Top 8 Best Instagram Reels Editing Apps

In a world flooded with videos, short-form content such as Instagram Reels helps engage and communicate with the audience in a matter of seconds.

15 to 60 seconds most of the time, as that’s the usual duration of the reels I edit for clients at the agency.

These bite-sized videos are the hottest content on the internet right now. You know it.

That said, with more and more content creators jumping on the ‘Reels’ bandwagon, you have to hook the audience with the highest-quality, kick-ass reels you can produce.

Quality content that your audience wants to see can earn you higher engagement, click-through rate, paid sponsorship, and much more.

There is no need to be overwhelmed, as there are plenty of Instagram Reels editing apps.

Here are the top 8 reels editing apps I recommend, if you want to get the most bang for your time.

1. Instagram’s in-App Reels Editor

Want to post reels? Look no further than Instagram.

The platform’s built-in reel editor is a lifesaver for freelancers, content creators, and anyone who wants to jump on the reel bandwagon.

The app lets you record, edit, and publish reels in a flash.

What’s more! It’s free and easy to use.

The in-app video editor comes with a ton of pre-made video layouts, that eliminates the most time-consuming part of video editing.

Choose a pre-made reel template (with set clip duration and music), add your clip, edit further if necessary, and save the draft or share the reel with the world.

What can you do with the editor?

The Instagram reels editor covers all the basic features.

You can play with the aspect ratio, and video size, add trendy filters and effects, and even include some quirky filters for fun.

Additionally, you get access to the latest and hottest tunes through the music library.

For instance, quick and easy editing allows the super-busy chef Gordon Ramsay to create a reaction video on other people’s cooking skills.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gordon Ramsay (@gordongram)

Pros:

• Instagram’s built-in reels editor is free and convenient.
• Extensive audio library with the hottest and trendiest tunes.
• Tons of pre-made reel templates.
• Free stickers, filters, and animations.
• Save edited reels in draft and publish whenever you want.

Cons:

• Limited editing features.
• Poor user experience due to technical glitches and frequent crashes.
• Instagram might remove your music without prior notice.

Pricing: Free

2. InShot

InShot is a fantastic reel editing tool that brings the power of desktop-based software to your phone.

This reel editor is right at the top of our list because of its powerful editing features and vast video and audio library.

The editing tool offers multiple premium plans that are quite affordable.

That said, even the free plan comes with many advanced editing features.

InShot offers something for everybody.

From basic trimming and resizing to speed control and picture-in-picture function.

Overall, InShot is suitable for newbies and experts alike.

The Instagram reel editing tool is popular among content creators, freelancers, solopreneurs, small businesses, and video marketers.

The best part is that you can edit video clips for Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Plus, you can upload videos directly to platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook.

Pros:

• Powerful features like transitions, text overlays, text colors and effects, stickers, filters, and animations.
• Large royalty-free audio library and free video clips.
• The free plan comes with many advanced editing features.
• Capability to upload clips from 60fps up to 4K quality.
• InShot is available on Apple and Android app stores and also as a browser extension.

Cons:

• The app and its functioning take up too much space and resources on your phone.
• No ‘save as draft’ option and watermark-free videos are only for premium members.
• Frequent ads, glitches, and update requests affect user experience.

Pricing: Free and paid plans.

3. Canva

Canva is widely known as a graphic design tool with hundreds of millions of users and is recognized for turning individuals with limited or no design skills into competent designers.

What many people don’t know is that Canva is also a powerful video editing tool.

Canva’s strength and popularity lie in its simplicity. Its drag-and-drop interface enables people with zero skills and experience to edit their Instagram reels.

Even if you have never edited a video before, with Canva, you can edit Instagram reels in seconds.

Additionally, the editing tool allows you to add brand elements including logos, text, graphics, and basic special effects.

If you have had problems syncing your video with audio, then Canva’s Magic Beat Sync would be a great help to you.

This feature automatically matches the audio with your video clip.

Pros:

• Drag-and-drop interface makes editing quick and super easy for everyone.
• A ton of creative content in the media library with thousands of graphics, videos, and image options.
• Magic Beat Sync and Branding Kit help create professional-level Instagram reels.
• Pre-made video templates and easy background/green screen remover.
• Upload your clips directly to Instagram.

Cons:

• Limited video editing features.
• Lacks an offline video editing option.

Pricing: Free and paid plans.

4. CapCut

If you’re looking for a video editing tool exclusively for short-form videos, then CapCut is the best choice for you. CapCut was designed by the same company that owns TikTok.

Its intuitive interface and array of editing tools will help you create stunning Instagram reels.

Even if you have no editing skills, with CapCut, you can trim, resize, and add graphics within seconds.

Additionally, CapCut comes with a fully stocked media library featuring thousands of stickers, filters, fonts, colors, text graphics, sound effects, and video effects.

This pint-sized editing tool is all you need to create authentic and engaging Instagram reels.

What’s more? You can use all the basic video editing features for free.

Pros:

• Frame-by-frame editing and both vertical and horizontal resizing of video clips.
• Well-stocked media library with a ton of creative elements and graphics.
• Green screen/background removal capability.
• Pre-set text editing and AI color correction capabilities.
• Access to an audio library with over 500,000 songs.

Cons:

• Watermarked videos for free plan users.
• Lacks advanced video editing features.

Pricing: Free, in-app purchases, and paid subscription.

5. Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora – the popular video editing app is improving consistently.

They continue to add new and advanced features, including AI technology, to keep you ahead of the curve.

A continuous production line of Instagram reels helps to improve engagement with the audience.

The pleasing and simple drag-and-drop interface of Filmora ensures quick editing and publishing of reels on Instagram.

Filmora isn’t just beginner-friendly; it’s also budget-friendly.

Even the ‘free plan’ comes with hundreds of graphics, filters, stickers, and special effects for editing your Instagram reels.

Once the video clips are edited and polished, you can upload them to Instagram directly from the editing app.

Pros:

• Drag-and-drop interface for easy reel editing.
• AI features include a music generator, thumbnail creator, image creator, and more.
• A massive library of free stock media.
• Lots of filters, overlays, and special effects.
• Beginner-friendly features such as keyframe, green screen, auto beat sync, preset templates, and more.

Cons:

• Limited cloud storage.
• Limited access to AI features for free plan users.

Pricing: Free and paid plans.

6. Adobe Express

Adobe Express is the ideal Instagram reels editing tool for non-designers.

The tool helps beginners create video clips faster and definitely better.

It not only meets but exceeds the needs of content creators in creating engaging and entertaining reels.

Compared to its earlier iteration called Adobe Spark, this editing tool is more intuitive and loaded with new features.

You can either use the browser version of Adobe Express or download a compatible version from an app store (available on Google, Apple, and Microsoft App Stores).

Its video editing features are on par with other tools you find here.

That said, the sheer volume of stock media, preset reel templates, transitions, and special effects tilts the balance in its favor.

Adobe Express is a freemium video editing tool. You can access all the basic features for free.

But if you want to use the advanced features, you need to subscribe to the paid plan, which is quite affordable.

Pros:

• Lots of premade reel templates for your Instagram content.
• Integration with other Adobe products.
• Edit Instagram reels both online and offline.
• Access to Generative AI features.
• File conversion capabilities.

Cons:

• Limited cloud storage for free users (2GB).
• Minor delays and glitches after certain actions.

Pricing: Free and paid plans.

7. Splice

Want to give a cinematic touch to your Instagram reels?

Look no further than Splice.

This is a mobile-only editor that is lightweight and easy to use.

The tool was exclusively designed for editing short-form visual content.

This small app packs a lot of features, which are made available for free for the first 14 days.

Those who use the premium version of the editor will agree that even the paid plan costs next to nothing.

Splice isn’t only for beginners. The app can be of great help to content creators of all skill and experience levels.

You can shoot, edit, and share your Instagram reels in next to no time. To aid your work, Splice makes available dynamic transitions, speech-to-text tools, awesome filters, Chroma Key background removal, and tons of styles and effects.

Pros:

• Exclusive video editor for Instagram reels, TikTok, and other short-form videos.
• Lots of premade templates, stickers, and filters to create reels people want to see.
• Chroma key to remove background, capability to speed up/slow down clips, and more.
• Ability to save video as a draft (only for paid subscribers).
• Splice video editor app available in Google and Apple App Stores.

Cons:

• Lacks the function to add captions and subtitles.
• No browser or desktop version.

Pricing: Free (14 days) and paid subscription.

8. KineMaster

KineMaster is a mobile video editing app with power and performance equaling desktop-based editing software.

The editing tool has an attractive and intuitive interface, which is much better than most other video editing apps.

KineMaster comes with an impressive range of features and functionalities.

Features such as multi-layer editing, text overlays, titles, motion graphics, shape masks, chroma key, layer blending, color and lighting adjustment, and transitions make video editing a simple yet enjoyable experience.

Additionally, the editing app allows users to record voice-overs, a feature missing in many other apps.

The app also comes with a large library of templates that can save you a ton of editing time.

On the other hand, if you plan to create your own template, the template library can be a source of inspiration and creativity.

All you need is a free account to access the powerful editing features of KineMaster.

Although the app isn’t as in-depth as some desktop software like Premiere Pro, KineMaster is far better than most Instagram video editors.

Pros:

• Simple and straightforward interface for quick Instagram reels editing.
• Comes with a large library of video templates, animations, and sound effects.
• A wide range of features including green screen, background removal, built-in animation, and more.
• Integration with Google Drive allows easy access and sharing of video files.
• Comes with the capability to record voice-overs.

Cons:

• Occasional issues while exporting large, 4K resolution files.
• Large watermark on videos in the free plan.

Pricing: Free with watermarks and premium subscription plans.

Must-Have Properties of Top Instagram Reels Editing Apps

• The editing app should be intuitive and user-friendly, allowing users to enter, import, and edit reels quickly.
• The app should include numerous eye-catching transitions, tasteful visual effects, and graphics to keep viewers engaged.
• Title and text overlays can enhance communication with the audience; therefore, the editing app should facilitate easy addition and customization of titles and text.
• The Instagram reels editing app should offer multiple track editing features for seamless editing of video, graphics, and audio.
• Look for apps that offer pre-made video templates to streamline the editing process for reels.
• The app should integrate with cloud storage for convenient access to video files and enable direct exporting of reels to Instagram.

Final Thoughts

Instagram Reels editing apps can be your ally in video editing for social media, giving a professional touch to your content, making it fun and entertaining, and encouraging the audience to take the action you desire.

The eight editing tools I just listed above are among the most popular, with millions of users and overwhelmingly positive reviews.

These apps are suitable for beginners and professionals alike, for creating both simple, authentic reels and sophisticated short-form clips.

Now that you have a clear understanding of the top 8 best Instagram Reels editing apps, it’s time to make a decision.

Choose your preferred app and start creating Instagram Reels.