If you want to improve the quality of your videos, you need to consider using video editing software. Professionals and non-professionals use this video editing software. The software allows you to edit videos on smartphones or your PC. The free video editing software for desktops has more video editing tools than mobile video editing applications.
Creative and eye-catching videos are more engaging in video marketing than photographs alone. This video editing software allows you to create short and long content for YouTube and other e-commerce sites. There is plenty of free and priced video editing software that you can choose according to your needs. To help you choose the best software suited for your needs, we have compiled a list of video editing software with pricing information and pros and cons for each software.
13 BEST VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE
- Da Vinci Resolve – Best video editing software for color grading
- Adobe Premiere pro– Best video editing software for professionals
- Blender – Best video editing software for 3D modeling and sculpting tools.
- Lightworks – Overall best video editing software
- Apple iMovie – the best video editing software for Mac users’ beginners.
- VSDC Free Video Editor – Best video editing software for Windows users
- Shotcut – Best video editing software for audiophiles
- Movavi – Best video editing software for beginners
- Corel VideoStudio Ultimate – Best video editing software for beginners
- Vimeo Create – Best AI video editing software
- OpenShot Video Editor – It is the best open-source video editor.
- Invedio – Best for creating marketing videos.
- Final cut Pro – Best video editing software Mac OS users
#1. Da Vinci resolve – It is best for color grading
Pricing: Free version and $269 for the full studio version
Da Vinci Resolve 16, created by Blackmagic Design, is a non-linear editing software that is excellent for video editing. It is compatible with Mac OS, Windows, and Linux. Da Vinci offers the best color grading tools many professionals prefer to use. It also allows you to import, color grade, and offer basic sound design. It is the most preferred video editing software for commercials, television shows, and films. It has an advanced interface that allows you to cut pages and edit. Da Vinci Resolve has good audio editing and mixing abilities.
| Pros | Cons |
| The interface is well designed and user-friendly | It is complex and requires you to learn |
| Combined video and audio post-production | It lacks support for pre-made templates |
| The free version has enough features especially for YouTube content creators. |
#2. Adobe Premiere Pro – It is the best video editor for professionals.
Pricing: Premiere Pro $240 per year.
It is easy to use and is also excellent for professionals and YouTube content creators who want to create high definition videos. It supports 4K, 8K, and VR formats. In addition, subscribers get updates for free. Its performance is CPU-based and has a regular interface. Its color grading capabilities are limited and has a great stabilization tool.
| Pros | Cons |
| Variety of Multicam angles | Not suitable for non-professionals |
| Lots of organizational tools | Lacks sound effects |
| It has a flexible interface. | |
| High speed |
#3. Blender – Best for 3D modeling and sculpting tools.
Pricing: free
Blender is open-source editing software supporting 3D development, animation, texturing, and modeling. The Blender Foundation was developed in 2002. It is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. In addition, the blender video editing software offers live preview, audio mixing, speed controls, and adjustments. It also has up to 32 slots to add audio, images, and videos. Blender 3.0, the latest version, has new improvements, updates, and additional features. It is also a great software for beginners.
| Pros | Cons |
| You can export files to different file formats | Requires you to learn |
| It is free and has tons of features. | You may experience a bug, especially with heavy projects. |
| You can render with GPU | Has no preview clip |
| Not as easy to use. It requires learning how to use it. |
#4. Lightworks – best overall free video editing software.
Pricing information: free version, Lightworks pro $ 174 per year.
Lightworks is a great video editor with tons of advanced features. It is readily available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. It is also easy to create and share videos on YouTube, Instagram and other social media platforms. Lightworks pro is best for filmmakers. Features include audio capture, social sharing, media library, and HD resolution support.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy and intuitive user interface | You can only save to MP4 to upload, does not have other formats like AVI, MOV, MKV or WebM. |
| Excellent for YouTube video creators who want to share content directly. |
#5. Apple iMovie – Best for Mac users video editing beginners.
Pricing: free
Apple iMovie is a video editing application developed by Apple Inc. You can download it and use it on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to create stunning videos. IMovie supports 4K video and allows you to edit like a pro. It has extra-special effects that slow down actions or speed up scenes. It has thirteen high-fidelity filters that are simple to apply to individual scenes and entire scenes. In addition, iMovie has 100 soundtracks that adjust to the length of your movie. You can also add your voice-over.
| Pros | Cons |
| Simple to use interface | Limited features for advanced users |
| Excellent Chroma-keying tools | Limited to two video tracks |
| Loaded with audio tools | Lacks 360-degree video editing |
| Elegant themes | Time-consuming while importing |
| Lacks motion tracking |
#6. VSDC Free Video Editor – Best for windows users
Pricing: Free version, VSDC PRO for $19.99 per year.
VSDC is a powerful, easy-to-use video editing software. It is inexpensive and has tons of useful tools all in one software. It is freely available to Windows and laptops users. It has a powerful Chroma key, filters, and transitions. In addition, it has the lowest requirements. VDSC is non-linear, and you can blend multiple layers of videotape into a single composition. The VSDC Pro is the advanced version of the free version. It has excellent pro-editing tools and speedier processing.
| Pros | Cons |
| Artificial intelligence art filters | it has a non-standard layout |
| Powerful capabilities such as 360,4K, and chroma key | It does not have a full-screen video preview |
| It is cheap | VSDC Free Video Editor can only be used in windows |
#7. Shotcut – It is best for audiophiles.
Pricing: free
Shotcut is a free video editor for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It supports various formats, 4k resolution support, and requires importing. It is more advanced and easy to use. Shotcut is an open-source video editing software that is full-featured. Features include;
- color correction and color grading,
- interlacing,
- Video compositing across video tracks.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to import media | Does not preview filters |
| Allows direct streaming | |
| It offers a good selection of effects. |
#8. Movavi – best video editor for beginners
Pricing information: $59.95
Movavi adds life to your videos. It allows you to change the background, smooth out videos, add filters, titles, and transitions. It also allows you to add voice-over to your videos. Movavi makes video editing less difficult by allowing you to edit with minimal time. It is available in various languages. It allows you to upload content to YouTube and Vimeo directly. Its features include: adding captions, customizing, adding stickers, transitions, and different filters. It also allows adding music and changing the background.
| Pros | Cons |
| The interface is easy to understand | It does not have advanced clip trimming modes |
| Motion tracking | It is not compatible with Apple Silicon M1 |
| Chroma keying |
#9. Corel VideoStudio Ultimate – best for beginners.
Pricing: Corel VideoStudio Ultimate for free with a 30-day trial, full version for $99.99.
Corel video studio is designed for Windows. It allows you to do video masking and audio ducking. It also allows you to motion track and performs stop motion. It is has a competitive price and low system requirements. It also has loads of features, including drag and drop editing and effects, multi-camera editing, video mask creation, and split-screen templates.
| Pros | Cons |
| The interface is clear and simple. | Weaker audio editing tools compared to other pro editing software. |
| Support for 3D media and 4K Ultra HD | |
| It has fast execution | Has only one video track available |
| Allows color grading | Corel VideoStudio Ultimate can only be used in Windows. |
#10. Vimeo Create – Best for AI video editing software
Pricing: Vimeo Pro goes for $20 per month
Vimeo Business $50 per month
Vimeo Premium $75 per month
It is the recommended video software for small businesses. Using pre-made templates allows you to make social media marketing videos to share on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Vimeo Create makes video editing easy with trim, cut, and merge tools and stunning filters to make striking videos in minutes. Devices supported are; iOS, Android and, Desktop.
| Pros | Cons |
| It has great templates | Requires membership |
#11. OpenShot Video Editor – the best open-source video editor.
Pricing: free
It is readily available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. It has no watermark. It is quick to learn and easy to use the software. It is available in many languages. Features include; 3D animation effects, title editor, audio waveforms, unlimited tracks for watermarks, audios, and background videos. It also has powerful animation and key frames. OpenShot video editor has slow motion and time effects of speeding up or down videos.
| Pros | Cons |
| The interface is simple to understand | It is difficult to align clips that are not more than eight seconds. |
| GPU rendering | Allows you to do simple editing |
| During editing, you have to right-click on each clip and select properties. |
#12. Invedio – Best for creating marketing videos.
Pricing: Free version, business subscriptions are $180 annually, and unlimited subscriptions for $360 annually.
Invedio gives you access to 5000 templates. It is suitable for large enterprises, small and mid-sized businesses, and nonprofit organizations. It allows users to add logos and color schemes to videos. It converts articles into appealing videos for social media marketing on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. It also creates other basic videos such as birthday videos, editorial videos, and digital videos. The free version comes with a watermark. The business and unlimited versions have additional special features.
| Pros | Cons |
| Creates stunning videos for social media marketing | Some voices may sound robotic |
| Ready-made videos in just a few minutes on anything | |
| Offers royalty-free background music | |
| Eye-catching videos for your products |
#13. Final Cut Pro – best for video editors who use Mac OS.
Pricing: free trial for 90days, UDS $299
Final Cut Pro is non-linear video editing software available to Mac OS. It offers the most advanced useful tools for any professional. Also, it has customizable templates, animation key framing, and apple motion integration. In addition, Final Cut has customizable filters and presets and full audio mixing settings. It has advanced color grading with a color inspector with color wheels and color curves. Final Cut Pro has a complete toolset for importing, editing and delivering 360 degrees video.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to use | It has several third-party plug-ins. |
| Has slow rendering | It does not support VFX effects. |
Frequently asked questions
What is video editing software?
Video editing software is used for post-production video editing. It modifies, edits, or manipulates a video file or a movie. You can easily remove, cut, and arrange sections of a video to give it a good flow. Video editing is also known as post-production.
What skills do I need to become a video editor?
You need knowledge of computer operating systems, hardware, and software. Video editors are keen and pay attention to details. They also have a good understanding of media production and communications.
What are the preferred video editors for Linux?
Openshot is an excellent video editor for Linux. Other video editors for Linux are Shotcut, Kdenlive, Lightworks, Da Vinci Resolve Free, and Blender. KDENlive is a good open-source and non-linear video editor on Linux. It uses the MLT framework to process all video operations and create videos. The minimum system requirement for KDENlive is 1GB of RAM.
Which video editing software do most YouTubers use?
Most youtube content creators use:
- Adobe premiere pro
- Lightworks
- iMovie
- Shotcut
- Final cut pro X
What is the simplest software to edit videos?
The simplest software has an easy to use interface and include:
- Apple iMovie
- Blender
- Nero
- Movavi Video Editor
- Hitfilm 4 Express
- Pinnacle Studio
What is the best mobile editor?
Kinemaster is the best mobile editor. It makes editing easy on iPhones and iPad. It is also available for android and chrome OS. You can also download it on your Windows PC if you use an Android emulator such as Bluestacks. It is a free software with a well-designed interface and many features to create stunning videos.
What is the best video editing software for social media videos?
WeVideo is the best for social media videos. Moreover, it is the best online video editor for beginners. This cloud-based video editor works well on Android, IOS, and chrome. It is easy to learn and has tons of features to create engaging videos you can share on social media. It offers unlimited use of stock media, including images, videos, and music tracks.
What is the most popular video editing software?
The most popular video editing software include: