head to head · open source
Shotcut vs cartcut
Shotcut has 15,634 GitHub stars, 1,562 forks, 52 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. cartcut has 828 stars, 79 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Shotcut leads on adoption by 1,788% (15,634 vs 828 stars). Shotcut is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; cartcut is written in TypeScript under MIT. Shotcut has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, cartcut 10%. cartcut was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (video-editor), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Shotcut | cartcut | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 828 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-07 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 79 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Shotcut if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick cartcut if
- You want the cartcut feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and cartcut fits your workflow better
About Shotcut
Shotcut a free, open source, cross platform video editor Features: Roadmap: Install Binaries are regularly built and are available at Contributors Dan Dennedy : main author Brian Matherly : contributor Dependencies Shotcut's direct (linked or hard runtime) dependencies are: MLT: multimedia authoring framework Qt 6 (6.4 minimum): application and UI framework FFTW FFmpeg: multimedia format and codec libraries Frei0r: video plugins SDL: cross platform audio playback See for a more complete list including indirect and bundled dependencies. License GPLv3. See COPYING. How to build Warning : building Shotcut should…
read the full Shotcut overview →
About cartcut
CartCut The finest AI video editor English 한국어 View Demo · Report Bugs · Download · Suggest Features Video editing software designed for motion effects and versatility. In addition to essential features like basic cut editing, animation, sound mixing, external library extensions, project management, and text editing, our software offers a wide range of powerful tools. It also supports layer based editing, which differs from traditional track based editing. This approach makes it easier to apply multiple effects to individual assets, providing greater flexibility and creative control. About The Project You can…
read the full cartcut overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Shotcut or cartcut more popular?
Shotcut has 15,634 GitHub stars and cartcut has 828. Shotcut has the larger community by that measure.
Are Shotcut and cartcut free?
Both are open source. Shotcut is licensed under GPL-3.0 and cartcut under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Shotcut and cartcut?
Shotcut is written in C++ and cartcut in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Shotcut or cartcut?
Choose Shotcut if you want the larger community (15,634 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose cartcut if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.