The right video editing app for Instagram depends on which format you're posting, because reels, stories, feed video and carousels ask different things of an editor. A reel needs beat cuts and a strong hook. A story needs speed. A carousel needs layout, not a timeline. This page goes format by format and says which kind of app fits each, then when one app can cover several.
What does each Instagram format need from an editor?
| Format | Shape | Export size | What the editor has to do well |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reels | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 or higher | Cutting to music, text on a hook, one colour look |
| Stories | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Fast trims, stickers and text, posted the same day |
| Feed video | 9:16 or 4:5 | 1080 × 1920 or 1080 × 1350 | The same as a reel, framed for the feed |
| Carousels | 4:5, 1:1 or 3:4 | 1080 × 1350 for 4:5 | Layout and text across cards, every card one ratio |
Instagram shares most video you post to the feed as a reel, so in practice "feed video" and "reel" use the same editor. The difference is framing: a 9:16 video fills the Reels tab, while the feed can show it cropped closer to 4:5, so keep the subject and the text in the middle. Vertical video dimensions has the safe zones.
Which app is best for Instagram reels?
Reels are where the editor matters most. The cuts and the hook carry the whole video.
- Edits is Instagram's free editing app for iPhone and Android: a timeline, beat markers and templates you fill with your own clips. It shows the beats; you place the cuts. Instagram Edits app goes deeper.
- CapCut on phone or desktop is the free all-rounder, with Auto Cut to the beat and auto captions.
- Easy Reels is a web app that detects the beats in your song, places your clips on them and saves the edit as a template, so the next reel is one click and a batch makes 10 (Pro) or 50 (Ultra).
If you edit one reel at a time, the first two are enough. If you post the same format every week, the time goes into rebuilding the edit, which is the problem a template tool removes. Reels editor covers the features to check.
What should you use for Instagram stories?
Usually Instagram itself. Stories last a day and are meant to be quick: pick a clip, trim it, add a sticker or a poll, post. Editing a story for half an hour in a separate app works against the format.
Use a separate app when the story is planned content, like a product launch or an announcement you'll reuse in highlights. Then any reel editor works, since both are 9:16. A reel exported from Easy Reels, CapCut or Edits can be posted as a story too.
How do you edit feed video for Instagram?
Edit it like a reel, then check the framing. Two things change:
- Pick the shape on purpose. 9:16 fills the screen in the Reels tab. 4:5 takes the most space in the feed without cropping. Choose one before you edit, not at export.
- Mind the grid. The profile grid shows a crop of your cover. Put any cover text in the centre. Reel covers explains how to pick that frame.
Desktop editors like DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro make sense here when the feed video is a longer piece with careful grading or several audio tracks.
Which app makes Instagram carousels?
A carousel is a set of up to 20 images or videos, swiped left to right, and it's a layout job, so video timeline apps are the wrong tool.
- Canva is the common pick: carousel templates, brand kits, and designs you can export card by card.
- Easy Reels builds carousels in the same editor as its reels: up to 20 still cards in 4:5, 1:1, 9:16 or 16:9, with image and text layers and the same filters as its reels. It also makes single images.
Whatever you use, every card has to share one ratio, or Instagram crops them all to the first one. Instagram carousel sizes covers the sizes and margins.
Can one video editing app for Instagram cover every format?
Mostly. Fewer apps means your fonts and files live in one place. Here's how the common picks spread across formats:
| App | Reels | Stories | Feed video | Carousels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram's own editor | Quick ones | Yes, the default | Yes | Posts photos and clips you already have |
| Edits | Yes | Yes, export at 9:16 | Yes | No |
| CapCut | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not its focus |
| Canva | Text-led ones | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Easy Reels | Yes, beat-cut and batched | Yes, export at 9:16 | Yes | Yes, up to 20 cards |
Choose by the format you post most. If that's beat-cut reels from your own footage with carousels alongside, Easy Reels covers both from one library. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial with full access; after it, Pro is $19 a month and Ultra $39, and you're never charged if you cancel before it ends. There's no free plan, and it doesn't generate footage: it edits the clips and photos you upload. If your posts are mostly talking to camera, CapCut or Edits will serve you better.
Common questions
What video editing app do Instagram creators use?
On the phone, Edits and CapCut come up most, next to Instagram's built-in editor. Canva is common for text-led posts, and DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro on desktop. There's no single standard; pick by the format you post most.
Is Edits better than CapCut for Instagram?
They overlap a lot. Edits is made by Instagram for Instagram and is free; CapCut is free with paid extras, works on desktop too, and cuts clips to the beat for you with Auto Cut. Try both with the same clips.
What size should Instagram video be?
1080 × 1920 (9:16) for reels and stories, and 1080 × 1350 (4:5) for portrait feed posts and carousels. Easy Reels exports reels at 1440 × 2560, which is the same 9:16 shape at a higher resolution.
Can I edit Instagram videos on a computer?
Yes. Desktop editors and web apps like Easy Reels and Canva run on a computer, and you can post from Instagram on the web. Post reels from desktop covers it.