OpenCut is a free and open-source alternative to CapCut, designed for users who want full control over their video editing workflow without compromising privacy or paying for premium features. It provides a timeline-based editor with multi-track support and real-time preview, built to be simple yet powerful—inspired by CapCut’s user-friendly interface but without the paywalls. The project targets content creators, educators, and hobbyists who value data privacy and open-source software, ensuring videos are processed locally without cloud uploads or tracking. With a modular architecture built on Next.js and TypeScript, OpenCut supports web, desktop, and mobile deployment, making it accessible across platforms while maintaining a consistent experience.
What You Get
- Timeline-based editing - Intuitive drag-and-drop timeline with multi-track support for video, audio, and text layers, enabling professional-grade editing without complex tooling.
- No watermarks or subscriptions - All core features are completely free to use with no hidden paywalls, forced signups, or watermarks on exported videos.
- Local privacy-first processing - Videos are edited and rendered entirely on your device; no uploads to remote servers ensure complete data ownership.
- Real-time preview - Live rendering of edits with low latency, allowing immediate feedback during trimming, transitions, and layer adjustments.
- Analytics via Databuddy - Optional, 100% anonymized usage analytics to help developers improve the app without tracking personal data.
- Marble CMS-powered blog - Integrated headless CMS for publishing tutorials or content created with OpenCut, using a configured workspace key.
Common Use Cases
- Building a private video content library - Educators and small creators who need to edit sensitive or unpublished footage without uploading it to cloud-based editors like CapCut or Adobe Premiere Rush.
- Creating TikTok/Instagram Reels without subscriptions - Social media content creators who want to remove watermarks and avoid paywalled features while maintaining a familiar interface.
- Privacy-conscious workflow → No data leaks - Users concerned about commercial video editors harvesting metadata or usage patterns, who need an editor that runs entirely offline.
- DevOps teams managing local media tools - Teams deploying self-hosted editing solutions for internal use, leveraging Dockerized PostgreSQL and Redis to ensure consistent environments across development and staging.
Under The Hood
OpenCut is a web-based video editing platform designed with modularity and extensibility in mind, offering a rich multimedia editing experience through a well-organized monolithic architecture. It integrates modern frontend and backend tools to support real-time collaboration and performance optimization.
Architecture
OpenCut adopts a layered monolithic structure that emphasizes clear separation of concerns and modular design.
- The application is organized around a central web layer that integrates domain-specific managers for audio, media, and playback operations.
- Core functionality is encapsulated in reusable managers that promote loose coupling and maintainability.
- The UI is built using React components with a defined hierarchy, incorporating design systems and custom elements for consistency.
- Middleware patterns are used for API handling, and external services like PostgreSQL and Redis are integrated to support scalable data operations.
Tech Stack
The project is built with TypeScript and modern web frameworks to ensure type safety and a smooth development workflow.
- The codebase is primarily written in TypeScript, leveraging Next.js as the core web framework for building responsive UIs.
- A rich ecosystem of UI libraries such as Radix UI, Lucide React, and HugeIcons is used alongside state management via Zustand and form handling with React Hook Form.
- Development tools include Bun for fast builds and package management, Turborepo for monorepo handling, and Drizzle ORM for database operations.
- The project incorporates linting with Biome and testing through Bun’s built-in test runner, complemented by Drizzle Kit for migrations.
Code Quality
The codebase reflects a structured approach to data handling and migration, with consistent application of error handling practices.
- Testing is comprehensive, covering various migration paths and edge cases with clear fixtures and assertions.
- Error handling is consistently implemented using try/catch blocks, particularly in utility functions, though propagation strategies remain implicit.
- Code follows TypeScript best practices and modular organization principles, ensuring readability and maintainability across components.
What Makes It Unique
OpenCut stands out as a developer-friendly, extensible video editing suite that blends real-time collaboration with modular architecture.
- It introduces a unique blend of web-based media processing and collaborative editing tools, making it accessible to a broader audience.
- The modular structure enables extensibility and customization, supporting diverse workflows without compromising performance.
- Its integration of modern UI libraries and state management tools provides a seamless, high-performance editing experience.