CapCut, the popular video editing app owned by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, faces a potential U.S. ban alongside TikTok due to national security concerns, leaving creators scrambling for alternatives as the crackdown on ByteDance apps intensifies.
By Ariana Masters
CapCut, the popular video editing app owned by ByteDance, may soon vanish from U.S. app stores alongside TikTok. While the focus has been on TikTok’s impending ban, many creators are unaware that CapCut and other ByteDance-owned apps, such as Lemon8 and Hypic, could also be affected. This potential crackdown stems from the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, signed into law by President Biden in April 2024. The legislation targets ByteDance and its subsidiaries due to national security concerns over potential data sharing with the Chinese government.
CapCut, launched outside China in 2020, has become a vital tool for content creators, boasting over 200 million users worldwide and ranking as the second-most downloaded photo and video app in the Apple App Store. Known for its user-friendly templates and alignment with TikTok trends, CapCut is essential for creators who rely on it to produce content for social media.
If banned, CapCut won’t disappear overnight but will no longer be available in app stores, and existing users will lose access to updates. Over time, the app will become unusable as bugs accumulate. Creators are left scrambling for alternatives, and ByteDance has yet to find a buyer for its U.S.-based assets.
While the incoming Trump administration could intervene, the Supreme Court has shown little sympathy for ByteDance in recent hearings. For now, creators face the prospect of losing not just TikTok but essential tools like CapCut, highlighting the sweeping impact of this legislation on the content creation landscape in the U.S.
This looming ban underscores growing tensions between national security priorities and the digital tools shaping modern creativity.
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