From social media influencers to professional filmmakers, everyone needs powerful video editing software to craft visually engaging content. Whether you’re an aspiring content creator, an entrepreneur needing to polish promotional videos, or a seasoned videographer, choosing the right video editing software is essential.
Video editing software can help you transform raw footage into polished, professional-quality content. But with so many options available, it can be tough to figure out which one suits your needs. To save you time and effort, we’ve compiled a list of the five best video editing software options for both professional and personal use.
In this article, you’ll discover the software that will help you elevate your editing game, whether you’re a professional looking for high-end features or a casual user seeking simplicity.
What Makes the Best Video Editing Software?
Before diving into the best options, it’s crucial to understand what makes video editing software stand out. Here are some features that separate excellent video editing tools from the rest:
- Ease of Use
Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, the software should be intuitive. A clean and user-friendly interface helps streamline your workflow. Drag-and-drop functionality, clear tool icons, and customizable layouts are essential for both new and seasoned users. - Performance and Speed
No one likes to deal with laggy editing software. The best tools offer smooth performance, even when handling 4K or 8K footage. Fast rendering times and support for various formats are also key to ensuring an efficient workflow. - Advanced Features
Professional-grade video editing requires advanced tools like multi-cam editing, 3D editing, motion tracking, and color correction. Software with built-in special effects, transitions, and templates allows you to enhance your videos without third-party plug-ins. - Compatibility
Good video editing software should be compatible with both Mac and Windows systems. Additionally, it should support a wide range of file formats (MP4, AVI, MOV, etc.) and export options so that your final product can be used across platforms. - Customer Support and Tutorials
For beginners and even pros, customer support and access to a wealth of tutorials make a difference. The availability of a learning curve that’s supported by tutorials, forums, and FAQs is valuable for both learning and troubleshooting.
With these key elements in mind, let’s explore the top video editing software available today.
The Best Video Editing Software at a Glance
To make things easier for you, here’s a quick comparison of the five best video editing software options. This table provides an overview, including pricing, top features, and who they’re best suited for.
| Software | Key Features | Best For | Pricing |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | Multi-cam editing, VR editing, color grading, motion graphics | Professionals & advanced users | $20.99/month (or $239.88/year) |
| Final Cut Pro X | Magnetic Timeline, 360-degree VR editing, Motion graphics templates | Mac users, professionals | $299.99 (one-time purchase) |
| DaVinci Resolve | 8K editing, Fusion for VFX, Fairlight for audio, advanced color correction | Filmmakers & advanced color grading | Free (Studio version: $295) |
| HitFilm Express | VFX and compositing, unlimited tracks, 3D models integration | VFX artists & hobbyists | Free (Pro version: $349) |
| Wondershare Filmora | Easy drag-and-drop interface, built-in transitions, music library, screen recording | Beginners & casual users | $49.99/year or $69.99 lifetime |
The Best Video Editing Software for Professionals and Personal Use
1. Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the most popular video editing software options in the world, particularly for professionals in filmmaking, broadcasting, and content creation. It offers a versatile suite of tools for everything from basic trimming and cutting to advanced color grading, VR editing, and motion graphics integration. This software is a central part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud, meaning it integrates smoothly with other Adobe products like Photoshop and After Effects, making it the ideal choice for professionals who need a robust, interconnected workflow.
Key Features:
Multi-Cam Editing: This feature allows you to synchronize and edit footage from multiple camera sources simultaneously. Whether you’re shooting an interview from different angles or covering a live event with various cameras, Premiere Pro makes it easy to switch between angles, providing real-time previews of all synced footage. You can even make live adjustments while editing, which is essential for time-sensitive projects like news broadcasts or concert edits.
Lumetri Color Tools: Premiere Pro’s Lumetri Color panel provides advanced color correction and color grading capabilities. Whether you’re adjusting brightness, contrast, saturation, or applying creative looks with LUTs (Look-Up Tables), these tools give you total control over the visual aesthetic of your project. The color wheels and curves allow you to isolate specific colors or ranges for a highly professional grade.
Seamless VR and 360-Degree Editing: With built-in support for immersive video formats, Adobe Premiere Pro allows editors to create VR and 360-degree content with ease. You can stitch together 360-degree footage, add transitions, and apply effects, all while viewing the content in a virtual reality headset, ensuring your final product offers a truly immersive experience.
Dynamic Link with After Effects: Premiere Pro’s integration with Adobe After Effects is seamless, enabling you to import compositions from After Effects directly into Premiere Pro without rendering. This dynamic link is ideal for adding professional motion graphics, visual effects, and animations to your project without exporting and re-importing footage, thus saving you time and system resources.
Support for High-Resolution Formats: Adobe Premiere Pro is built to handle high-resolution video formats, including 4K, 8K, and beyond. It’s ideal for editors working on high-end projects that require maximum video quality, such as feature films or commercial projects. The software uses proxy workflows to keep editing smooth even on lower-end hardware.
Pros:
- Industry-standard, used by professionals globally.
- Integration with other Adobe tools is seamless.
- Regular updates with new features.
- Customizable workspace.
- Advanced tools for both video and audio editing.
Cons:
- The learning curve is steep for beginners.
- Subscription-based pricing can become expensive over time.
- High-performance hardware is required for smooth functionality, especially with 4K and 8K footage.
User Reviews:
Premiere Pro boasts a 4.5/5 rating on G2, with users praising its versatility and the robust suite of editing tools. However, some complain about its high price and occasional software crashes.
Best For:
Premiere Pro is best suited for professionals, filmmakers, and advanced video editors who need a comprehensive tool with broad capabilities. It’s particularly useful for those who already use other Adobe products.
Pricing:
Adobe Premiere Pro costs $20.99 per month (or $239.88/year). If you’re using Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite, you can get it as part of the package.
2. Final Cut Pro X
Final Cut Pro X is Apple’s flagship video editing software and is designed exclusively for macOS users. It offers an intuitive and powerful editing environment with professional-grade features wrapped in a clean, sleek interface. Unlike subscription-based services like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X comes with a one-time purchase fee, making it an attractive option for users who want a long-term solution without recurring costs.
Key Features:
Magnetic Timeline: Final Cut Pro X’s magnetic timeline is a revolutionary feature that makes editing faster and more intuitive. Clips automatically snap into place, preventing gaps and overlaps as you move them around. It also automatically handles ripple edits, making it impossible to accidentally knock your clips out of sync. The timeline is flexible, with color-coding for different types of clips and an easy-to-follow flow that simplifies complex edits.
360-Degree VR Editing: For immersive storytelling, Final Cut Pro X offers comprehensive tools for editing 360-degree VR footage. It supports both stereoscopic and monoscopic 360-degree formats, giving you flexibility in editing spherical video. You can add titles, apply effects, and even reorient the VR footage directly within the software. VR headset compatibility ensures you can preview your edits as they’ll appear to the viewer.
Multicam Editing: Final Cut Pro X excels at multicam editing, allowing you to sync up to 64 camera angles at once. This feature is perfect for editing complex projects, such as live events or multi-camera interviews. You can switch between angles in real-time and fine-tune edits after the fact, giving you full creative control over the final product.
Advanced Motion Graphics Integration: Using Apple’s companion software Motion, you can create and import highly customizable motion graphics and 3D animations. Titles, lower thirds, and transitions can be tailored to fit your project’s aesthetic, making it easy to produce professional-quality videos with stunning visuals.
Efficient Proxy Workflow: Final Cut Pro X allows you to generate proxy media, which are lower-resolution versions of your clips. This enables smooth editing even with high-resolution footage. Once the edit is complete, the software seamlessly replaces the proxy clips with the original high-resolution files during export, ensuring the final product is of the highest quality without sacrificing editing speed.
Advanced Color Grading: With Final Cut Pro X, you get an array of advanced color correction and grading tools. The software features a color board for simple adjustments, as well as color wheels, curves, and hue/saturation controls for more detailed work. You can apply color corrections to individual clips or entire projects and use built-in LUTs for fast, professional color grades.
Pros:
- One-time purchase fee instead of a subscription model.
- User-friendly interface, especially for Mac users.
- Excellent rendering speed compared to many competitors.
- Built-in support for advanced features like 360-degree video and HDR.
- Works seamlessly with other Apple software and hardware, providing an optimized experience for macOS users.
Cons:
- Limited to macOS, leaving Windows users out.
- While user-friendly, it may still be challenging for beginners.
- Lacks some third-party plug-ins available in Adobe Premiere Pro.
User Reviews:
Final Cut Pro X is rated 4.4/5 on G2, with users loving its ease of use and seamless integration with macOS. Users, especially YouTubers and filmmakers, appreciate its streamlined workflow and fast rendering capabilities. However, some users note that the lack of cross-platform support is a drawback.
Best For:
Professional editors who work on Mac and prefer a one-time purchase software. It’s also great for filmmakers and content creators who need a balance between performance and ease of use.
Pricing:
Final Cut Pro X costs $299.99 as a one-time purchase, making it a cost-effective solution for long-term use.
3. DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve is the go-to software for professional filmmakers and editors, especially when it comes to color correction. It’s a favorite in the industry due to its comprehensive toolset that spans video editing, visual effects, audio post-production, and professional-grade color correction, all in one package. One of the best things about DaVinci Resolve is that its free version offers almost all the essential features, making it a top choice for both professionals and hobbyists alike.
Key Features:
Advanced Color Correction: DaVinci Resolve is best known for its professional-grade color correction tools, offering features like primary and secondary color correction, Power Windows for isolating specific areas of your footage, and a node-based workflow that allows you to apply complex color grades. It supports industry-standard formats and color profiles, making it perfect for high-end productions that need precise control over their visual style.
Fusion for Visual Effects: Resolve’s Fusion module gives you access to a full VFX suite, which includes tools for compositing, 3D modeling, particle effects, and motion graphics. This makes it possible to create Hollywood-level visual effects without needing to export your project to another piece of software. It’s a go-to tool for editors working on films, commercials, or any project that requires complex visual effects.
Fairlight Audio Post-Production: Fairlight is a comprehensive audio post-production tool integrated into DaVinci Resolve. It provides advanced features like multitrack audio editing, real-time audio effects, and immersive 3D sound design. It also includes automatic dialogue replacement (ADR), equalization, and dynamic processing, making it a powerful tool for both audio and video professionals.
8K Editing Support: DaVinci Resolve supports ultra-high-definition formats, including 8K resolution, allowing you to edit large-scale, professional video projects. Despite the huge file sizes, Resolve uses optimized media and proxy workflows to ensure smooth playback and editing, even on less powerful hardware.
Collaborative Editing: DaVinci Resolve Studio offers unique collaborative editing tools, enabling multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously. This is particularly useful for large-scale productions like films, where different editors, sound engineers, and colorists need to work together in real time.
Pros:
- Offers one of the best free versions available for professional video editing.
- Industry-leading color correction and grading tools.
- Fusion and Fairlight provide VFX and audio post-production in one package.
- Ideal for complex video projects that require high-resolution editing.
- Constant updates and improvements from Blackmagic Design.
Cons:
- The interface can be intimidating for beginners.
- The free version lacks collaborative editing, noise reduction, and a few other high-end features available in the Studio version.
- Resource-intensive software, requiring high-performance hardware.
User Reviews:
DaVinci Resolve holds a 4.7/5 rating on G2, with reviewers praising its color correction capabilities and the extensive free feature set. Some users point out that it can be overwhelming for beginners but is a powerhouse once you get the hang of it.
Best For:
Professional filmmakers and editors, particularly those focused on color grading. It’s also great for those on a budget who need professional-grade software at no cost.
Pricing:
DaVinci Resolve is free, while the Studio version costs $295, offering additional features like collaborative editing, 3D tools, and noise reduction.
4. HitFilm Express
HitFilm Express is a fantastic option for video editors who are looking for a free, yet highly capable, tool with an emphasis on visual effects (VFX). It’s a unique blend of a video editor and a VFX software, offering hundreds of special effects, compositing options, and advanced editing tools for users interested in creating Hollywood-style productions at home.
Key Features:
VFX and Compositing: HitFilm Express is well-known for its powerful VFX tools. With over 400 visual effects and presets, users can create professional-level CGI and motion graphics right from within the software. Whether you’re adding explosions, particle effects, or 3D models, HitFilm Express provides the flexibility to craft unique visual elements for your projects, making it popular among indie filmmakers and YouTube content creators.
Unlimited Video and Audio Tracks: Unlike some entry-level software, HitFilm Express allows for unlimited video and audio tracks. This feature gives you the freedom to create complex video projects with multiple layers of effects, sound, and footage. It’s ideal for editors who need to manage intricate sequences without being limited by software restrictions.
3D Rendering and Import: HitFilm Express supports the import of 3D models, enabling you to integrate CGI into your video. You can animate and manipulate these models, creating effects like spacecraft flying through the sky or adding 3D objects to live-action scenes. The built-in renderer ensures smooth performance, even with complex animations.
Motion Tracking: The software features robust motion tracking tools, which allow you to track moving objects in your footage. This is particularly useful for adding visual effects or titles that follow the motion of objects in the scene, such as tracking a car or a person and adding special effects to match their movement.
Green Screen Keying: HitFilm Express includes high-quality chroma key tools for green screen compositing, allowing you to easily remove backgrounds and insert your subjects into new environments. You can fine-tune keying settings to get clean, professional results, making it perfect for YouTube videos, short films, and special effects-heavy projects.
Pros:
- Free software that’s packed with professional-grade VFX tools.
- Allows for both video editing and VFX in one package.
- Perfect for filmmakers interested in special effects-heavy projects.
- Regular updates from the developer, ensuring continuous improvement.
- Supports up to 4K video editing.
Cons:
- While the free version is comprehensive, certain advanced features require paid add-ons.
- Can be complex for beginners who just want simple video editing.
- Steeper learning curve compared to other free options.
User Reviews:
HitFilm Express scores 4.2/5 on G2, with users loving its powerful VFX and compositing features. Some reviewers mention that while the free version is great, the paid add-ons can add up, and the software can be challenging for newcomers.
Best For:
Filmmakers, content creators, and hobbyists who are focused on visual effects and compositing. It’s also perfect for those looking to experiment with VFX without investing heavily.
Pricing:
HitFilm Express is free, but various add-ons (like premium effects or 3D tools) range from $9 to $50.
5. iMovie
iMovie is Apple’s free video editing software, specifically designed for macOS and iOS users. While not as feature-rich as the professional options listed above, iMovie is an excellent tool for beginners or casual users who want to create professional-looking videos without the complexity. Its clean, simple interface makes it easy to pick up, and it integrates well with other Apple products, offering a straightforward editing experience.
Key Features:
Simple Drag-and-Drop Interface: iMovie’s intuitive interface is perfect for beginners. You can easily import media and drag it onto the timeline to start editing. The software offers basic tools like trimming, splitting, and arranging clips, making it ideal for users who want to create professional-looking videos without the steep learning curve of more advanced software.
Pre-made Movie Templates: One of iMovie’s standout features is its variety of pre-made movie templates. These templates include themed transitions, titles, and background music, allowing you to create polished videos quickly. You can simply drop your clips into the template, and iMovie will automatically apply the effects and transitions, making it perfect for personal projects or quick social media posts.
4K Editing Support: Despite being a free tool, iMovie supports 4K video editing, allowing users to create high-quality projects. This makes it suitable for modern video production needs, even on an amateur or hobbyist level, where 4K resolution is becoming increasingly common.
Seamless Integration with Apple Devices: As part of Apple’s ecosystem, iMovie works effortlessly with other Apple products. You can start editing on your iPhone or iPad and continue the project on your Mac, thanks to Apple’s continuity features. This integration allows for easy media transfer between devices, making your workflow more flexible.
Green Screen Effects: iMovie includes a basic green screen tool, allowing you to replace backgrounds in your video with different footage or images. It’s simple but effective, making it easy for beginners to experiment with chroma key effects without requiring complex software or setups.
Soundtrack Creation: With iMovie, you have access to a library of built-in soundtracks and sound effects. You can easily add background music to your projects, and iMovie integrates seamlessly with GarageBand for more advanced audio editing. This feature is perfect for creating videos with professional-quality soundtracks, even if you don’t have experience with audio production.
Pros:
- Free and included with macOS and iOS devices.
- Perfect for beginners or casual users.
- Clean and intuitive interface.
- Supports 4K video editing.
- Seamlessly integrates with Apple’s ecosystem.
Cons:
- Lacks advanced features required for professional video editing.
- Limited to macOS and iOS devices.
- Doesn’t offer as much customization as other options.
User Reviews:
iMovie is rated 4.3/5 on G2, with many users praising its ease of use and effectiveness for simple projects. However, more advanced users express frustration over its lack of complex features and customization options.
Best For:
Casual users, beginners, and those who need a free, easy-to-use tool for simple video editing tasks. It’s ideal for personal use, especially for those already within the Apple ecosystem.
Pricing:
iMovie is free for macOS and iOS users.
Conclusion
Choosing the best video editing software depends on your specific needs, skill level, and budget. Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X are the top choices for professionals, offering high-end features and industry-standard workflows. DaVinci Resolve is the go-to for filmmakers, particularly those focusing on color correction. For visual effects enthusiasts, HitFilm Express is an excellent free option, while Wondershare Filmora offers simplicity and ease of use for beginners and casual users.
Each of these tools brings something unique to the table, making them suitable for different users, from hobbyists to professional filmmakers. With the right video editing software, you can bring your creative vision to life, regardless of your experience level.
