TikTok videos don't edit themselves into viral sensations. If you want to expand your reach, check out how to get more views on TikTok. Well, technically they could with AI, but let's be real—the good ones don't.

The difference between content that disappears into the void and content that finds its audience often comes down to editing—that magical post-production phase where mediocre footage transforms into something worth watching.

TikTok's built-in editor is like using safety scissors—it gets the job done if your ambitions are modest. But creators who want more control, better effects, or professional-grade results eventually outgrow those limitations.

This guide cuts through the marketing hype to help you find a video editor that actually delivers what TikTok creators need—whether you're making dance videos, tutorials, or whatever oddly specific content niche you've carved out for yourself.

How to choose the best video editor for TikTok

Not all video editing tools are the same. Some video editors for TikTok lack advanced features, while others have steep learning curves. The key is finding the right balance between ease of use and professional-grade tools to create high-quality content.

Before we get to the best TikTok editing apps, it's worth taking some time to review what to look for in the right tool.

Key features to look for in TikTok video editors

The best TikTok video editor should offer a comprehensive set of editing features, including effects, transitions, color grading, and video templates. Additionally, tools with built-in TikTok-specific templates can help streamline content creation and align with trending formats.

For a more professional workflow, choose a video editor for TikTok with a non-linear editing timeline that allows precise editing, layering, and seamless transitions.

• Drag and drop clips in any order you want
• Modify any part of your video without doing it in sequence
• Speed up or slow down video clips
• Fade in or out
• Split and merge clips
• Layer and stack clips

A good tool should support both audio and video editing, including advanced audio mixing with equalizers and compressors. It should also handle a variety of video formats and export settings optimized for TikTok to maintain high-quality visuals.

“In choosing a video editor, I always look for a user-friendly interface, a variety of creative effects, the ability to easily integrate music and sound effects, and the option to export videos in high quality,” says Isaac Robertson, co-founder and chief editor at Total Shape. “Having these features makes it so much easier to create engaging and professional-looking content for TikTok.”

User-friendly interface and learning curve

If you're new to video editing, you'll want software that's aimed at beginners and is generally easy to learn and use.

Some feature-rich video editing apps have a relatively steep learning curve, which can be overwhelming for budding filmmakers. The last thing you want is to pay for a tool and then spend months learning how to use it.

If you're looking for advanced tools and plan on using the software for longer-term projects, it's worth learning and becoming proficient with more complex tools. You also want a tool with written and video tutorials to learn the ins and outs of its features as you edit.

Video export options and formats for TikTok

Most video editors support importing from and exporting to your device's gallery. Some also offer third-party cloud storage integration, like Google Photos or Dropbox. Descript, for example, creates a private link for seamless sharing with collaborators, eliminating the need for manual uploads.

Make sure the video editor you're considering supports a wide range of import and video file export formats and your preferred storage platform.

Resolution and video quality settings

Whether it's Hollywood films or short-form content, audiences expect high-quality visuals. The best TikTok editing apps offer professional-grade post-production tools that enhance video clarity, optimize resolution, and ensure smooth playback.

Video quality often depends on your filming gear and editing app. The best editing apps for TikTok bring studio-quality post-production tools to any user, no matter your experience level, so you can engage viewers on the platform.

Most high-quality video editing tools support at least 4K video resolution, but it's important to verify that your chosen editor can handle the resolution and export settings required for TikTok’s algorithm-friendly performance.

Text effects and caption options for TikTok

Adding text or captions enhances your video by providing context, accessibility, and personality. High-quality TikTok editors enable advanced text customization, including font styles, colors, sizes, and placement, ensuring your content remains visually engaging.

While TikTok can add captions automatically, the right video editor will give you the freedom to add and customize the color, font, size, and placement of text or captions of your video clips. For more details, see how to add captions on TikTok.

Look for automatic, accurate captioning and multilingual transcription features. These tools save time, improve accessibility, and enhance video engagement by making content understandable for a broader audience.

Technical Specifications and Compatibility

When choosing a video editor for TikTok, it's important to consider technical specifications, such as supported resolutions and file formats. Many top editors, like CapCut, support multiple formats like MP4 and MOV, and resolutions up to 4K, making them versatile for creators. Ensuring the editor is compatible with your device's operating system and hardware will also enhance editing efficiency and performance.

Optimizing Exports for TikTok

To maximize engagement on TikTok, exporting videos with the right settings is crucial. Editors like Descript and CapCut provide options for controlling video quality, bitrates, and compression tailored to TikTok's specifications. Properly optimized exports ensure high-quality visuals while maintaining efficient file sizes, which is key for quick loading and smooth playback on the platform.

How to edit videos using the TikTok app

The easiest way to edit TikTok videos is by using the app’s built-in editor. It allows you to add basic special effects, text, filters, and trending sounds before publishing directly to the platform. If you’re looking to go further, check out how to edit TikTok videos.

Step 1: Upload a video to TikTok

Open the TikTok app on an Android or iOS device and tap the plus (+) sign.

Tap the white Record button to record a video or tap Upload to select a previously recorded video from your camera roll or gallery.

Select the Videos tab and tap the thumbnail of a previously recorded video to upload it.

Step 2: Add effects, sound, and visual overlays

Once you've uploaded your video, add text, filters, stickers, and trending sounds, or pick a template to enhance your video.

When you're done adding, tap Save to save your changes.

Step 3: Publish and share your TikTok video

Tap Next to post your video.

Adjust the publishing settings to:

• Add relevant hashtags
• Set your video's privacy
• Allow duets or reactions
• Choose a cover photo
• Turn comments on or off

Note: If you're not ready to post your video, tap Drafts to save it to your TikTok account for later.

Then, tap Post to publish your video.

TikTok’s in-app editor is a great starting point, but it lacks advanced features. If you want to create high-quality, engaging content, consider using a dedicated video editor for TikTok with professional-grade tools and export settings tailored for the platform.

Next, let's explore our top picks for the best TikTok editing apps on the market.

Top 6 video editors for TikTok on desktop

1. Descript: Best all-in-one TikTok video editor

Descript is a powerful audio and video editor designed to help creators produce high-quality, engaging TikToks. It offers tools for adding sound effects, voiceovers, filters, GIFs, music, and customizable backgrounds.

Whether you're a beginner or professional editor, Descript's editing tools let you spruce up your TikTok content by adding sound effects, voiceovers, filters, GIFs, music, and colorful backgrounds.

Descript allows you to overlay video effects, insert transitions, and customize fonts, captions, and emojis beyond TikTok's built-in options. You can also convert your video’s aspect ratio to a TikTok-friendly vertical format and enhance audio quality with Studio Sound.

Shoot as many takes as you need, then edit your video by editing the AI-generated transcript, just like a doc. If you're speaking off the cuff, it's easy to refine your video with Descript's filler-word detector to remove “ums,” “you knows,” and awkward pauses.

Descript’s AI-powered editing tools streamline your workflow, helping you remove filler words, generate captions, and optimize audio effortlessly. With a robust free version, it’s a great option for content creators on a budget.

Best features

• Video cropper
• Subtitles generator
• AI Voices
• AI Social Post Writer
• Filler word removal
• AI-powered green screen
• Animated captions and subtitles

Pros

• Easy to use
• Intuitive interface
• Exports 4K video
• 99% accurate transcription
• Offers desktop and web-based editing

Cons

• Free plan exports with watermark
• Doesn't export directly to TikTok

Pricing:

• Free: $0
• Creator: $15 per user/month
• Pro: $30 per user/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

2. Adobe Premiere Pro: Best for professional editing

This best video editing apps list wouldn't be complete without mentioning Adobe Premiere Pro. It's long been the industry standard for video editors, offering all the color tools, effects, and output options any professional editor could want.

Whether you're a filmmaker, videographer, or social media creator, Premiere Pro's non-linear editing software lets you create everything from feature films to social clips and cut them to perfection with its editing tools.

Best features

• Timeline drawing
• Auto-captioning
• Effects manager
• Project templates
• Collaboration tools
• Audio Auto-Tagging
• Recovery mode

Pros

• Flexible interface
• Wide range of collaboration tools
• Responsive speed
• Fast rendering
• Runs on Windows and Mac

Cons

• Expensive
• Lacks sound effect samples
• Some techniques require additional apps
• Features can be overwhelming for novice editors

Pricing:

• Individuals license: $22.99 per month
• Teams license: $37.99 per month

3. DaVinci Resolve: Best for advanced color grading

DaVinci Resolve is known for its node-based interface for color grading, which allows for complex color adjustments and effects. It supports HDR grading so you can manipulate high dynamic range footage.

Resolve also offers features like multitrack editing, keyframe animations, and customizable effects. After editing, save your video or upload it to your YouTube, Vimeo, or Dropbox account. Or, use the Quick Export tool to deliver it in your preferred format to TikTok and other social media platforms.

Best features

• Automatic trim cursor
• Stacked and tabbed timelines
• Insert, overwrite, and replace tools
• Smart trim tool
• Facial recognition
• Dynamic Zoom
• Smooth jump cut transitions

Pros

• Wide range of editing tools
• Good free version
• Well-designed interface
• Fast rendering

Cons

• Features can be overwhelming for beginners
• Considerable learning curve
• Requires significant amount of system resources

Pricing:

• DaVinci Resolve free: $0
• DaVinci Resolve Studio: $295 (one-time fee)

4. HitFilm Free: Best beginner-friendly editor

HitFilm Free targets amateur videographers and beginners who want to get into filmmaking, but lack professional video editing experience and a big budget to support their video making dreams.

The software offers a wide range of powerful video creation and editing features to generate impressive effects for your TikToks. You can edit your TikTok videos by cutting, slicing, trimming, cropping, flipping the clips, or combining different video or digital layers. Then add songs, sound effects, 2D text, and templates, and export your clips at up to HD resolution.

Best features

• Ready-to-use text and grading presets
• Drag-and-drop transitions
• 2D and 3D text tools
• 3D models
• Lighting & lens flares
• Motion tracking

Pros

• Free
• Beginner-friendly
• Timeline-based editing
• Super-fast editing performance

Cons

• Doesn't export in 4K or 8k
• Free version has limited features compared to paid plans

Pricing:

• Free: $0
• Creator: $12.99 per month
• Pro: $19.99 per month

5. Corel VideoStudio: Best TikTok editor for Windows

Corel VideoStudio is aimed at newbie TikTokers, YouTubers, and videographers looking to grow their follower counts with engaging video content.

VideoStudio's MultiCam Capture feature acts like a video maker, helping you capture webcam video and record your screen or dual screens simultaneously in one click. With the multicam editing function, you can combine, sync, and edit your videos together and choose the angle you want to show as your video plays.

Common features, like crop, trim, rotate, and resize are included, along with a lens correction tool, which removes fisheye distortion that would ruin your videos and color corrects clips to adjust the light temperature.

Best features

• MultiCam Capture
• Split screen templates
• Instant project templates
• 3D title editor
• Video stabilization
• AI-powered Highlight Reel auto-movie creator

Pros

• Intuitive drag-and-drop video editing
• Generous free trial
• No ongoing subscription costs
• Offers 4K monitor support

Cons

• Free trial isn't a full-featured version
• Doesn't export directly to TikTok
• Doesn't run on a Mac computer

Pricing:

• VideoStudio Pro: $79.99 (one-time fee)
• VideoStudio Ultimate: $99.99 (one-time fee)

6. Pinnacle Studio: Most feature-rich TikTok editor

Pinnacle Studio is a solid editing tool with a fairly intuitive interface and near-pro-level capabilities.

Some of its editing features include titling, audio tools, keyframing, multicam editing, and mask motion tracking, among many others. These and other sophisticated editing tools are available in the app's intuitive workspace, so you can transform your videos into impressive productions.

To add artistic flair and cinematic quality to your TikToks, use Pinnacle Studio's color adjustments, custom titles, and smooth transitions for unique, stylized clips.

Pinnacle Studio also provides helpful learning content, such as a user guide, written how-to tutorials, and video tutorials, so you can stay supported while using the app.

Best features

• Split screen video
• Drag-and-drop timeline and storyboard editing
• Stop motion animation
• Multicam editing
• Keyframe controls
• Screen recording
• Preview quality options

Pros

• Variety of effects
• Customizable workspace
• Frame-accurate customization
• User-friendly
• Fast and efficient
• You can import 8k videos

Cons

• Limited motion tracking

Pricing:

• Pinnacle Studio: $29.99
• Pinnacle Studio 26 Ultimate: $89.99

Top 4 video editors for TikTok on mobile

1. Splice: Best for adding cinematic effects to TikToks

Splice is a powerful video editing app that helps you create, edit, and share videos from mobile devices in a few taps. When you create a new project and upload a video in Splice, you can choose an aspect ratio. Selecting TikTok forces your video into the preferred TikTok video aspect ratio.

Trim, cut, crop, and splice clips, add customizable transitions and a soundtrack, or change the background using the Chroma key.

You can also add different text styles and colors, overlays, sounds, background music, or visual effects, and speed up or slow motion your video. Then, share your clip to TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Mail, Messages, and more.

If you're not ready to share your video, Splice saves your project within the app, so you can return to it later to re-edit or add to your footage.

But unlike TikTok, whose features are free to use, Splice's key features, such as music, glitch and vintage effects, and captions, are only available with a premium subscription.

Best features

• Speed ramp
• Advanced editor workflow
• Chroma key
• Variety of transition styles and filters
• Pan and zoom effects
• 6000+ royalty-free tracks

Pros

• Easy to use
• Intuitive interface
• Excellent music library
• Exports videos in 4K
• Shares to multiple platforms

Cons

• Expensive
• You can't edit in 4K
• Limited free trial
• Effects and music locked behind paid plans

Pricing:

• Basic: $0
• Pro: $2.99/week

2. Promeo: Best for royalty-free TikTok music

Promeo offers ready-to-use templates, which you can easily customize to create stunning videos. The app's intuitive platform allows users of any skill level to make creative TikTok video content by adding colors, video effects, fonts, and stock media. You can access a variety of royalty-free music tracks to add to your clips, stickers, filters, fonts, and more.

Add custom borders and eye-catching motion graphic titles to make your videos pop or change the mood using the app's rich and diverse color filters.

Promeo is easy to use, just like the TikTok in-app editor. Pick a template, edit your footage, then publish and share to TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Best features

• 10,000+ ready-to-use templates
• Animated stickers
• Exclusive color filters
• 100+ fonts
• Magic Cutouts

Pros

• Easy to use
• Variety of customizable templates

Cons

• Not compatible with Mac computers
• Free plan offers limited access to design templates
• You can only edit videos of up to 15 seconds on the free version

Pricing:

• Promeo free plan: $0
• Promeo for Windows: $7.32 per month
• Promeo + Power Director for Business: $36.66 per month

3. InShot: Most intuitive TikTok video editor

InShot is a popular, free video editor with an easy-to-use interface and handy features.

Once you upload a video, you can trim, split, merge, and adjust its speed. Then, add filters, stickers, text captions, music, voiceovers, or effects, like cinematic filters and background blur. You can also reverse videos in InShot and resize your content for TikTok dimensions.

InShot is free to use on Android devices, iPhones, and iPads. However, you'll need a paid plan to remove the watermark from your videos, unlock all premium features, and get rid of ads.

Best features

• Variety of templates
• Speed control
• Keyframe editing
• AI effects
• Auto captions
• Auto-remove backgrounds

Pros

• Free to use
• Customizable features
• Easy to extract audio from videos
• Exports to all social media platforms

Cons

• Exports with a watermark
• No audio effects
• Free version comes with ads
• Fewer and more basic features than other video editing apps
• You can't add multiple soundtracks and videos at the same time

Pricing:

• InShot free: $0
• InShot Pro: $4.30 per month

4. Funimate: Best editor for TikTok fan edits

Funimate is a simple video editing app for making TikTok videos, Reels, and Stories. It's popular for its AI effects, intros and outros, text effects, masks, and other creative tools for making unique TikToks.

With the free plan, you can make some basic edits to your video, then share it on TikTok or other social platforms. However, it comes with ads, and some effects and sounds are only available in the Pro plan.

Upgrading to the Pro plan unlocks all the cool features, like touch magic and video effects, and gets rid of Funimate watermarks and annoying ads.

Best features

• Library of video templates
• Emojis, video effects, and stickers
• Merge, crop, and trim tools
• Blend tool

Pros

• Offers a 7-day free trial
• Simple, easy-to-use interface
• Variety of effects to choose from
• Allows sharing videos to social media platforms

Cons

• Expensive
• Bare bones editor
• No 4K support
• Free plan comes with ads
• Best features locked behind premium subscriptions

Pricing:

• Funimate free: $0
• Funimate Pro: $2.99 per week

Frequently asked questions about TikTok editors

What do people use to edit reels and TikToks?

While TikTok and Instagram offer basic in-app editors, they lack the advanced audio and video editing capabilities of Descript. If you want to scale your content with professional-grade tools, Descript provides a seamless workflow for creating high-quality TikTok videos.

To edit videos in Descript:

1. Import or record your video clip to Descript's intuitive editor.
2. Add fancy captions, keyframe animation, stickers, filters, sound effects, background music, or GIFs.
3. Click the video settings to convert your video's aspect ratio for TikTok.
4. Export your video in your preferred format, then share it to TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or Instagram Reels.

Can I edit reels and TikToks with Descript?

Yes, you can edit Instagram Reels and TikToks in Descript's powerful audio and video editing platform. Plus, you can generate a transcript, subtitles, or captions for your video to make it accessible to all viewers.

Can I edit TikTok videos on PC?

Yes. You can use Descript to edit TikTok videos and upload them to the platform. Upload or record a new video or edit and resize existing clips for TikTok in just a few taps.

What is the best video editor for TikTok on PC?

Descript is the best TikTok editor for PC. The all-in-one audio and video editing software offers desktop apps for Mac and Windows and multiple easy-to-use editing tools to enhance your TikToks and create engaging content.

What should I consider when choosing a TikTok video editor?

When selecting a TikTok video editor, consider technical specifications such as supported resolutions, file formats, and compatibility with your device. Additionally, evaluate the difference between free and premium features to ensure you have access to the necessary tools for your editing needs.

How can I optimize my video exports for TikTok?

To optimize video exports for TikTok, use settings that enhance video quality while keeping file sizes manageable. Editors like Descript offer customizable export options to ensure your content meets TikTok's recommended specifications for maximum reach and engagement.