Free & open source · GPLv3 · v0.1.0 Create polished videos fast — free, open, and yours.
Drift is a free desktop video editor that feels simple from the first cut. Drop in video, photos and music, add effects and stickers, generate captions, and export — no subscription, no watermark, no account.
Linux · Windows & macOS (source build)
Features
Creator-speed editing. Desktop freedom.
CapCut is fast — until the watermark, the account wall, or the cloud lock-in. Drift is a free CapCut alternative that keeps the approachable workflow and leaves the strings off.
A timeline that stays out of the way
Stack video, audio, text and shapes. Trim, split, snap and undo — edits feel immediate.
Effects, transitions & templates
Style clips with GPU effects and transitions, then save looks you like as reusable templates.
Stickers, emoji, titles & shapes
Finish the frame without leaving the editor. Optional packs install only when you need them.
Auto captions from speech
Generate captions from talking clips, then tweak timing and wording on the timeline.
Cutouts, masks & green screen
Isolate a subject, mask a clip, or key out a green screen when you need a clean composite.
Speed, reverse & beat motion
Ramp speed, flip playback, fade in and out, and animate to the beat of your music.
Mix and clean audio
Balance tracks with an effect chain, then quiet background noise when a take is rough.
Projects that travel
Bundle a project with its media so collaborators and backups stay together.
How it works
Import. Edit. Export what you previewed.
Preview and export share the same compositor — so the MP4 matches the timeline, not a second rendering path.
Six steps to a finished cut
- 1Import video, photos and music into your media library.
- 2Drop clips onto the multi-track timeline.
- 3Trim, split and arrange — snap when you want precision.
- 4Add effects, text, stickers or shapes.
- 5Generate captions, cut out a subject, or clean the audio.
- 6Export an MP4 that matches what you saw in preview.
Screenshots
Real UI from the editor.
Titles with real style control
Pick a style pack, then tune font, color, outline, shadow and alignment — titles that match the cut without leaving the editor.
Stickers & emoji on demand
Browse sticker packs and drop emoji onto the timeline — optional packs install from Extras when you want more.
Looks you can reuse
Browse GPU effects by category, then save combinations as templates for the next project.
Transitions between clips
Drag a style onto overlapping clips — crossfades, wipes, glitch and cinematic blends with adjustable duration.
Captions without the busywork
Speech becomes editable cues on a dedicated track — ready for social or accessibility.
Cut subjects out of the frame
Mark what to keep, generate a matte, and composite without a studio setup.
Speed that feels intentional
Change playback rate, reverse clips, and fade edges — or open a custom speed curve when you need more control.
Audio effects that fit the track
Chain EQ, space, voice and utility presets from the Sounds library — mix and clean without a separate DAW.
Export formats that match preview
Pick a size, then choose H.264, H.265, AV1, ProRes and more — with quality or bitrate control and matching audio codecs.
Start light, grow as you go
Fonts, stickers and speech models install on demand so the base download stays lean.
Made for
People who want results without the learning curve tax.
Social & short-form creators
Cut, caption and style clips for the platforms you already post to — without a subscription wall.
Teachers & course makers
Explainers, lesson clips and demos with titles, shapes and clean audio in one pass.
YouTubers & podcasters
Multi-track edits, noise cleanup and captions that match what you see in preview.
Teams that share projects
Bundle media with the project file so nothing goes missing when someone else opens it.
Open-source builders
GPLv3 desktop app on Qt 6 and FFmpeg — fork it, ship addons, or just use it.
Download
Free. Open source. Actually free.
GPLv3, no account, no telemetry, no upsell. Version 0.1.0 is early and under active development — please file the bugs you hit.
Linux
RecommendedInstall from Flathub when available, or build from source with CMake.
flatpak install flathub org.cutwire.Drift flatpak run org.cutwire.Drift
Windows
InstallerDownload the Windows installer from GitHub Releases, or build from source with CMake and Qt 6.
# Grab Drift-Setup-*.exe from # github.com/CutWire-Studios/Drift/releases
macOS
Build from sourceNo prebuilt binary yet — clone the repo and build with CMake and Qt 6.
git clone https://github.com/CutWire-Studios/Drift cmake -B build && cmake --build build
Under the hood
Native desktop. One compositor.
Drift is a Qt 6 + FFmpeg app — not a browser tab. Preview and export share FrameCompositor so what you see is what you ship.
- Qt 6 · QMLUI
- C++20 · CMakeCore
- FFmpegDecode & encode
- FrameCompositorPreview = export
- OpenGL / GPU effectsLooks
- ONNX RuntimeCaptions & ML
- Addon packagesFonts & stickers
- GPLv3License
Your next video — on your desktop, tonight.
No login. No trial. No feature tier. Import a clip, make a cut, export.