REACTCITY

A free reaction video maker, right in your browser

ReactCity is a free online tool for making reaction videos. No downloads, no account, and nothing you record ever leaves your device. Upload a video file, paste a direct video link, or react to a YouTube video, then record your own reaction alongside it using your webcam.

Three ways to react to a video

Drop in a video however you have it. Upload a file straight from your computer for the most reliable recording experience. Paste a direct link to an .mp4 or .webm file hosted anywhere. Or paste a YouTube link to react to a YouTube video without leaving the page. Playback, pausing, and marking moments all work fully, and you can record your reaction using your browser's screen capture.

Pause and react, exactly when you want

Hit space bar (or the Pause & React button) to freeze the video the instant something happens, instead of scrubbing back and forth trying to catch the moment after the fact. Mark timestamps as you go so you can jump straight back to your favorite reactions later, without rewatching the whole thing.

Your webcam, positioned exactly how you want it

Turn on your camera and choose how it appears: a floating box you can drag and resize anywhere on screen, or a clean split screen layout with you on top or on bottom. Mirror it if that's how you're used to seeing yourself on camera, and drag the corner handle to resize it freely when you're using the floating box layout.

Export in the format your platform actually wants

Recordings from an uploaded file or direct link can be exported in landscape (16:9, standard YouTube), vertical (9:16, the shared format for Snapchat, Instagram Stories, YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Reels), or square (1:1, classic Instagram feed). Pick the format before you record so the framing matches where you're posting.

Free, and it stays that way for reacting and recording

ReactCity doesn't require signing up to use the core recording tool, and your videos are processed entirely in your own browser. We don't see or store your camera feed, your uploads, or your recordings on any server.

Guides

How to make a reaction video people actually want to watch

The biggest difference between a reaction video that holds attention and one that doesn't usually comes down to pacing. Reacting to every single second flattens your best moments. Save your energy for the parts that genuinely surprise, impress, or annoy you, and let quieter moments actually stay quiet. Viewers can tell the difference between a real reaction and a performed one, and the real ones are almost always the ones that get shared.

Framing matters more than people expect. If your face is too small in the frame, viewers lose the emotional read that makes reaction content work in the first place. That's part of why a split screen layout, where your reaction takes up real space instead of a tiny corner box, tends to perform better than a small floating webcam. Good lighting on your face (even just facing a window) does more for watchability than almost any other single change.

Finally, use pause strategically. Freezing the video right at a big moment and reacting to it, rather than talking over the top of it, gives your commentary room to breathe and gives editors (including you, later) a clean beat to cut to if you're trimming the video down afterward.

Reaction videos and fair use, explained simply

Fair use is a legal concept, not a guarantee. There's no simple checklist that makes any reaction video automatically "safe." That said, a few factors are what courts and platforms tend to weigh most heavily, and understanding them helps you make better decisions rather than just hoping for the best.

Transformation matters. A video that's just someone else's content with your face in the corner is a much weaker fair use case than one where you're adding genuine commentary, criticism, or analysis. Your reaction and thoughts need to be adding something, not just accompanying the original passively.

Amount used matters. Reacting to a short clip is generally viewed more favorably than reacting to an entire video start to finish with minimal added commentary. Using only what you need to make your point is safer than using everything just because it's available.

None of this is a substitute for actual legal advice if you're building a business around content that depends on it. This is general education, not a determination about any specific video you're planning to post. See our Terms of Service for how this applies to using ReactCity specifically.

Choosing the right format: TikTok vs. YouTube Shorts vs. Instagram vs. standard YouTube

Most short form platforms, including TikTok, Instagram Reels and Stories, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat, all use the exact same 9:16 vertical frame. If you're planning to post the same reaction across several of these platforms, exporting once in ReactCity's Vertical format covers all of them without any extra cropping or re exporting.

Standard, long form YouTube is the exception. It's landscape (16:9), the traditional widescreen shape. If your reaction video is a longer piece meant for a regular YouTube upload rather than Shorts, use the Landscape format instead.

Square (1:1) is worth using specifically for an Instagram feed post rather than a Story or Reel. Feed posts historically favor square or portrait framing, and a square export avoids any awkward auto cropping Instagram might otherwise apply to a widescreen video.

Frequently asked questions