YouTube Create Set to Launch on iOS as Google Steps Up Video Editing Competition
App Expansion Aims to Close User Gap with CapCut and InShot
YouTube Create Heads to iOS After Android-First Debut
Google is preparing to launch its mobile video editing app, YouTube Create, on iOS devices—nearly two years after its initial rollout on Android.
- Job postings in Bengaluru, India confirm Google is actively hiring engineers for the iOS project, signaling a strategic push to reach more creators across platforms.
- YouTube Create first launched in September 2023 in the U.S. and seven other markets, expanding to 13 more by early 2024.
Features and User Experience
YouTube Create offers free video editing tools tailored to content creators, with features such as stickers, GIFs, and effects for both Shorts and longer videos.
- Developed in consultation with over 3,000 creators, the app is designed to compete directly with ByteDance’s popular CapCut and established rival InShot.
Facing Intense Competition
Despite strong feature development, YouTube Create lags far behind its main competitors in both downloads and engagement:
- In Q2 2025, CapCut and InShot recorded 66 million and 21 million downloads on Android, compared to fewer than 500,000 for YouTube Create.
- Monthly active user (MAU) numbers are even starker: CapCut at 442 million, InShot at 92 million, and YouTube Create with fewer than 1 million.
iOS Landscape: Opportunity and Challenge
The competitive environment on iOS is equally intense:
- CapCut leads with 194 million MAUs in Q2, followed by InShot with 25 million.
- CapCut and Instagram’s Edit tool have dominated recent iOS downloads.
Growth Momentum and User Retention
Despite these challenges, YouTube Create is showing momentum:
- A 28% year-over-year increase in MAUs in Q2 outpaces CapCut’s 9% growth and contrasts with InShot’s 7% decline.
- However, user retention remains a hurdle: Only 1% of YouTube Create users remain active after 90 days, compared to 7% for CapCut.
User Engagement and Geographic Expansion
Engagement metrics reveal a usage gap:
- YouTube Create users average 38 minutes/month in the app, while CapCut users spend 62 minutes and open the app twice as often.
- India remains YouTube Create’s biggest market, but its global presence is growing, especially in Indonesia, Germany, Brazil, and the U.K.
- Spain, South Korea, France, and Singapore have all seen rapid growth in monthly active users.
Outlook for iOS Launch
Bringing YouTube Create to iOS is a critical move to increase its market share and diversify its audience, especially as video editing becomes more central to social media content creation.
- The app’s rising loyalty in India and other emerging markets suggests it can find a foothold, though CapCut and InShot remain dominant.
