Best Apps to Convert Horizontal Video to Vertical in 2026
Phone apps, desktop editors and browser tools that turn 16:9 into 9:16. What each one is best for, and how to choose for your kind of footage.
Quick answer: the best app depends on how much control you want. For hand-guided reframing on a phone or tablet, use Cropper (iPhone, iPad, Android). For automatic reframing inside a mobile editor, CapCut (Auto Reframe requires CapCut Pro). For professional timelines, Premiere Pro Auto Reframe or DaVinci Resolve Studio Smart Reframe, plus the Cropper plugins for hand control. For browser-based tools, Kapwing and VEED. For turning long videos into many clips automatically, OpusClip.
Every tool below converts 16:9 to 9:16. The real question is who decides what stays in the frame: you or the software.
Phone and tablet apps
Cropper. Built only for reframing. You drag the vertical frame with one finger as the clip plays, choose Movie, Sport or Smooth motion between keyframes, add on-device captions and export. Track mode can follow a subject on Pro. Free with a watermark; Pro from $4.99 a month. Best for sport, interviews, podcasts, dance and travel, where the framing decides the story.
CapCut. A full mobile editor with templates, effects and an Auto Reframe tool that tracks the subject for you. Auto Reframe is a CapCut Pro feature. Best if you already edit everything in CapCut and want speed over precision.
Desktop editors
Adobe Premiere Pro. Auto Reframe creates editable position keyframes, with Default, Slower and Faster tracking. Requires a Creative Cloud subscription. Read our guide to Premiere Auto Reframe alternatives.
DaVinci Resolve Studio. Smart Reframe analyses the clip and lets you set a reference point. It is part of the paid Studio version, not the free version.
Cropper plugins. Hand-guided 9:16 and 1:1 reframing inside Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, for editors who want automatic speed to give way to deliberate framing.
Browser tools
Kapwing and VEED. Online editors with smart resize features that track subjects and let you adjust framing on a timeline. Free tiers add watermarks; paid plans remove them.
OpusClip. Focused on cutting long videos, such as podcasts and webinars, into many short vertical clips automatically, with captions.
How to choose
One clear subject, lots of clips: an automatic tool saves time.
Several people, fast action or brand work: hand-guided reframing gives better results. See Cropper vs CapCut Auto Reframe.
Working in a professional timeline: stay in Premiere or Resolve and add a reframing plugin.
Privacy matters: prefer tools that process on the device rather than uploading footage.
Tips for any tool
Shoot in 4K so the vertical crop stays sharp. Leave space around your subject. Check safe zones so captions and app buttons do not cover faces. Our step-by-step guide to converting horizontal video walks through the process.
Try Cropper free
Download Cropper and turn your next wide clip into a vertical story, framed your way.
Download Cropper on the App Store · Get it on Google Play
All product names are trademarks of their owners. Details are based on each company's public information as of October 2026 and may change.