The best tool for video editing depends on a lot of factors: your technical skills, your passion for learning about your tools, your budget, and the complexity of the work you intend to perform. There’s no single video editor that fits everyone, it’s ok, there are many of them and they may all be good.
To be even more certain, most of the greatest video editing software is free to use, even if you want to acquire more advanced attributes. In the premium version, you can also try it out for free to see if it’s right for your project before buying it.
I’ve used varied kinds of video editing software or apps before for simple projects that have needed just a little throwing together, and I’ve done professional reviews of many of them too. This piece of writing is based on the trial of 60+ video editors and testing of all the best-known programs. After the apps were tested, I presented my list of the best of them for Windows, Mac, and the web.
Superior Video Editing Software
- Wondershare Filmora
- Luxea Pro
- iMovie
- Final Cut Pro
- DaVinci Resolve
- Clipchamp
- Adobe Premiere Rush
- Adobe Premiere Pro
What Features Characterize The Optimal Video Editing Software?
In the first place, the video editing software should be capable of handling your source footage and provide you with the ability to make simple editing transitions.
It’s important to know that certain video editors can do these basic edits for you automatically. This means you can still make changes to your video even after it’s been edited. However, a lot of video editing requires more advanced techniques as well.
- Basic editing. All video makers need a user-friendly interface that enables them to naturally put together a basic edit. This implies the capability to fast-feed or take to the toolbox quickly as well as personalize the interface if possible.
- Advanced editing. While not every editing job implements advanced production tools, these specific projects can demand things like chroma-keying (green screen), object tracking, video stabilizing and lens correction, multi-camera editing for switching between cameras quickly, and color correction. I tried and toyed around with the effect to see if it worked as advertised while I was testing each video editor.
- Efficiency. Resources may be consumed in video editing, thus, the machine’s performance is also relevant. Being able to deal with adjusting preview quality or easily creating low-resolution for fast editing is very crucial. Likewise, I searched the same range of exports. Furthermore, the integration with other platforms was a great advantage to me.
- Tutorials and assistance. The higher the level of video editing, the more you will have to experiment and apply the learned theories. If you have a product that you are going to develop, then good tutorials and YouTube videos are very important. But it is also good if you have a healthy community that generates YouTube videos, forum postings and blog articles in English to help you learn by doing.
- Extras. Integrated stock videos and music tools, additional downloadable templates and graphics, audio mastering interfaces and motion graphics tools, as well as video converters, and footage organization tools, are only a few examples of the extra functionality. These tools are aimed at making the editing process smooth and convenient. While that wasn’t all the time, I also put these extras to test and check out if they make the apps even better.
I ran the test using a 4K HDR video setting with clips of different lengths and subjects. With each app, I did just the basics and checked how I could use advanced features as well. Lastly, I exported the projects onto different mediums and varieties of formats — make sure you don’t spend days working on a project just as it is not transferable.
What’s The Deal With Ai Video Editing Software?
More and more AI video maker apps come every day and they generate videos from scratch. They are magnificent, and there are editing tricks in them too. But you should not expect to get a real video editor with them.
I have chosen some brands that illustrate a similar use of technology for this roundup. But it is not the underlying theme.
A Quick Overview Of Top-notch Video Editing Software
| Name | Best for | Standout feature | Pricing |
| Wondershare Filmora | Beginners | Plenty of AI-powered tools for improving footage | $29.99/quarter for cross-platform plan or $79.99 single-platform lifetime purchase |
| Luxea Pro | Windows users on a budget | A very simple and effective interface that makes the app highly accessible | $49.99/year; lifetime license available for $99.99 |
| iMovie | A free option for Apple users | Simple to use and deeply integrated with Apple’s ecosystem | Free on macOS, iOS, iPadOS |
| Final Cut Pro | Apple users who want a pro-level editor | Highly optimized for Apple silicon-powered Macs | $299.99 |
| DaVinci Resolve | A free, cross-platform option | Cut or Edit: two different workflows for editing | Generous free option available; $295 for Studio edition |
| Clipchamp | Web-based edits from anywhere | Convenient web-based editing plus a ton of integrations and other features | Free plan available; $11.99/month to remove watermark and export above 1080p |
| Adobe Premiere Rush | Fast edits on mobile and desktop | Select your clips in order, then hit Create, and Premiere Rush will edit them together in seconds | Free plan available; $9.99/month Adobe Express plan to uncap exports and access all features |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | A professional suite of video editing tools | Everything you could possibly need in a video editor | $20.99/month, billed annually |
Top Choice For Novice Video Editors Seeking Effects And Extras
Wondershare Filmora (Windows, Mac)
Wondershare Filmora Pros:
- Quick and easy video editor with great features already included.
- You can just pay its price.
Wondershare Filmora Cons:
- (a) Cramming on templates and reliance on social (which may not suit everyone at all).
- Lifetime license includes offering a limited usage of AI features.
Wondershare Filmora offers many essential features that are important for video editing software. At its core is a video editor which is a simple editor with a familiar interface. That allows to create simple video projects.
Just click and drag the clips onto the timeline, then move the inspector pane that pops up when you select a clip.
You can also choose from different options like transitions, titles, stickers, templates, and video effects.. You can easily add them to your project. Being creative is in there with such a large amount that Filmora has a Trending section dedicated to some of the best of them. Or you could search by description or by using the Find Similar feature that pops up in each item.
Similarly, Filmora offers a lot of tools and combines them to make them as easy as the user can grasp. When you launch the application, you may choose from features like Instant Mode which is a step-by-step tool that can help you to pick a template. Add media content, and generate something in just a few clicks.
Wondershare provides all these necessary functions such as a screen recorder, AI-powered tools, and text-to-video. And text-based video editing, and an auto-reframe tool for dealing with aspect ratios that don’t fit your adapting covers. The app will also attract social media users who are making heavy use of social media for the sake of the huge library of templates, various ugly effects. And tools that expedite social media workflows. And it can upload to YouTube and TikTok directly (as well as local surveillance cameras and Vimeo uploads).
Filmora Wondershare Price: $9.99/quarter for a cross-platform plan or $29.99-lifetime purchase (single OS purchase only).
Leading Windows Video Editor For A Mid-priced Option
Luxea Pro (Windows)
Luxea Pro Pros:
- A user-friendly i-price movie cutter.
- Some advanced effects, e.g. chroma-keying and keyframe editing will be presented as well.
- The likelihood of affording the coverage of a lifetime license for the most recent version.
Luxea Pro Cons:
- Lacks high-end features
- There are some of the embedded graphs and effects which are not so super.
Not everybody needs top-notch editing software, but other times, free options just don’t work the way we want them to. That’s where the mid-range options of the Luxea Pro series come forth.
It’s a really simple video editor designed for beginners who want more features than free software offers, but don’t want to spend a lot of money.
And just to round up everything is a user-friendly interface. That is designed to help you obtain all your intents rapidly and effortlessly. Here, on the main toolbar at the top of the page, you will see your media, transitions, titles, and filters. And so forth; drag & drop them to the timeline or over a video clip to apply them. Additionally, you can directly hit a clip-on and change the speed, and opacity. And audio settings and use the keyframe-based transitions as well.
Among many easy-to-use features, Luxea has a few more advanced ones like an easy chroma key effect. Beyond that, it does not contain too many advanced effects and there is nothing like object tracking. However, UV-isolated color within the edit is available. The basic instruments for voice-over, pause frames, and the needed toolbox such as the audio editor and level monitor are available already.
Also, extras like graphics, titles, and unprecedented options are in the editor. Not the great quality ones, but they still work and come with some other extras like social networking icons and holiday extras.
Luxea Pro Price: The current version costs $49.99/year or a lifetime license for only $99.99.
Top Pick Free Video Editor For Apple Users
iMovie (iPad, Mac, iPhone)
iMovie Pros:
- Highly optimized for Apple hardware and very suave, greatly embedded in the Apple ecosystem.
- Simple to use
iMovie Cons:
- Certain extraordinary efforts (for example no editing of vertical video)
For me, it is crashingly difficult to dwell on what iMovie offers for free. The app is for Mac, iPhone, and iPod touch, however, it is the Desktop app that leads to the larger amount of features and usability of the tool.
The main idea is, that it’s simple, very simple that it’s difficult to stumble. Down like you would while using a complex editor. In some ways, iMovie is a simpler version of Final Cut Pro, but it works well with your iCloud Photo Library. Which enables you to preview and quickly drop clips into the timeline. You can make videos from other free editors much better by adding top-notch transitions, title animations, and similar features.
When it comes to some of the latest innovations in the technology, the device is not lacking. A chroma key and video stabilization functions are also available among the filters which adjust the visual appearance of your video. A key benefit of the software is how performant it is, which is something the developer carefully tunes to get. The most out of the restricted hardware that iMovie runs on.
iCloud integration comes in handy, as it accommodates synchronization of your project files across all your devices, making it possible to initiate an edit on your iPhone and refine the same on your Mac later. The final stage is to work with either a local file or add the video directly to YouTube or Facebook. GarageBand has only a few sound effects and music files to be used to liven up all of the videos you create.
iMovie Price: Free
Leading Mac Video Editing Software
Final Cut Pro (iPad & Mac)
Final Cut Pro Pros:
- Completely computerized for the Apple hardware.
- The powerful yet plain interface makes the content be featured more prominently.
Final Cut Pro Cons:
- In sum, other cost-effective (and visual effects and video encoding are different charges)
- Limited to Mac
To begin with, Final Cut Pro is a Mac-only program (outside the iPad version that may come with a lower price and performance). It will narrow the audience to some extent, yet if you own a Mac and you desire a professional video editor. That will not break the bank, you better start with it.
Unlike Adobe’s just one-week trial, Apple has given you 90 days to make that decision and to find out if Final Cut Pro is worth the expense of $299. If you like how well the pro video editor works on new Macs, it might affect your choice. Final Cut Pro is only for Macs.
So, the movie editor might end up being the best software on the list, even better than iMovie, which is similar to Final Cut Pro’s little brother. This is wonderful for giving you the necessary smooth pan. Preview before you finally decide to add the clip to your timeline. Moreover, if you’re a devoted shooter with your iPhone camera, you’ll probably have a great time using the app and syncing it with the iCloud Photo Library.
One of the key selling points now is the built-in support for iPhone Cinematic mode, which lets users adjust focus. And aperture using keyframes even after shooting has been done. It is also characteristic of the app to have an entire line of professional features, including chroma keying, entire object detection, color grading, HDR assistance. And an extensive set of tools for creating graphics and titles.
Additionally to Final Cut Pro itself, you can make your final shots even more professional with additional add-on apps like Motion and Compressor. These $49.99 addons work like separate apps you can install. They’re designed to work smoothly with Final Cut Pro, giving users more title options. Graphics, and content delivery.
Final Cut Pro Price: It costs $299 if paid outright with additional updates included, and there is a 90-day free trial available as well.
Superior Pick For Free Video Editing Software That Works Seamlessly Across Platforms
DaVinci Resolve (Windows, Mac)
DaVinci Resolve Pros:
- A video editing app of that caliber but at an immersible price of the same league.
- A suite of all-in-one editing, color grading, audio mastering, and visual effects software will be our prime tool.
- A pathway for the persons with more features requirement.
DaVinci Resolve Cons:
- The app has a unique style that might mean a bit of getting used to it.
- When it comes to the interface, it seems to be quite difficult in some ways.
DaVinci Resolve may have just proved to be a wondrous discovery in the video editing department. The base version is completely free and offers you access to all the powerful tools of an expert. Not only does DaVinci Resolve represent one of the most advanced video editors. But it also features specialized spaces of work for color grading, sound engineering, visual effects, and motion graphics.
The interface has different workplaces which are on tabs that are placed in the bottom part of the page. This means you can cut to the chase and get into some of the more powerful features, moving objects with Fusion. Or, you can simply skip motion graphics until you get the basics mastered. Moreover, it is an excellent way of carrying out more than one task and finishing all of them utilizing a single web source.
One thing that can trip up new users is that DaVinci Resolve includes two editing workflows: Cut And Edit. They are fit to add a clip in the timeline and finish the job, although Cut is primarily focused on speed. And ideal for user-friendly tools (it contains a group of basic tools to trim and adjust). While the field of Edit is wider and includes tools that usually expected from a more standard editing experience.
Because DaVinci Resolve has become quite reputed for its affordable nature, people from all over can find loads of information. About how it functions beautifully. These are essential in learning of color keying, timing the audio and the video tracks. And how to run the editor’s excellent multi-camera editing workflows.
The free version of DaVinci Resolve comes with 8-bit editing that is outputable in Ultra HD (3840×2160) resolution with a frame rate of up to 60 fps. On top of that, you will require the $295 Studio Version, which offers a range of advanced features. Such as full HDR support several effects, and so on.
DaVinci Resolve Price: Offering for free; $295 for DaVinci Resolve Studio that is typically bundled with Blackmagic Design hardware purchases.
Top-rated Online Video Editor
Clipchamp (Windows 11, Chromium-based browsers)
Clipchamp Pros:
- A web-based video editor that you can use anywhere on any device.
- Easy to operate and highly responsive.
- Contains bonus material, templates, and stock clips
Clipchamp Cons:
- Users will need a fast internet connection for the best results.
- Only 1080p resolution is supported in the free tier.
Clipchamp, acquired via Microsoft, is a web-based video editor running in a browser and is usually available on pretty much any platform. It is also built as a standalone offline progressive app that runs on Windows 11 and Windows 10. On the other hand, If you’re not going to install it locally, the only possibility is to load it in a Chromium-based browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
The best video editors are mostly desktop apps; however, the desktop performance of Clipchamp is admirable. Alongside a fast-flowing internet connection to take advantage of this. The editor recorded no glitches on my M1 Max MacBook Pro test machine. Uploading and processing media takes longer compared to working directly from your local video editor. However, once Clipchamp caches your footage, the editor works quite smoothly.
Right at the core of Clipchamp is a user-friendly interface that allows for video editing with a drag. and-drop timeline just like the one you may used to. The addition of transitions, titles, or even stock media using the category to the left of the screen. Making changes to media in the timeline by selecting it and using the various toggles to the right of the editor interface is possible.
Deploy templates to fast create content for social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok. And then export your creation to YouTube or Instagram, TikTok, or cloud storage providers like Google Drive. There is a lot of free content out there and you can use AVC, which allows you to edit your video.
Clipchamp Price: Trial version with unlimited exports up to 1080p without watermarks. Monthly subscription for $11.99 to get rid of all limits and be able to watch more content.
Top Pick Video Editor For Quick Edits On Both Desktop And Mobile
Adobe Premiere Rush (Android, Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad)
Adobe Premiere Rush Pros:
- Simply load and manipulate clips in just a few seconds, and make easy adjustments and edits in the basic timeline.
- Directly share with the desired platform.
Adobe Premiere Rush Cons:
- Need to pay a subscription fee to enjoy all the services
- Lack of full control and absence of an up-to-date version of editing options.
I had reasonable expectations for the Adobe Premiere Rush, and I’m glad to say I was wrong. This is the best possible way to quickly do video editing jobs. Even though you are going to make use of the Windows or Mac desktop or the mobile environment. Add and arrange your videos in the order you want pick the aspect ratio and start creating.
As of now, Rush will put your shots on a timeline faster than you can even move your mouse. With Rush, this feature allows you to grab that clip and easily adjust the start. The start and end points of each clip and the rest of the timeline will adjust automatically to keep the footage smooth without any breaks. Apart from this, add more clips by choosing the position of the new clip either in front or after the current one.
On the right-hand side of the app are the bins where you will find effects you drag onto your footage, transitions. that you position between clips, and graphics such as titles and overlays. Speed changes and audio adjustments take a snap, while clips can be manually placed there and adjusted for color.
The amount of more complex tools like chroma keying or object tracking are for. The same reason lacking, which is part of the idea. Rush gives out the free plan enabling you to save your projects in 1080p or above resolution with numerous features excluded (such as Adobe’s Auto Reframe tool that is ideal for vertical video creators). There are no watermarks to contend with and you can upload directly to Facebook. YouTube, Instagram, Behance, or to your local drive.
Adobe Premiere Rush Price: The free version is available; a $9.99/month Adobe Express plan is needed for all features and exceeds 1080p output.
Top-rated Professional Video Editing Software For Editing Videos Across Different Platforms
Adobe Premiere Pro (Windows, Mac)
Premiere Pro Pros:
- One of the most potent video editors you can find in the market nowadays.
- For instance, it is AI-based applications such as color match, audio enhancement, and text editing, among others.
- Seamlessly integrates with Adobe products.
Premiere Pro Cons:
- Expensive and needs to be purchased with a monthly or yearly subscription.
- A difficult thing to learn
Adobe Premiere Pro is the top-ranking video editing program from a company that is known for its creative. Advanced applications like Photoshop and After Effects. Very useful, it’s a mini-app that includes all the tools from a basic edit to the more advanced. Stuff such as color grading, chroma keying, and object-tracking.
Editing tools are rather elementary, and Premiere Pro still has a rather simple and clear interface. This way learning to do basic edits becomes easy. Moreover, Photoshop comes with a helpful in-app tutorial, which helps you master different elements of the software.
Moreover, digging into the greater details could be essential for the major functions. By way of example, you can track objects (whether they are automated or manual) in your clips. Auto-keyframing is the smarter choice as Premiere Pro automatically analyzes and creates keyframes that you can fine-tune subsequently.
For this task, you’ll need to learn how to create a clip sequence and use a mask. These other forms track your progress by incorporating an adaptive interface displaying the tools you’ll need to use next. (If you are wondering what this is then you haven’t the need for this program.)
The good news: The fact that Premiere Pro is so well-known means that there is an avalanche of assistance available. Adobe provides both training materials and a huge manual. Or you can learn as you go while watching videos and reading online tutorials whenever you encounter a problem.
Premiere Pro is a feature-rich and legal application, but that’s pretty much the reason why you need to pay for it and subscribe to it. If the Adobe product doesn’t meet your needs and you would like to save, then please choose something cheaper.
Adobe Premiere Pro Price: $20.99/month (annually) or $31.49/month (monthly), and a 7-day free trial is provided.
Which Video Editing Software Is The Top Choice?
Through my choices of apps, the truth is that there is no right way to do video editing. The amount of cash at your disposal will have a great bearing on the choices that will be available to you. But that’s why it’s strongly suggested that you choose DaVinci Resolve. If you are ready to make some investment in the time it takes to learn how to use it. The return will be realized for everything except for a few rare demanding situations.
If there is no money as a limiting factor, Adobe Premiere Pro is not only a good but great candidate. It’s one of the industry-standard applications, and there is hardly a task it cannot handle. Also, the Final Cut Pro which Mac users would see as an advanced tool is something that they could also use.
For everyone else, there come mid-range editors like Filmora and Luxea. Which fill the gap between casual and professional editing tools. The combination of the two products gives you the best of both worlds for the price of performance. If you need a fast edit, I would recommend Adobe Premiere Rush and Clipchamp because. They have excellent free plans that are very simple to use. And 21:9 aspect ratio may give cinema enthusiasts an experience very similar to that of watching a movie in a cinema with a larger-than-life screen.
