Quick verdict: Edits vs InShot is a contest between clean exports and template convenience. Edits exports watermark-free for free and keeps the path to Instagram short; InShot offers a bigger template and effects library, but its free exports carry a watermark. If you post mainly to Instagram and hate paying to remove a logo, Edits wins. If you want a ready-made look in seconds, InShot’s library is genuinely tempting.
InShot has been a go-to phone editor for years, and its appeal is easy to understand. It is fast, it is approachable, and its template and effects library lets a beginner make a video that looks polished without learning much. For creators who make a lot of short, fun content, that library does real work.
Edits takes a different approach: fewer templates, but a cleaner deal. It is free, exports carry no watermark, and because it is Instagram’s own editor, the route from editing to posting is short. This page compares them the way you would actually use them: price and watermark first, then templates, then the desktop question.
Side by side
| Category | Edits | InShot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free, with paid pro |
| Watermark | None on exports | Watermark on free exports |
| Platform | Android and iPhone | Android and iPhone |
| Templates | Growing, Instagram-linked | Large template and effects library |
| Timeline control | Clean and focused | Straightforward, effects-led |
| Desktop app | None official | No desktop app |
| Best for | Instagram-first creators | Template-led creators |
Where Edits wins
Edits wins first on the watermark, and this is the decisive point for most creators. Every free InShot export carries a watermark, and removing it means paying for pro. Edits exports are clean at no cost, which matters most for creators who post daily: a watermark on every video either looks unprofessional or becomes a monthly bill. With Edits, that decision never arises.
Edits also wins on the Instagram workflow. Because it is Instagram’s own editor, the path from finished edit to published Reel is short, and the editor is tuned for the formats Instagram actually rewards. InShot is a fine general editor, but it is not built around one platform’s feed, and that shows in small frictions: extra export steps, extra decisions, and no direct line to the place your video will live.
Where InShot wins
InShot wins on templates and effects, and this is not close. Its library of templates, transitions, filters, and stickers is far larger than Edits’ growing set, and for a creator who wants a ready-made look, that library saves real time. A trending template can turn a plain clip into a finished video in minutes, and InShot’s effects are fun in a way Edits’ more restrained toolkit is not yet trying to be.
InShot’s second win is approachability for casual creators. Its interface is friendly, its tools are forgiving, and it handles quick jobs — trimming a clip, adding music, dropping in a sticker — with almost no learning curve. If your videos are light, playful, and frequent, InShot’s ease can matter more than Edits’ cleaner exports, especially if you already pay for pro.
The desktop question
Neither editor has a desktop app. Edits has no official desktop app, and InShot has no desktop app either, so both live on your phone and both can only reach a computer through emulator or Apple-silicon routes, with mixed results. If a desktop workflow is a priority, neither app is the answer — a desktop editor such as DaVinci Resolve, Filmora, or Premiere Rush will serve you far better, and we compare those elsewhere in this hub.
That parity is actually useful, because it removes the desktop from this decision entirely. Choose between Edits and InShot on phone editing alone: clean exports and Instagram fit against templates and effects. And if you do edit at a desk, consider a split workflow instead: draft and post quick pieces from the phone, and do longer, layered work in a desktop editor that was built for a keyboard and a big screen.
Pricing and watermarks in detail
Edits is free, and its exports carry no watermark. InShot is free with a paid pro tier, and its free exports carry a watermark. That single difference shapes the whole comparison for daily posters: with InShot, every free video either shows the watermark or costs money to clean, and the cost adds up across a year of posting. With Edits, the question never arises, because the free version is the whole editor for practical purposes.
InShot pro is not a bad deal if you genuinely use its library every day. It removes the watermark and unlocks the full template and effects set, and for a creator whose whole style depends on those templates, pro pays for itself quickly. But be honest about whether you need it: if you use one or two templates a week, Edits’ free, clean exports are the better value. Try InShot’s free version for a month of real posts before paying, and count how many times the watermark actually bothered you.
The template question
Templates are InShot’s strongest argument, but they come with a catch that creators often discover late: a template look is a shared look. The same trending template appears on thousands of videos, and audiences notice when a creator’s style is indistinguishable from everyone else’s. Edits’ smaller, more restrained toolkit pushes you toward a simpler, more personal style — less flashy on day one, but more recognisable over time.
The practical answer for many creators is to use templates as a starting point, not a signature. Borrow a template’s timing or transition idea, then rebuild it with your own colours, fonts, and pacing. That way you get InShot’s speed without its sameness, and you build editing judgement that transfers to any editor. If you find yourself unable to make a video without a template, that is a sign to spend a week in Edits, where the simpler toolkit forces you to learn cuts, pacing, and captions — the skills that make any template look better.
Who should pick which
Instagram-first creators: pick Edits. If Reels are your main output, Edits’ watermark-free exports and short path from edit to post make it the natural choice.
Template-led creators: pick InShot. If you want a ready-made look in seconds and post playful, effects-heavy videos, InShot’s library is the fastest route.
Budget creators: pick Edits. If you want a capable editor that costs nothing and exports clean video with no upgrade decisions, Edits is the simpler deal.
Daily posters: pick Edits. If you publish every day, a watermark on free exports is either a quality problem or a monthly bill, and Edits avoids both.
Everywhere creators: use both. Cut fast Instagram pieces in Edits and playful, template-led pieces in InShot. Keeping both costs nothing at the free tier.
Trying both before you decide
The cheapest way to settle this comparison is to run the same project through both editors. Take one real video and cut it in Edits first, then rebuild it in InShot using a template, paying attention to how long each version takes and how the finished videos look side by side. If the InShot version looks clearly better and took less time, its library is earning its keep. If the two versions look similar, Edits’ clean exports are worth more than InShot’s templates for your style.
While you test, watch for the two things that most often decide this choice. First, the watermark: export from InShot’s free version and look at the finished video with fresh eyes, as a viewer would, and ask whether the watermark bothers you. Second, consistency: the editor that gets you posting regularly is the right one, and a template library that makes posting fun can be worth more than a cleaner deal you rarely open.
Mistakes to avoid
The biggest mistake is paying for InShot pro before you know you need it. Use the free version for a month, count the watermark’s real cost to your videos, and only then decide. The second mistake is the opposite: choosing Edits and then resenting its smaller template library on a project that genuinely needed a ready-made look. Match the editor to the videos you actually make, and avoid unofficial “premium unlocked” downloads of InShot: they are a common route for malware, and the official free version is the safe way to test it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Edits better than InShot?
For Instagram-first creators who value watermark-free exports and zero cost, yes. For creators who want a large template and effects library, InShot is better.
Is InShot free?
Yes, with a paid pro tier. The free version covers most editing, but its exports carry a watermark; pro removes it.
Does InShot put a watermark on videos?
Yes, on free exports. Edits exports carry no watermark at all, for free.
Does InShot have a desktop app?
No. Neither InShot nor Edits has an official desktop app. If a desktop workflow matters, consider a desktop editor instead.
Which is better for Instagram Reels?
Edits, for most creators, thanks to its watermark-free exports and short path from edit to Reel. InShot suits playful, template-led Reels.
Can I use both editors?
Yes. Use Edits for fast Instagram cuts and InShot for template-led, effects-heavy pieces. Keeping both costs nothing at the free tier.
See the full set of head-to-heads in our comparisons hub, including the Edits vs CapCut head-to-head.
Download Edits on the App Store
Unofficial guide: this page is not published by Instagram or Meta. The store buttons above link to the official Edits listings on Google Play and the App Store.
Building a style that is yours
Whichever editor you choose, the long game is the same: develop a style viewers recognise. Templates can help you start, but they cannot be your style, because thousands of other creators use the same ones. The creators who stand out tend to have a small set of repeatable choices — a consistent caption style, a favourite transition, a colour palette, a way of opening a video — that they use across every post. Those choices are free, they work in either editor, and they do more for your channel than any single template.
Edits makes this easier in one respect: because its toolkit is smaller, you are pushed to make those choices deliberately rather than leaning on a library. Spend a week deciding on your defaults — caption font and placement, two transitions you actually like, a music style — and write them down. Then, whether you edit in Edits or InShot, apply the same defaults every time. Consistency is what turns a string of videos into a recognisable presence.
If you stay with InShot, the same discipline applies, just with more temptation to resist. Pick a handful of templates and effects you genuinely like, ignore the rest, and use them the same way every time. A small, consistent toolkit beats a large, random one, and it keeps your videos looking like yours rather than like the template library’s. The editor is a tool; the style is the creator’s job, and it is the part no app can supply.