Google is preparing to bring its mobile video editing app, YouTube Create, to iOS users nearly two years after launching exclusively on Android. According to job postings reviewed recently, the tech giant is recruiting engineers in Bengaluru, India, specifically to develop the upcoming iOS version.
Initially debuted in September 2023, YouTube Create offers free mobile editing capabilities designed especially for creators on the platform. It provides various tools such as stickers, GIFs and special effects suitable both for short-form videos (YouTube Shorts) and longer-form content. The app’s creation followed extensive consultations with roughly 3,000 creators, as Google aimed to build an editing suite tailored to their needs.
Despite these efforts, YouTube Create faces intense competition in this crowded space. Applications like CapCut, owned by ByteDance, and InShot currently lead the category by wide margins. According to market analytics, YouTube Create significantly trails behind these established players in terms of download numbers and monthly active users (MAUs). For instance, CapCut and InShot achieved 66 million and 21 million Android downloads, respectively, during the latest quarter. Comparatively, YouTube Create garnered fewer than 500,000 downloads in that period and has reached just around 4 million downloads since its initial launch.
The disparity is even more profound when examining active user figures. CapCut boasts approximately 442 million MAUs in Android alone during the recent quarter, whereas InShot maintains roughly 92 million. In stark contrast, YouTube Create attracts fewer than a million monthly active users.
On iOS—the platform Google now targets—the competitive landscape remains just as daunting. CapCut is dominant with an impressive 194 million MAUs, followed by InShot at 25 million. Similarly, CapCut along with Instagram’s Edit application lead iOS downloads this quarter, accumulating 28 million and 7 million downloads respectively.
Nevertheless, YouTube Create has begun seeing promising signs of growth. Year-over-year, the app’s monthly active user numbers rose by 28% in the second quarter, outpacing competitors like CapCut (9% growth) and InShot (7% decline). Sensor Tower’s senior insights analyst Abe Yousef observed that, despite facing steep competition from more established rivals, YouTube Create could still expand its market share with the introduction of an iOS app.
Yousef also noted potential indicators of loyalty among YouTube Create users, suggesting that while download figures remain modest, the growth in active user numbers indicates increasing repeat engagement. However, YouTube Create’s 90-day retention metric remains low, around 1%, compared to CapCut’s 7% and InShot’s 4%.
Further highlighting engaged usage, users spend roughly 38 minutes per month on YouTube Create, whereas CapCut users average 62 minutes monthly. Session frequency additional illustrates the engagement gap; YouTube Create averages 11 app sessions per user monthly compared to CapCut’s 23.
On the global stage, YouTube Create’s largest market remains India, accounting for 51% of total MAUs, down significantly from 67% last year. Indonesia represents the second-largest user share at 21%, trailed by Germany, Brazil, and the United Kingdom, collectively comprising around 12% of the app’s global users. Notably, YouTube Create experienced robust user growth in several markets including Spain, South Korea, France, and Singapore—with year-over-year increases ranging from 71% to 119%.
Analysts indicate the app has achieved better daily-to-monthly active user ratios in India, improving from 9% last year to 12% currently, suggesting strengthened daily engagement within that market.
Despite these encouraging signs, experts suggest the launch of a dedicated iOS app for YouTube Create could prove critical, though stiff competition from social media-linked editors and native phone video editing tools will persist.
