Everyone repeats this to push you toward paid editors. Tested it: the watermark only appears when you use a template from the Templates tab, or specific paid effects. Edit from scratch on the free tier and your export is clean.
Pros
— Free tier exports clean 1080p with no logo
— Watermark is opt-in, tied to templates, not the app
Cons
— Some trending effects ARE paywalled and re-watermark
— Account region changes can re-enable it
Price: free; Pro is $7.99/mo.
Best for: anyone editing manually who got scared off by old screenshots.
Verdict: the watermark myth is template-only. Build from blank, export clean, skip Pro until you need the cloud features. Not for you if you live in trending templates.
Shorts Stack Tested
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Myth: CapCut always slaps a watermark on Shorts exports
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