A free CapCut alternative for PC
Edit your own footage without uploading it and without a watermark. No paid effects popping up halfway through the edit.
Nothing to pay at export
There are no paid features in the editor. Export with no watermark, as many times as you want.
Your AI assistant can edit with you
Connect Claude or ChatGPT through MCP or the command line, describe the cut you want and take it from there by hand.
Clips you find by describing them
CapCut shows your files by name and date. The desktop app understands them: search for “toast on the terrace, at night” and the clip shows up, even if it’s called IMG_4821.
Transcription with no minute cap
Subtitles come from Whisper, running on your computer. You can transcribe a two-hour podcast without using up credits, and the text is saved so you can search it later for any phrase.
Polimake and CapCut, side by side
| Polimake | CapCut | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to export with no watermark | Free | Free, except what’s marked as paid |
| Platforms | Windows | Phone, browser and desktop |
| Templates and trending effects | A few | Lots, it’s their strong suit |
| Where it’s processed | Everything on your computer | On your computer, but some AI features and the cloud process elsewhere |
| Account | Not required | Asks you to sign in |
| Find clips by describing them | Yes | No |
| Transcription | Whisper, local and unlimited | Auto captions |
When CapCut is still the better choice
- If you edit on your phone.
- If your work runs on templates, trending effects and sounds.
- If you post straight to TikTok from the editor.
Download
Free, no card and no trial. Windows only for now.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a free CapCut alternative with no watermark?
- Yes. The editor in Polimake’s desktop app is free and exports with no watermark and no limit. For now it’s Windows only.
- Can I open my CapCut projects?
- No. CapCut projects use their own format. What you can do is work with the same original videos, photos and audio.
- Do I have to upload my videos anywhere?
- No. The desktop app opens files from your folders and everything happens on your computer.
- What other CapCut alternatives are there for PC?
- Clipchamp, which comes with Windows 11 and is the closest in simplicity; DaVinci Resolve, if you want a professional finish and color; and Shotcut, Kdenlive or OpenShot, which are open source and free. None of them matches CapCut’s catalog of templates and effects. Polimake is the pick if you edit your own footage and want to find clips by describing them.