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OpenCut

A free, open source video editor for web, desktop, and mobile, positioned as a CapCut alternative.

GitHub Download v0.3.0
Stars
97.1k
Forks
9.7k
Licence
MIT
Language
TypeScript
Last update
1 months ago
Type
App

What it is

OpenCut is a free, open source video editor described as a CapCut alternative. According to its README, the project is currently being rewritten from the ground up, and the classic version is the one to use today. The rewrite aims to bring the editor to web, desktop, and mobile from one codebase.

  • Explore the open source codebase of a video editor built in TypeScript
  • Follow the planned rewrite, including its Editor API and plugin architecture
  • Run the web app locally in development mode using the moon commands in the README
  • Watch for the planned headless mode for automation and batch rendering

Great for

  • People who want a free, MIT-licensed video editor and can accept an early-stage project
  • Developers who want to read or experiment with a TypeScript video editor codebase
  • Users who can use the classic version at opencut.app while the rewrite is in progress

Not ideal for

  • Users who need a stable, production-ready editor today, because the README says the rewrite is underway and the classic version is the one to use
  • Contributors looking to submit code, because the README says outside contributions are not being accepted yet while the architecture is designed
  • Anyone needing downloadable binaries, since the latest release v0.3.0 has no binaries
Step-by-step guide: how to use OpenCutInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

How to get it

  1. 1

    Clone and build from source

    You'll need: proto (tool manager, installed via the script in the README)

    Install proto on Linux, macOS, or WSL

    bash <(curl -fsSL https://moonrepo.dev/install/proto.sh)

    Install the tools pinned in .prototools from the repo root

    proto use

    Start the web app in development mode

    moon run web:dev

    Start the API in development mode

    moon run api:dev
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Clone the repository from GitHub
    • Install proto using the command for your operating system
    • Run proto use from the repo root to install pinned tools
    • Run moon run web:dev and open localhost:5173 in your browser
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Use the classic version at opencut.app if you need the editor working today
    • Follow the Discord or X account listed in the README to track the rewrite
    • Check the planned MCP server if you are interested in AI agent integration
    • Read apps/desktop/README.md if you want to run the desktop app in development

Downloads

Source code (.zip)main branch · straight from GitHubRelease v0.3.0Release notes and sourceOfficial website & docsopencut.app

Strengths

  • Released under the permissive MIT license, with the source code publicly available
  • Large community interest, with about 96,700 GitHub stars at the time of the metadata
  • The README describes a stated roadmap covering web, desktop, and mobile from one codebase

Trade-offs

  • The README says the project is being rewritten, so the current direction may change and many listed features are not yet available
  • Contributions are not currently accepted, limiting community involvement in development
  • No binaries are provided with the latest release, so you must build from source for development use

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
OpenCut (this)97.1kAppadvanced1 months agoPeople who want a free, MIT-licensed video editor and can accept an early-stage project
Kap19.4kAppbeginner2.0 years agoMac users who want to record part of their screen quickly from the menu bar
vscode194kAppintermediate4 days agoDevelopers who want a lightweight editor that can be extended with add-ons
marktext63.5kAppbeginner4 days agoPeople who write notes or articles in Markdown and want a clean, minimal editor
atom60.7kAppbeginner3.8 years agoDevelopers who want a desktop code editor they can customize with packages
vscodium33.9kAppbeginner6 days agoDevelopers who want the VS Code interface without Microsoft's telemetry or license terms

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.