The best video editing software in 2024 (including free options)

The best tool for video editing depends on a lot of factors: your technical ability and desire to learn, your budget, and the complexity of what you’re hoping to accomplish. There’s no one-size-fits-all video editor, but that’s ok—the field is flooded with good options, regardless of your platform of choice or level of expertise.

In fact, some of the best video editing software is completely free, even if you’re looking for more advanced features. And premium editors range from industry-standard editing suites used to produce blockbusters to reasonably-priced accessible tools that justify their price tags by saving you time and effort.

I’ve used all sorts of video editing apps over the past two decades—for throwing together personal passion projects, turning in assignments, and even producing video reviews of products with footage and audio that I produced myself. To update this article this time around, I looked at over 70 video editors and tested all the top contenders. Based on my experiences with the apps, these are my picks for the best video editing software across Windows, Mac, and the web.

The best video editing software

What makes the best video editing software?

At the very least, a video editor needs to be compatible with your source material and allow you to make basic edits like trimming and combining clips in a timeline. Some video editors will even perform these basic edits for you, allowing you to adjust things after the fact. More advanced features let you perform more advanced edits, like multi-camera editing and compositing video. As I tested, I kept the following criteria in mind to make sure I was selecting the best video editing software for a wide range of users:

• Basic editing. Every video editor needs a simple, easy-to-use interface for composing a simple edit on a timeline and shifting things around. This includes easy ingesting of content, the ability to quickly access tools like splice or turn off snapping, and ideally the ability to customize the interface and use keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow.

• Advanced editing. While not all editing jobs need advanced tools, certain projects require things like chroma keying (green screen), object tracking, video stabilization and lens correction, multi-camera editing for quickly switching between perspectives, and color adjustment. More video editors are embracing AI with features like text-based editing and background removal. I kept my eye out for and played around with these advanced features as I was testing each video editor.

• Efficiency. Video editing can be a resource-intensive task, so performance matters. Being able to adjust preview quality or easily create proxy files for fast editing is important, but so is optimization. Similarly, I was looking for a range of options when it comes to exporting. And easy integration with other platforms was a huge plus.

• Tutorials and assistance. The more advanced a video editor becomes, the more you’ll need to tinker and learn. Good help content and video tutorials are important, but so is a healthy community producing YouTube videos, forum posts, and blog articles to help you learn quickly by doing.

• Extras. It’s not unusual to find integrations with stock video and music tools, additional downloadable templates and graphics, or other extra features that enhance the editing experience. This includes audio mastering and motion graphic interfaces, video converters, one-click operations for cleaning up video and audio, and tools for organizing footage. When available, I tested these extras to see if they added value to the app.

I tested each video editor using a selection of HEVC 4K HDR clips of varying length and subject matter. I did basic edits with each app and put more advanced features through their paces. Finally, I exported projects in a variety of formats and to a number of different platforms—you don’t want to get all the way through an incredible edit just to find out you can’t export how you need to.

What about AI video editors?

There’s a growing number of AI video apps designed to create videos from scratch. They’re always improving, and they often include editing features too, but they’re not usually what you need if you’re looking for a “true” video editor.

So while some of my picks here do make use of these technologies, it’s not the focus of this roundup. If you’re looking for text-to-video generators or related tools, take a look at Zapier’s picks for the best AI video generators.

The best video editing software at a glance

Best professional video editing software for cross-platform video editing

Adobe Premiere Pro (Windows, Mac)

Premiere Pro pros:

• One of the most powerful video editors on the market

• Includes AI-powered tools like color match, audio enhancement, and text-based editing

• Integrates with Adobe’s other apps

Premiere Pro cons:

Adobe Premiere Pro is an industry-standard video editing tool from a company that specializes in creative applications like Photoshop and After Effects. It’s a highly versatile tool that includes everything for crafting basic edits to more advanced tasks like color grading, chroma keying, and object-tracking.

The basic editing tools are fairly straightforward, and Premiere Pro manages to maintain a clean and uncluttered interface. This makes learning to perform simple edits relatively easy, and Adobe includes a useful in-app tutorial that walks you through the process when you first install it.

Having said that, many of the more complex functions do require some digging. For example, you can apply object tracking to your clips automatically or manually. Going the automatic route lets Premiere Pro analyze and generate keyframes that you can tidy up later. To do this, you’ll need to learn how to create a new sequence from a clip and draw a mask. Other forms of tracking involve customizing the interface to show the tools you’ll need to use. (If you don’t know what any of this means, you almost definitely don’t need Premiere Pro.)

The good news: Premiere Pro’s popularity means that there’s plenty of help at hand. Adobe includes training materials and an exhaustive manual, or you can learn as you go by searching for videos and articles whenever you run into trouble. Adobe is also leaning into AI-powered features like automatic tagging of incoming audio files. And after you add dialogue to your project, you can use the Essential Sound panel to quickly run the Enhance Speech plugin, both new features in 2024.

Premiere Pro is powerful and exhaustive, but that’s reflected in the price and subscription model. If you don’t need everything that Adobe provides, you’ll be better off opting for something cheaper instead.

Adobe Premiere Pro price: $21.99/month (billed annually) or $34.49/month (billed monthly); 7-day free trial available. 

Best free video editing software across platforms

DaVinci Resolve (Windows, Mac)

DaVinci Resolve pros:

• A professional-level video editing app with a generous free tier

• A complete set of editing, color grading, audio mastering, and visual effects tools

• An upgrade path for those who need more features

DaVinci Resolve cons:

DaVinci Resolve might just be the best deal in video editing. The base version is completely free to use and includes a staggering number of professional-level features. Not only is DaVinci Resolve a world-class video editor, but it also includes dedicated workspaces for color grading, audio mastering, visual effects, and motion graphics.

These various workspaces are separated into tabs that run along the bottom of the page. This allows you to dip into some of the more advanced features, like creating motion graphics in the Fusion interface, or to ignore them completely until you’re comfortable with the basics. It’s also a great way to work on several things at once and get everything done within a single application.

One thing that can trip up new users is that DaVinci Resolve includes two editing workflows: Cut and Edit. They’re both suitable for adding clips to a timeline and completing an edit, but Cut is primarily focused on speed and user-friendliness (it includes all the basic tools you need to trim and make basic adjustments), while Edit is there if you need the wider range of tools commonly associated with a more standard editing experience.

Since DaVinci Resolve has exploded in popularity due to its attractive price tag, there are a huge number of resources available to walk you through some of the more complex features. You’ll need these to learn how to use chroma key, sync audio and video tracks, and make the most of the editor’s impressive multi-camera editing workflows.

The free version of DaVinci Resolve is able to edit and output 8-bit video at Ultra HD (3840×2160) resolution with a frame rate of up to 60 frames per second. Beyond that, you’ll need to upgrade to the $295 Studio version, which includes full HDR support, a huge number of effects, and AI-driven features, like transcriptions, auto subtitling, and text-based editing.

DaVinci Resolve price: Free for the standard version; $295 for DaVinci Resolve Studio (often included with Blackmagic Design hardware purchases).

Best Mac video editing software

Final Cut Pro (Mac, iPad)

Final Cut Pro pros:

Final Cut Pro cons:

Final Cut Pro is only available to Mac users (barring the cheaper and less productive iPad version, which I’m not discussing here). This limits its appeal somewhat, but if you use a Mac and you’re looking for a professional video editor with a price tag to match, it should probably be the first editor you consider.

Unlike Adobe’s meager week-long trial, Apple gives you a full 90 days to decide whether or not Final Cut Pro is worth the $299 price tag. One thing that’s bound to impact your decision is just how well Apple’s high-end video editor runs on the latest Mac models. Final Cut Pro is highly optimized for Apple hardware, and some features, like the super smooth slow motion feature introduced in 2024, won’t work on older Intel-based Macs.

The result is a video editor that outperformed pretty much everything else on this list (outside of iMovie, which is effectively Final Cut Pro’s younger sibling). Rolling your mouse over footage lets you smoothly and easily preview a clip before deciding to add it to your timeline. And if you’re a prolific iPhone videographer, you’ll love the way the app integrates with your iCloud Photo Library to boot.

Notably, Final Cut Pro now includes support for the iPhone’s Cinematic mode, where focus and aperture can be adjusted using keyframes after a video has been shot. The app also includes the full gamut of professional features, from chroma keying to object detection, with HDR support and a range of tools for creating graphics and titles. For 2024, Apple introduced new machine-learning-based color correction. Access it by dragging the Color Adjustments effect onto your footage, then activate it in a single click using the Enhance Light and Color button to immediately balance and improve hues throughout the clip.

On top of Final Cut Pro, you can get more professional results with add-on apps like Motion and Compressor. These $49.99 upgrades function as standalone apps but integrate into the Final Cut Pro workflow for even more options when it comes to titles, graphics, and content delivery.

Final Cut Pro price: $299 outright, which includes new updates; 90-day free trial available.

Best online video editor

Clipchamp (Chromium-based browsers, Windows 11)

Clipchamp pros:

• A web-based video editor that you can access anywhere

• Simple interface with speedy performance

• Includes bonus content, templates, and stock footage

Clipchamp cons:

Clipchamp, owned by Microsoft, is a web-based video editor that runs in a browser on just about any platform. It’s also available as a standalone offline progressive web app (PWA) for Windows 11. If you’re not installing it locally, you’ll need to access it using a Chromium-based browser like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

The best video editors are usually desktop apps, but Clipchamp is an impressive exception. You’ll need a fast internet connection to make the most of it, but the editor performed well on my M1 Max MacBook Pro test machine. Uploading and processing media takes longer than it would on a local video editor, but once Clipchamp has cached your footage, the editor is very usable.

At the heart of Clipchamp is an approachable user interface that uses a familiar drag-and-drop timeline. You can add transitions, titles, and even stock media using the categories to the left of the screen, or make changes to media in the timeline by selecting it and using the various toggles to the right of the editor interface.

Use templates to quickly design content for platforms like Instagram and TikTok, and export your creation to YouTube, TikTok, or cloud storage providers like Google Drive. There’s a lot of content available for free, plus you can use an AI video composer to take control of your edit.

Clipchamp price: Free tier available, with exports up to 1080p and no watermarks; $11.99/month to remove limits and access more content.

Best video editor for fast edits on desktop and mobile

Adobe Premiere Rush (Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android)

Adobe Premiere Rush pros:

• Edit clips together almost instantly, and make quick adjustments and edits in the simple timeline

• Share directly to your platform of choice

Adobe Premiere Rush cons:

I didn’t expect much from Adobe Premiere Rush, but I’m happy to say I was wrong. This is quite possibly the fastest way to perform quick video edits, whether you’re using a Windows or Mac desktop or a mobile platform. All you need to do is select your videos in the order you want to see them appear, set an aspect ratio, and click Create.

From here, Rush will place your videos onto a timeline quicker than you can drag and drop. You can tweak the project by clicking and dragging an individual clip’s start and end points, and Rush will adjust the rest of the timeline to avoid putting any unsightly gaps in your footage. Add more clips by clicking and dragging onto the project and selecting whether the new clip should go before or after the current clip.

On the right side of the app, you’ll find bins of effects that you can drag onto your footage, transitions that you can position between clips, plus graphics like titles and overlays. You can make quick adjustments to a clip’s speed or audio settings, or make changes to a clip by adjusting its position and color properties. 

There’s a distinct lack of more advanced tools like chroma keying or object tracking, but that’s partly the point. The free version of Rush allows you to export at up to 1080p, with limitations on some features (like Adobe’s Auto Reframe, a tool that’s great for vertical video creators). There are no watermarks to contend with, and you can upload directly to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Behance, or locally.

Adobe Premiere Rush price: Free version available; $9.99/month Adobe Express plan required for all features and higher than 1080p video export.

Best prosumer video editor for a video toolbox

CyberLink PowerDirector 365 (Windows, Mac)

PowerDirector 365 pros:

• An approachable video editor that’s packed with powerful features

• Quickly use features like stabilization, denoising, and background removal from the app launcher

• Lots of drag-and-drop effects

PowerDirector 365 cons:

PowerDirector 365 blends powerful editing features into a user-friendly package. It’s the sort of video editor you turn to when professional packages like Premiere Pro still feel out of reach in terms of skill level, but you’ve graduated beyond iMovie or CapCut. The app is only a few dollars cheaper per month than Adobe’s industry-standard editor, but you’re paying to side-step the learning curve while still getting decent results.

Performance was top-notch on my testing machine. The app offered to automatically create lighter proxy files on import, which would greatly improve performance on slower machines. There’s also a whole load of learning material awaiting you if you need it, but thanks to the drag-and-drop nature of the app, you should be able to get up and running quickly.

One thing that PowerDirector 365 does that I wish more editors would do is allow you to drag and drop a new clip over the end of an old clip, then give you the option to overwrite, insert the footage on a new track, replace the existing footage (in a way that doesn’t mess up the edit), or create a crossfade in the overlapping area. This sounds simple, but it’s the sort of feature that becomes second-nature when you start building an edit and tweaking clip arrangement.

You can also use the launcher to quickly access features that you might want to apply to a single clip, like background removal, a “greener grass” filter, and quick improvements to denoise footage or repair wind-damaged audio. Lastly, on top of all the drag-and-drop effects are literally thousands of ready-to-customize intros and outros for videos.

CyberLink PowerDirector price: $19.99/month or $74.99/year.

Best beginner video editor for effects and extras

Wondershare Filmora (Windows, Mac)

Wondershare Filmora pros:

Wondershare Filmora cons:

• Heavy focus on templates and social (not suitable for everyone)

• AI features dependent on credits (200/month for subscribers, 1,000 for lifetime purchases)

Wondershare by Filmora is a video editing package that isn’t short on features. At its heart is an easy-to-use video editor with a familiar interface that makes it easy to produce simple video projects. Drag and drop clips into the timeline, then apply transformations using the inspector pane that shows up whenever a clip is selected.

The app is packed full of extras like transitions, titles, stickers, templates, and video effects that can also be dropped into your project. There are so many that Filmora has a Trending section to find some of the best ones, or you can search by description or use the Find Similar button that appears on each item.

Also present are a whole suite of AI features, including text-to-video, an AI stylizer, an AI copywriter, a text-based editing interface, and a handy auto beat-sync tool. You can also click on the Filmora Copilot button in the timeline at any point to chat with an AI-powered assistant to invoke app features and get help.

Wondershare also includes a screen recorder, an auto-reframe tool for working with aspect ratios that don’t match your source video, and an Influence Kit that lets you quickly create intros and outros to videos by customizing flashy templates. The app should appeal to anyone creating for social media, given its huge array of templates, effects, and tools for speeding up social media workflows. And it includes direct upload to YouTube and TikTok (among local export and Vimeo uploads).

Filmora Wondershare price: $49.99/quarter for cross-platform plan or $79.99 lifetime purchase (single OS purchase only).

Best free video editor for Apple users

iMovie (Mac, iPhone, iPad)

iMovie pros:

iMovie cons:

It’s hard to complain about what Apple includes with iMovie for free. The app is available for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, though it’s the desktop app that reigns supreme in terms of overall features and ease of use. 

It emphasizes simplicity over all else, which means it’s hard to get tripped up like you would in a more complex editor. Resembling a vastly simplified Final Cut Pro, iMovie deeply integrates with your iCloud Photo Library, so you can easily preview and then drag and drop clips into the timeline. Transitions, titles, and backgrounds are all high quality, with sharp-looking animations and typography that can help elevate clips beyond those made in other free editors.

There are a handful of advanced features to play with, too. Apple includes chroma key and video stabilization features, on top of filters that transform the look of your video in real time. Performance is a real highlight, as is the case in Final Cut Pro, since Apple carefully optimizes iMovie for its limited range of hardware.

iCloud integration lets you sync project files between devices, perfect for starting an edit on your iPhone and tidying it up on your Mac later. Finishing an edit means rendering a local file or uploading directly to YouTube or Facebook. And just like with GarageBand, there are a limited number of sound effects and music files you can use to spruce up any videos you create.

iMovie price: Free

What’s the best video editing software?

As this selection of apps demonstrates, there’s no one perfect approach to video editing. Your budget will heavily influence your available choices, which is what makes DaVinci Resolve such an easy recommendation. If you’re willing to put some time into learning how to use it, the payoff will be worth it for all but the most demanding of tasks.

If money is no object, Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro also come with strong recommendations. These are industry-standard video editing suites, and there’s very little they can’t do as long as you’re willing to learn the ropes.

For everyone else, mid-range editors like Filmora and PowerDirector 365 occupy a middle ground. These offerings take the sting out of video editing at the cost of raw power. Adobe Premiere Rush and Clipchamp have compelling free plans that are easy to recommend for fast edits. And if you have a Mac, iMovie is already installed and great for quick projects (as long as you’re editing in 16:9 widescreen).

You also shouldn’t discount some of the other editors mentioned throughout this article, like Camtasia for screencasts, VEGAS Pro for a Windows-only alternative to Final Cut Pro, and CapCut for its approachable style and decent free plan.

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This article was originally published in November 2023. The most recent update was in September 2024.