I know CapCut vs DaVinci Resolve is probably an unfair comparison in some ways because they are not really trying to be the same thing. But I got tired of constant subscriptions and wanted to get smth for free, and that’s how I downloaded these two programs. 

So yeah, I’ll be talking only about the free desktop versions of CapCut and DaVinci and share my thoughts about my experience with them.

First things first, let’s talk about the interface

I started with CapCut because I already knew it from mobile edits. On desktop, it’s still super approachable and easy to use. Since I’ve got some experience editing in other pieces of software, I didn’t have any issues figuring out how to do stuff in CapCut. The layout is simple, all things are labelled properly, and it surprised me that I didn’t even need a single tutorial to make a simple edit.

I loved CapCut’s drag and drop approach and the fact that you can preview how various text templates, effects, and transitions will look on your footage specifically. I know it sounds like a basic feature in 2026, but trust me, not every editor gives you the option.

DaVinci resolve is a whole other world. I knew that it was considered to be a challenging program, so I knew what I was getting myself into. In reality, I think it’s better than people say online, but definitely more complicated than CapCut and many other editors. I wanted to come prepared, so I watched a couple of “DaVinci Resolve for beginners” tutorials beforehand. They made everything sound so easy, but when I finally launched the software, “easy” was one of the last words on my mind.

It took me waaaay more time to finish a small and simple edit in DaVinci, but I was proud of myself that I managed to do it. I even felt brave enough to go to the Color tab to do slight color grading (which didn’t look good, I gotta be honest).

So if the question is “which software is easier to use?” then the answer is obviously CapCut.

But what about the features?

The big CapCut features that stood out to me were auto captions, templates, background removal, text-to-speech, filters, effects, speed controls, transitions, and all the social-friendly export stuff. Some of the features are only for those who buy the software (like the auto captions, for example), but CapCut still let me test them. I wouldn’t say that the auto captions worked perfectly, I still had to fix a couple of lines, but nothing awful, they got most of the speech right.

Basically, I liked what CapCut offered for free. I was expecting to see a watermark after exporting because their mobile app does that, but turns out it’s not the case with the desktop version as long as you don’t use paid effects. And this is the thing that kinda made me sad (although I understand): the best effects, templates, AI tools, and assets are locked behind Pro. So the free version is perfect for simple edits and some blurs, zooms, flashes, mirroring effects, etc., but very limited for something beyond that.

DaVinci offers much more for free, if you ask me. They keep their auto subs in the paid version too, but I could test motion tracking, made some cool text animations and even motion graphics, cleaned up audio, experimented with their effects like various overlays, noise distortion, film filters, blurs, flares, and much more. I also tried to do simple transitions like fade in/out, zooms, and position changes.

There were practically no limits for the kind of projects I usually do, except for the aforementioned auto subs, I guess. Color correction and color grading are also awesome in DaVinci. As I’ve said, it takes time to figure out how things work there, but once you’re feeling more comfortable with the software, you feel so powerful like you can do anything.

So for me, DaVinci definitely wins this round.

Now let’s talk about performance

I’ve tested both programs on my Windows laptop (i7 CPU + 4070 GPU if you’re wondering), and CapCut felt faster on small projects that I did. It launches quickly, the preview works smoothly, and export doesn’t take long.

DaVinci Resolve also ran well, especially with GPU acceleration, but it feels heavier. Not slow exactly, just more serious. I had a couple moments where the playback got choppy, which is normal, I think, for a program like DaVinci.

Perhaps, if I tried to go absolutely crazy with effects and color grading, DaVinci would be more laggy, but I’m not really into that stuff.

So, what’s the verdict?

I think this is one of those times when I just can’t choose. For some reason my heart is with DaVinci because it just gives you so much more for free. I seriously can’t think of a project that I can’t do there.

But CapCut’s ease of use is extremely appealing. When I edit in CapCut, I just don’t think about it. There hasn’t been a sliver of annoyance because I just felt confident that I could finish the video there. What I’m trying to say is that it gave me zero anxiety and it’s wonderful.

However, I sometimes like the challenge and it was really interesting for me to try to figure out DaVinci, so I guess I’ll stick to it for now. Won’t uninstall CapCut just yet, though, so we’ll see.