Guide
UGC ad editor for iPhone: how Mashcut works
A UGC ad is rarely one video. Brands want several versions to test, and every version means another edit: picking takes, trimming pauses, typing captions. Mashcut is an iPhone app built for that job. You pick the footage on your phone, and Mashcut's servers cut it into a set of ready-to-post ads.
The short version
- A UGC ad editor turns raw creator footage into finished ads: it picks the takes, cuts the dead air and adds captions.
- With Mashcut you pick up to 5 hooks and your demo, tap Generate, and get one ad per hook.
- It keeps one take of each line you repeated, cuts the ums and pauses, and captions your own words. It adds no music, voices or stock footage.
- Each ad is a 9:16 video at 1080×1920, ready for TikTok, Reels or Shorts.
- The same account works in your browser on a Mac or PC.
What is a UGC ad editor?
A UGC ad editor is a video editor built around the parts of a user-generated ad, rather than around a timeline. A UGC ad is built from a hook that stops the scroll, a demo that shows the product, and a call to action that closes it. The editor's job is to turn raw takes of those parts into clean, captioned ads.
The hook matters most. TikTok's own split testing guide (opens in a new tab) lists video hooks, the opening 2–3 seconds, as a creative variable you can test. So a UGC ad editor should make it cheap to try several hooks on the same demo.
Why not use a regular video editor?
You can. A timeline editor can do everything a UGC ad needs. The cost is time: each version is its own edit, so testing more hooks means more hours at the timeline.
| Task | In a timeline editor | In Mashcut |
|---|---|---|
| Repeated lines and retakes | Scrub every take and pick one | Keeps one take of each line |
| Ums and pauses | Trim them clip by clip | Cut for you |
| Captions | Generate, fix and style them for every file | Burned in from your own words |
| Another hook | Rebuild the edit | One more ad, up to 5 per set |
| Where you work | A timeline | Your iPhone, or your browser |
How does Mashcut turn one shoot into ads?
You choose the clips; Mashcut does the cutting on its servers and sends the ads back to your phone.
- Pick your hooks. Choose up to 5 hook takes from your camera roll. A hook can be a line said to camera, or a reaction or reveal with no words.
- Pick your demo. Choose up to 10 demo clips, and a call to action if you filmed one. A silent screen recording works as a demo.
- Tap Generate. Mashcut keeps one take of each line you repeated, cuts the ums and pauses, and adds captions from your words. It makes one ad per hook, each followed by parts of your demo and your call to action.
- Review and share. Swipe through every ad, fix any caption, and share the ones you'll post.
If you filmed one long take instead, Auto Edit turns that single take into a set of ads. An ad's hook can be a short line written from something you said, and you can change it before you export.
Clips can run from 1 second to 3 minutes, with up to 10 minutes of footage per set. For the full shoot plan, read how to test hooks from one shoot.
What do the finished ads look like?
- One file per ad. A 9:16 MP4 at 1080×1920, up to 35 seconds long.
- Captions you can read. Burned in from your own words and placed clear of the feed's buttons.
- Labelled by hook. Each exported file carries its ad's number, so you and a brand can tell the versions apart.
What can you change after an ad is made?
You can fix the words: change any caption, or rewrite or remove the title. Within limits, you can correct the cut too: use another take of a part, or trim, split or remove a clip. Exporting doesn't use a credit, even again after an edit.
What does Mashcut cost?
New subscribers start with a 3-day free trial. After that, Creator includes 100 credits a month and Pro 300, billed monthly or yearly. Making an ad uses one credit, and if Mashcut can't make it, the credit comes back. Prices are shown before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mashcut free?
New subscribers get a 3-day free trial. After that, Mashcut needs a Creator or Pro plan.
Does Mashcut work on Android?
There's no Android app. On a computer, you can use Mashcut in your browser with the same account.
Does Mashcut add music, AI voices or stock footage?
No. It edits what you filmed: it keeps one take of each line you repeated, cuts the ums and pauses, and adds captions from your own words.
Who owns the footage?
You do. Mashcut doesn't claim your clips, and it doesn't use your footage, audio or words to train AI models.
Can I use Mashcut for brand work?
Yes. Deliver up to 5 hook variants per brief from one shoot, each in its own labelled file, and bill for them.
Your next hook test starts with one shoot
Film your hooks, add your demo and get up to 5 ads back. Try it free for 3 days.
