Meta’s latest release, Instagram Edits, has made a striking entrance into the video editing space, outpacing rival app CapCut in its opening days.
According to app intelligence firm Appfigures, Edits recorded approximately 702,900 downloads on iOS within its first two days — a figure roughly 37 times greater than CapCut’s performance during a similar timeframe.
As of Thursday, Edits had reached 1.2 million iOS downloads and 5.9 million Android downloads, totaling 7.1 million installs globally. In contrast, CapCut, owned by ByteDance, managed just 83,500 downloads across iOS and Android during its initial three days. Although CapCut was launched in only half of global markets, even adjusting for wider availability, Edits’ early lead remains significant.
In the United States alone, Edits garnered 381,000 downloads in its first three days, dwarfing CapCut’s modest 3,400 downloads during its U.S. launch — a difference of 112 times.
The app’s rapid adoption also catapulted it to the top of the U.S. iPhone App Store charts. Edits ranked No. 1 in both the Top Overall and Top Non-Game Apps categories on its debut day, April 22. Though it slipped to No. 2 on day two and No. 3 by Friday, it remained well ahead of CapCut, which ranked No. 14 Overall and No. 10 among non-game apps after three days.
Meta’s powerful network effects are credited for this fast rise, as Edits benefits from seamless integration with Instagram’s social ecosystem. However, Edits still has a long journey ahead if it hopes to rival CapCut’s massive global presence. Since its 2020 launch, CapCut has been downloaded 1.22 billion times worldwide, excluding China.
Early reactions to Edits have been mixed. While many users praised its intuitive design, built-in analytics, 4K video support, and ad-free experience, others noted the app lacks features that CapCut offers, such as ready-made templates and a wide array of transition effects.
Despite this, Edits’ strong start positions it as a serious contender. Analysts suggest Meta could eventually introduce paid features or ads to capitalize on the app’s growing user base.
