Express side by side, as of September 2026: what each one costs, what it's made for, and when smooth.video, a free animation tool that runs in your browser with no account, does the job instead.
- Free
- No signup
- No watermark
CapCut vs Adobe Express at a glance
| CapCut | Adobe Express | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free version, with CapCut Pro for premium features | Free plan, Premium at US$9.99 a month | Free, no paid plan |
| Built for | Editing videos: cuts, transitions, filters, effects | Every kind of design: social posts, flyers, PDFs, presentations, video | Animating text, logos and graphics |
- Price
- CapCutFree version, with CapCut Pro for premium features
- Adobe ExpressFree plan, Premium at US$9.99 a month
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Built for
- CapCutEditing videos: cuts, transitions, filters, effects
- Adobe ExpressEvery kind of design: social posts, flyers, PDFs, presentations, video
- smooth.videoAnimating text, logos and graphics
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of CapCut and Adobe Express before you decide.
CapCut
- Account
- Sign-up asked for in the online editor
- Export resolution
- Up to 1080p free, 4K and 60 fps with Pro
- Premium templates, effects and fonts
- Pro needed to export them
- Phone and desktop apps
- Yes
- AI tools, music and sticker library
- Yes
When CapCut fits better
You're editing footage: cutting clips, adding transitions, filters, trending sounds and effects, on your phone as much as on a computer. smooth.video isn't a video editor, and it has no app.
CapCut vs smooth.videoAdobe Express
- Motion
- In, Loop and Out presets, with duration, speed and intensity
- Transparent video
- Not supported
- Photoshop files
- PSD and Illustrator files placed linked or converted
- Where your files live
- In Adobe's cloud, 5 GB on the free plan
- Templates and stock
- 100,000+ templates and Adobe Stock
- Generative AI
- Firefly, with monthly credits
When Adobe Express fits better
You need matching flyers, posts and presentations from a huge library of templates and stock, you work with Photoshop and Illustrator files that stay linked, or you want AI to generate images. Animation is a finishing touch.
Adobe Express vs smooth.videoWhen smooth.video fits better
You need the graphics, not the edit: an animated title, a stat, a logo reveal or a lower third, in 4K or on a transparent background, and you'd rather not unlock Pro for a font or a template.
The animation is the deliverable: an intro, a lower third, an animated stat, a Reel. You want to decide exactly where each element is at each moment, and a transparent export to put over video.
Open the editor- Free, full stop
- No plan, no trial, no credits, no export limit.
- No account
- Open the page and the editor is already there.
- Nothing is uploaded
- Your files are read and rendered by your own browser.
- No watermark
- Every export is clean, at any size, 4K included.
Start from a template
See all 203 templatesOpen one, change the words, export. Every element stays editable.
Questions
Can I use a smooth.video animation in CapCut?
Yes. Export an MP4 and import it into your CapCut project like any other clip.
Can I edit my footage in smooth.video?
Only lightly: add a video file to the scene and put text, shapes and images on top. For cutting and arranging footage, a video editor is the better tool.
Do I need to sign in?
No. The project you're working on is autosaved in your browser, and you save it as a .smooth file to keep it or open it on another computer.
Can I bring my Adobe Express designs in?
Yes, as images: download your design or its parts as PNG, add them to a scene and animate them in smooth.video.
Can I animate a Photoshop file?
Yes. Drop the PSD into the editor and each layer becomes its own element, in place, ready to animate.
Is there a watermark?
No. Every export is free and clean, transparent WebM included.
Or skip the decision.
smooth.video is free, opens in a tab and exports without a watermark. Try it while you compare.
Open the editor- Free
- No signup
- No watermark