# Concat Video Editor vs OpenCut

> Pick OpenCut if you want to edit in a browser tab with nothing to install. Pick Concat if you want a desktop or Android app with local captions, voices and background removal.

URL: https://concatvideoeditor.com/compare/concat-vs-opencut
Updated: 2026-10-18
Source: Concat Video Editor Guide, an independent guide. Not the official Concat website.

OpenCut and Concat both started as free, open-source answers to CapCut, but they took different roads. OpenCut is a web editor that runs in your browser and is now in the middle of a full rewrite. The Concat video editor is a native app for desktop and Android with local AI voices and cutouts built in.

## Is Concat better than OpenCut?

For most people who want to finish a video today, the Concat video editor does more. It ships auto captions, text to speech, voice cloning and background removal in one app. OpenCut classic has local auto captions too, but voice synthesis and AI subject cutouts are not documented for it. OpenCut wins on convenience, since you open a web page and start cutting.

Both projects are young. Concat went public on August 25, 2026 and is labeled beta. OpenCut is older and far more popular on GitHub (over 90,000 stars when we checked), but its own README now says the classic code is the one to use while the new version is built.

## What is happening with OpenCut in 2026?

OpenCut is being rewritten from the ground up. The README lists an editor API, plugins, an MCP server for AI agents, a headless mode and one Rust core for desktop, mobile and browser. The rewrite lives at new.opencut.app. The classic version still runs at opencut.app, while its GitHub repository is archived and the team is not taking outside contributions during the redesign.

That leaves a gap. The version you can use today is frozen. The version that will get new features is not ready. If you need an editor that gets regular fixes right now, the Concat video editor is the one still shipping new builds, with each release posted on the Concat GitHub page.

## How do OpenCut and Concat handle AI captions?

Both run Whisper on your own device, so nothing is uploaded. OpenCut classic loads Whisper models (Tiny, Small, Medium or Large v3 Turbo) in the browser through Hugging Face Transformers. The largest one wants WebGPU. Concat uses whisper.cpp with Tiny (78 MB), Base (148 MB) or Small (488 MB) models in English or multilingual versions.

In our test, Whisper Base in the Concat video editor transcribed a 7-second voiceover in about 20 seconds on the CPU. Captions land on the timeline at the bottom, center or top of the frame in three sizes.

## How do Concat and OpenCut compare?

*Checked October 2026.*

| | Concat | OpenCut (classic) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| License | AGPL-3.0-or-later | MIT |
| Where it runs | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS (sideload) | Web browser |
| Account | None | None |
| Watermark | None | Not documented |
| Auto captions | Local Whisper (whisper.cpp) | Local Whisper in the browser |
| Text to speech | Kokoro, Pocket TTS, Chatterbox Turbo | Not documented |
| Background removal | Auto, custom and chroma key | Canvas blur and color; AI removal not documented |
| Export codecs | H.264, HEVC, AV1 up to 4K 60 | Browser-based export |
| Status | Beta, active releases | Classic archived, rewrite in progress |

## Which license is better for you, MIT or AGPL?

For editing your own videos, the license makes no difference. Both licenses let you use the editor for personal or paid projects. For commercial work, also check the licenses of your source media and AI models. The difference matters to developers. MIT lets anyone reuse OpenCut code in a closed product. The AGPL on the Concat video editor requires anyone who ships a modified version, including as a network service, to publish their changes.

## When should you pick OpenCut?

Pick OpenCut if you cannot install software, for example on a school or work laptop. A browser tab is enough. Your files stay in local browser storage. It is also a good fit for quick cuts with captions where you do not need voiceover or cutouts. Developers who like permissive licenses may want to follow the rewrite, which plans plugins and an MCP server.

## When should you pick the Concat video editor?

Pick the Concat video editor if you want a full CapCut-style app on your own machine. It covers voices, cutouts, keyframes with a curve editor and 4K export with no account. The concat free download is on GitHub Releases or the official site at concatenate.pages.dev. Expect beta behavior: builds are unsigned, so Windows and macOS will warn you on first launch. There is no built-in template library either. We also saw one export hang without an error until we renamed the output file.

## Questions people ask

### Is OpenCut the same project as Concat?

No. OpenCut is a separate MIT-licensed project run by its own team. Concat is an AGPL project by Jareer (jub0t) that started out under the name WolfCut.

### Does OpenCut need an account?

No. The privacy page in the classic OpenCut code says there is no account system and that projects are stored in your browser with IndexedDB. Concat also has no account.

### Which OpenCut version should I use right now?

The classic version at opencut.app. The OpenCut team says the rewrite at new.opencut.app is not ready to take over yet, even though the classic repository is archived.

### Can OpenCut remove backgrounds like Concat?

Not that we could confirm. AI subject cutouts are not documented for OpenCut classic, so check its current features if you need them. It can blur or color the canvas background, which is a different feature. Concat has auto removal, custom removal and chroma key.

## Sources

- [OpenCut README on GitHub](https://github.com/OpenCut-app/OpenCut)
- [OpenCut classic repository (archived)](https://github.com/opencut-app/opencut-classic)
- [OpenCut website](https://opencut.app/)
- [Concat README on GitHub](https://github.com/jub0t/Concat)