ByteDance’s Video Editor CapCut With 200M MAU Targets High Earnings

CapCut, a video editor owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance and lesser known compared to TikTok, has obtained 200 million monthly active users (MAUs). According to a report from local media outlet Baijing, CapCut is now exploring commercialization.

CapCut was developed by Shenzhen Lianmeng Technology Co., Ltd., which was acquired by ByteDance in 2018. Lianmeng focuses on products for photography and video editing.

Figures from data.ai and Diandian showed that CapCut’s MAU exceeded 200 million in January this year, up from 150 million in July 2022.

CapCut is now beginning to yield revenue. According to data.ai’s January report on China’s non-game apps for iOS and Android devices, CapCut entered the top 30 apps list by revenue. According to Diandian, CapCut’s global revenue in January was $800K, of which the US market accounted for more than half.

CapCut has a sister app named Jianying, featuring simple and easy-to-use functions and tools for creating videos. Jianying’s download volume increased sharply in the first three months of its launch.

Following the success of Jianying in China, CapCut was launched worldwide. TikTok, ByteDance’s most popular app globally, was used to attract new users for CapCut. According to Diandian, CapCut experienced two surges in download volume in the United States, one in mid-May 2021 and the other in late October 2022.

A creator recruitment plan is available on CapCut’s official website. Creators of popular video filters and effects may be rewarded with up to $1,000. The filters and special effects promoted by CapCut vary between different markets, such as filters with film-like effects and creative fonts in Japan and Southeast Asia, and punk-style filter effects in the United States and Britain.

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A paid CapCut Pro version was launched in the United States, Brazil, Europe, and other regions, featuring cloud storage space and additional customizable functions.

CapCut has gathered many loyal users through free downloads for two years. After relying on TikTok and massive filter libraries to gain popularity, CapCut now seeks to drive its revenue.