With Instagram video taking over our feeds and stories, it’s the perfect time to get to know some of the best video editing apps around!
From resizing your footage to adding animations, branded assets, and filters to your clips, there are tons of easy-to-use apps — and most of them are free!
So you don’t need to hire a professional videographer or buy an expensive kit to create engaging video content for your Instagram profile.
Here are 20 of the best video editing apps for creating awesome video content on Instagram:
Table of Contents:
- Video Editing Apps for Easy, On-the-Go Edits
- Video Editing Apps for More Technical Cuts
- Video Editing Apps For Adding Filters
- Video Editing Apps for Fun Effects
- Video Editing Apps For Captions and Usability
Best Video Editing Apps For Easy, On-the-Go Edits
If you’re shooting footage specifically for Instagram, more often than not you may only need a few small tweaks and edits to make it perfect for posting!
We’ve rounded up some of the best video editing apps for those times when you need quick fixes, easy changes, and on-the-go edits!
#1: InShot
InShot is one of those apps you’ll wish you discovered sooner!
Instagram’s video dimensions change depending on where you’re posting. For example, Instagram Stories is 9:16, but if you’re creating a video solely for your feed, you may want to cut it to a square aspect ratio so it fits your grid perfectly.
It can take a lot of time to shoot in different dimensions, and editing footage to fit particular frame sizes is a laborious task — but not if you use InShot!
Not only can you trim your footage, speed up your clip, and add filters, but InShot is also perfect when you need to resize your footage for your feed or stories posts.
Using the Canvas feature, the InShot Video Editor takes your existing video and allows you to resize it to various aspect ratios, and you can easily resize and crop it to fit Instagram Stories (or any other social media platform) with just a few taps!
You can also add background colors, add music, text and even emoji-style stickers to your footage!
It’s the perfect tool if you don’t want to waste good footage just because it wasn’t shot in the right size!
Free on iOS and Android
#2: Magisto
This is one smart tool for your video editing kit!
Magisto app boasts a “sophisticated AI” that works to find the best part of your footage and, from there, intelligently applies editing techniques like stabilization, facial recognition, video filters, and even auto-crop to make sure your best footage stays within the frame.
While it’s got some serious techie features, the app is still super easy to navigate and you can even use one of Magisto’s video templates to get you started, and then edit using their Smart Storyboard tool.
Plus you can create a video out of your still images that still looks and feels like engaging footage.
All that’s left to do is embed music into your clips from Magisto’s audio library, and it’s ready to share!
Note: Magistro offers a 7-day free trial, after which it offers a monthly subscription service starting at $5 per month.
Free on iOS and Android
#3: TikTok
Everyone’s buzzing about TikTok’s addictive GenZ content — but did you know TikTok’s video editor is perfect for Instagram Stories?
TikTok is packed with cool video editing features and effects that make it one of the most versatile and easy-to-use editors out there.
From adding music and sound effects to dynamic transitions, and video filters to rival VSCO, TikTok has some serious video editing capabilities for on-the-go
In fact, we’ve created a whole blog post on how to use TikTok to edit videos for your Instagram Stories feed — check it out here!
Free on iOS and Android
#4: Wondershare FilmoraGo
While you may recognize the Filmora name as a desktop application, the company’s mobile app Wondershare FilmoraGo (formerly Wondershare Video Editor) is a popular video editing app for bloggers, Instagrammers, and YouTubers alike.
For on-the-go editing, use FilmoraGo’s “Easy Mode” — you can simply drag and drop video clips, add music to your cut footage, and save a finished video in just minutes. It really takes the guesswork out of video editing and can help you create simple but engaging content for your feed!
Filmora is better suited to landscape or square footage, as the app works when held horizontally. It takes a little while to get used to, but the screen space dedicated to previewing your footage makes it worth it!
Note: The free version of FilmoraGo adds a watermark to your video footage. In order to remove the watermark, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid account.
Free on iOS and Android
#5: Quik by GoPro
The Quik app helps you create great video content for your Instagram feed from both the footage found in your camera roll and your imported GoPro footage.
Once you’ve selected your favorite video clips, Quik works its magic by finding the most interesting “moments” from your footage — this is great if you’re a travel vlogger and you want to quickly and easily trim your footage to the most engaging parts, like those snowboarding jumps!
From here, you can add transitions and effects, add music (Quik even syncs your footage to the beat!), and customize your video with text and subtitles.
Free on iOS and Android
#6: Mojo
A popular app with the Later team, Mojo helps you create dynamic Instagram Stories videos, even if you don’t have any footage to play with!
Using Mojo’s animated templates and either videos or still photos, you can create engaging Instagram Stories for your profile — it’s particularly useful if you want to showcase a blog post or have some text content that you want to make stand out in your feed.
You can add text, change background colors, and add ‘pages’ to your template if you want to make your Instagram story longer than one post. Once you’re finished, you can save your designs to your camera roll to be scheduled on Instagram later or post straight from the Mojo app!
Available on iOS and Android.
#7: Abobe Spark Video
If you want to dip your toes into some video creating, take a look at Adobe Spark Video app.
Spark Video can help you easily compile photos, video clips, and text into a video story. No expensive software or complicated timelines here!
The built-in themes help you complete your posts with cute animations and motion, layouts, and text styling bring it life!
Free on iOS and Android
Did you know? You can now send content from Adobe Spark straight to your Later Media Library with the Later Chrome Extension on desktop!
The Chrome extension allows you to share images from Adobe Spark to Later in a matter of clicks!
So from creating to publishing, you can easily transfer your Instagram designs from Adobe Spark to Later — no downloads, or file sharing links required, making teamwork a dream!
Start seamlessly designing and scheduling your content with Adobe and Later today!
#8: Clips by Apple
The Clips app, which is only available on iOS, was designed to act as an iMovie-style editing tool for the next generation of digital creators and videographers.
It comes with lots of basic (but useful!) tools like built-in filters, stickers, and transitions. Along with time-saving features like the ability to share projects through AirDrop or email and save them to your iCloud Files.
So while it’s not the most techie editing app around, if you’re sworn to Apple and love filing your video creations in one place, Clips could be great for you!
Video Editing Apps for a Cut Above the Rest
Ready to create something a little more cinematic? Or maybe you want to add in elements like animations, your logo, and brand fonts? We have you covered!
Here are some of our favorite apps for creating professional-looking video content, all from your mobile device!
#9: Adobe Premiere Rush CC
You might have heard of Adobe Premiere Pro — one of the most widely used video editing software for professional videographers. But did you know that there’s a sister app to Premier Pro that’s specially made for mobile edits and social sharing?
Adobe created Premiere Rush specifically with social media in mind — it’s designed to help you edit, cut, format, and share great content to your social channels and it’s already become a popular tool with YouTubers!
One of the great benefits is that Adobe has created a desktop and app version of Premiere Rush, and as all projects are saved to your cloud, you can pick up any project from your mobile or your laptop!
Plus, in Premiere Rush CC you can choose from professionally-designed Motion Graphics templates to use for your video edits, which takes a lot of the guesswork about size and dimensions out of the process. There’s also the ability to change the frame colors with presets, video dimensions to fit vertical and square, custom font options, and many more tools to help you match your videos to your personal brand.
If you’re already acquainted with using Premiere Pro for your video editing, Premiere Rush CC may seem like a pared-down version. But if you’re brand new to editing software and want to make professional-looking clips without spending hours getting to know Premiere Pro, this is a great option.
Note: Premiere Rush CC is included with Premiere Pro and as part of the Creative Cloud All Apps plan and monthly subscriptions start at $9.99/mo. However, there is a free trial Starter Plan which you use to try out Adobe Rush.
Available on iOS and Android.
#10: Over
We are big fans of the Over app here at Later! In fact, a lot of our Instagram content across our feed and stories are made with Over!
When it comes to editing videos for Instagram Stories, Over is the perfect tool — you can select a video template from the app, add motion graphics to your already existing footage, choose ready-to-post stock footage from Over’s library, and customize your video with your brand colors, logo, and font!
The app has so many useful tools and features that we created a free video guide with the team at Over on how to create captivating Instagram Stories content for your account! Check it out here:
Available on iOS and Android
#11: KineMaster
This one is for the perfectionists — with KineMaster, you can cut and trim your video clips frame-by-frame, making it one of the best mobile apps for precise editing, especially if you have a slow-mo clip you want to share within a larger video piece.
Plus, with KineMaster, you’re able to create multiple layers of video, images, text, and special effects and add in voice-overs, background music, and sound effects from its media library!
Note: While KineMaster does offer a free version of the app, exported videos have a watermark and some of the special features and effects aren’t available. You can upgrade to a monthly or annual subscription to remove the watermark from your videos and to access all the features.
Available on iOS and Android
#12: LumaFusion
Another app that’s popular with vloggers and professional videographers alike is LumaFushion.
Dubbed “the most powerful multi-track video editor ever created for mobile devices,” you can expect all the usual tools like trim, speed, dimensions, and audio edits. But some of the more advanced features, like its ability to layer audio, video, and photos in the same frame, compatibility for 120 and 240 FPS slo-mo and time-lapse video files, and a live audio track mixer really does make it stand out from the crowd.
We like to use LumaFushion to edit our IGTV video footage — it’s quick and easy but has some extra tools to help us deliver the highest quality video possible!
Available on iOS only.
Creating video content for your Instagram profile doesn’t have to be intimidating or time-consuming. To help you get started, we teamed up with HubSpot to create a free video guide to using video to market your business on Instagram:
Best Video Editing Apps For Adding Filters
With video content becoming just as popular and valuable as photo posts in your Instagram feed, it’s important that the videos you share match your overall aesthetic and Instagram style.
We’ve mentioned a few video editing apps already that have inbuilt features to add filters, but if you’re looking to keep your style consistent across your photo and your videos, you need an app that can do both!
Both VSCO and A Color Story allow you to apply the same filters to your videos as you would your standard photos, so you’ll have no problem maintaining a consistent and cohesive Instagram aesthetic!
#13: VSCO
While VSCO has long been a favorite with Instagrammers for photo editing, not many know that you can edit your videos in the same way too!
The lesser-known feature lets you apply VSCO filters to your video content to help you maintain a cohesive aesthetic — no matter what you’re posting.
VSCO has a lot of free filters to choose from and even curated preset packs of complementary filters making it easy to edit your videos while maintaining a cohesive brand aesthetic.
You can also make different adjustments such as contrast, brightness, temperature, and more in the video editor, just like you would while editing your photos.
Note: Video editing in VSCO is an exclusive tool included in the VSCO paid membership ($19.99/year), and there’s a free 7-day trial too.
Available on iOS and Android
#14: A Color Story
Another Instagram favorite, A Color Story was developed by the same creators as A Beautiful Mess and is packed with different sets of filters and editing tools to help you achieve a perfectly cohesive aesthetic.
To edit your video in A Color Story, select Albums then choose your video clip. Once your clip is selected, you can choose different filters, effects, and tools to change the overall look of your video content:
It’s a super simple way to add your own personal brand style to your video footage without spending hours color-correcting each clip!
Available on iOS and Android
Looking for more inspiration on how to keep your video posts aligned with your Instagram aesthetic? Check out this blog post where we deep-dive into how to edit your Instagram videos to match your brand aesthetic.
Best Instagram Video Editing Apps for Fun Effects
Sometimes adding a little bit of light-hearted fun and a quirky-factor to your videos can make all the difference.
If your video stands out as being unique and original, you might see your view rates and follower count grow!
Here are some of our favorite apps for creating something a little different on your feed:
#15: Hyperlapse from Instagram
Want to create an awesome time-lapse video but don’t have a tripod or a DSLR with built-in stabilization? It’s ok, most Instagrammers don’t either!
Instead, they use Hyperlapse — a super handy time-lapse app by Instagram that will automatically stabilize your footage, giving it a super smooth cinematic feel.
Once you’ve filmed your time-lapse in the app, you can then edit your footage to speed it up or slow it down. Then just save to your camera roll and import into any other app to cut it into a large video piece!
You could try a time-lapse video of your physical store opening and share it with your Instagram followers for some behind-the-scenes tidbits. Hyperlapse also works particularly well in motion, so why not give your followers a tour of your offices or warehouse?
Available on iOS and Android
#16: Life Lapse
Have you noticed the growing stop-motion video trend on Instagram? It’s probably thanks to Life Lapse app!
Without having to spend tons of time learning Photoshop, Life Lapse lets you align your subject from clip to clip with a ‘ghost’ image.
Once you have all your clips captured, the app will seamlessly stitch them together and all that’s left to do is select a filter, song, and your preferred video ratio like square or 9:16 and you’re ready to post!
Available on iOS and Android
#17: PicPlayPost
Got more than one video to share in a frame? Take a look at PicPlayPost!
One of the best things about PicPlayPost is that it’s a vertical video editor, making it super simple to edit your shots for Instagram Stories and IGTV.
Once you’ve selected all your video clips, choose a layout that you like and start trimming, cutting and placing your video clips alongside each other in the same frame. Then you can add animated GIFs from Giphy, subtitles, text, and music to your final edits!
Note: PicPlayPost offers a 14-day free trial, after which you’ll need to sign up to a monthly subscription.
Available on iOS and Android
#18: MixKit
While technically not an app, we still wanted to give MixKit a shoutout for leveling up Instagram videos on a flash!
With thousands of free to use (and yes, we mean totally free!) video clips to choose from, you can use them as b-roll to enhance your video production and create some seriously engaging social media posts.
There’s even a Vertical video filter you can use to find the perfect content for your Instagram Stories!
@mixkit
Best Instagram Video Editing Apps For Captions and Usability
Did you know that 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound? And it’s a trend we’re certain is mirrored on Instagram!
As people scroll your feed or tap through your Instagram Stories, if your video has speech or a voice-over, you want to help people stick around and continue watching, even if they can’t turn up the volume!
Adding closed captions to your Instagram video posts could help with your audience retention rates for your video posts. Plus, it’s also a simple and quick way to make your video content more user-friendly for people with a hearing impairment.
#19: Clipomatic
Clipomatic is one of the easiest ways to add captions to your Instagram Stories and videos — all you have to do speak to the camera and your voice will be picked up and transcribed onto captions!
Plus you can choose the caption style and add artistic filters to your video footage!
And it’s available in over 25 languages!
Available on iOS
#20: Anchor Video
If you have a podcast, you have to check out Anchor Video!
Anchor Video is the latest addition to the Anchor app family, which allows users to transform audio content into animated videos!
That means that if you’ve got a great podcast, audio from an interview, or speaking event you want to share on social media, you can choose the best audio bites to showcase, and create a simple, engaging video with text transcription to post!
Just record or upload your audio content to the app, fine-tune the content, and then pick animated video footage that fits in with your feed!
Available on iOS and Android.
Video content on Instagram is continuing to grow, so now’s the time to start experimenting with your content, editing your footage to fit your feed, and sharing more dynamic videos with your followers!
Don’t forget that once you have edited your videos, you can schedule and automatically publish your Instagram video posts with Later — just like you would with your images!
Just drag and drop your video file from your Media Library to your calendar, select a thumbnail image from your footage, and schedule a time and date to post!
Plus, you can preview what your video will look like in your feed so you’ll never miss a step when it comes to maintaining a great Instagram aesthetic!
Ready to plan, schedule and post your Instagram video content? Instagram video scheduling is available now on all of Later’s paid plans, starting at $9/ month. Upgrade now to get access!
