The best video editing software tools, tested and ranked

iMovie came first of nine with 5 out of 5. Three blind judges gave our finished video an average of 5.0 out of 5, and 49 of 50 caption checks passed. A beginner finished a first piece in 13 minutes, and the full brief took us 82 minutes.

iMovie is Apple's free movie maker. It comes on new Apple devices and is also free on the App Store for Mac, iPhone and iPad. You put clips and photos on a timeline, add titles, music and transitions, and export a finished video. It also has templates such as Magic Movie, storyboards and trailers for quick edits, plus colour correction, stabilisation and green-screen tools. It's aimed at everyday users rather than professional editors. That makes it a good fit for a small business owner who wants clean product or social videos without learning a complex program. The Mac and iPhone versions are updated separately, so the exact features can differ between them.

Its weakest part was performance, at 4.5. The 5-minute video rendered in 3.4 minutes, with memory use peaking at 1,746 MB. Users rate iMovie well. On the App Store, checked November 3, 2026, it has 4.4 out of 5 from around 320,000 ratings.

Adobe Premiere Pro came second of nine with 4.5 out of 5. A beginner finished a first piece in 12 minutes, and we completed the full brief in 85 minutes. It exported to MP4, MOV and XML and passed all 10 of our export quality checks, with AI tools like text-based editing on top.

Adobe Premiere Pro is Adobe's professional video editor. You use it to cut footage, fix colour and sound, and add titles and captions, on Windows or Mac, with apps for iPhone and Android too. With version 26.0 in January 2026, Adobe renamed it Adobe Premiere, so you may see either name. It's sold only as a subscription, either on its own or inside Creative Cloud Pro with Adobe's other apps. Newer tools let you cut video by editing its transcript, lengthen clips with generative AI, mask moving subjects automatically and search your footage by describing what's in it.

Its weakest part was value for money, at 4. There's no free version, and the cheapest plan is $22.99 a month on an annual commitment. Adobe as a company has 1.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 7,571 reviews, labelled Bad, with 1,178 in the last 12 months (checked November 3, 2026). 91% give 1 star. These reviews cover all of Adobe, not just Premiere.

DaVinci Resolve came third of nine with 4.5 out of 5. Three blind judges gave our finished edit an average of 4.9 out of 5, and captions passed 49 of 50 checks. The full brief took 118 minutes and a beginner needed 39 minutes for a first piece, so there is more to learn than in simpler editors. Our DaVinci Resolve review has the details.

DaVinci Resolve is a video editor from Blackmagic Design, an Australian company that also makes cameras and editing hardware. It puts editing, colour grading, visual effects (called Fusion) and audio work (called Fairlight) into one program for Mac, Windows and Linux. There's a capable free version, and a paid version called DaVinci Resolve Studio, which you buy once rather than by subscription. Studio adds the DaVinci AI Neural Engine, more effects, noise reduction, Magic Mask and text-based editing, plus support for higher frame rates and resolutions.

Its weakest part was value for money, at 4. The free version did our whole brief, but features like the AI Neural Engine and text-based editing need Studio at $236 one-time. Users rate Resolve highly. On Capterra it has 4.8 out of 5 from 268 reviews, and on G2 4.7 out of 5 from 221 reviews, both checked November 3, 2026.

Final Cut Pro came fourth of nine with 4 out of 5. Three blind judges gave our finished edit an average of 4.3 out of 5, and captions passed 45 of 50 checks. It exported to MP4, MOV and XML and passed 9 of our 10 export quality checks, with tools like Magnetic Mask and auto captions.

Final Cut Pro is Apple's professional video editor for the Mac, with a version for iPad. Apple first released it in 1999. Its best-known feature is the Magnetic Timeline, where clips snap into place and shift out of each other's way so they never overlap by accident. On a Mac you can buy it once, or subscribe through Apple Creator Studio, which also includes the iPad version and Apple's Motion and Compressor apps. On Macs with Apple silicon, it adds AI tools such as Magnetic Mask, which cuts out a subject without a green screen, and searching footage by what's said in it.

Its weakest part was value for money, at 4. There's no free version: it's $299.99 one-time or $12.99 a month through Apple Creator Studio, while two higher-ranked editors are free. We couldn't gather user review data for Final Cut Pro, so we can't report ratings from review sites for this tool.

CapCut came fifth of nine with 4 out of 5. There's a free plan, a 7-day Pro trial with no card needed, and paid plans from $6.50 per seat a month for teams. Three blind judges gave our finished edit an average of 4.1 out of 5, and captions passed 43 of 50 checks.

CapCut is a video editor from ByteDance, the company behind TikTok. It launched in 2019 and runs on phones, tablets, Windows, Mac and the web. It's built for short videos and social clips, with lots of templates, effects and music, and it posts straight to TikTok. You can start free. Paid Pro and Ultra plans add AI credits, premium templates and 1 TB of cloud storage, and a Teams plan adds a shared brand kit. CapCut can also generate video with AI, using its Seedance models, which is paid for with credits and billed by the second.

Its weakest part was performance, at 4. Rendering the final video took 5.6 minutes and used up to 2,721 MB of memory on our reference computer. Users on Trustpilot are very unhappy. CapCut has 1.2 out of 5 from 1,380 reviews, labelled Bad, with 681 in the last 12 months (checked November 3, 2026). 88% give 1 star. The profile is unclaimed, so CapCut doesn't reply to reviews there.

Animoto came sixth of nine with 3 out of 5. Three blind judges gave our finished video an average of 3.1 out of 5, and 36 of 50 caption checks passed. The 5-minute video rendered in 9.9 minutes, with memory use peaking at 4,798 MB.

Animoto is an online video maker that turns your photos and clips into branded videos using templates. You pick a style, drop in your media and text, choose a track from its licensed music library, and export. It runs in your web browser, so there's nothing to install. It's built for people who aren't video editors: marketers making quick social videos, teachers, families and small businesses. You don't get the fine control of a full timeline editor, but you also don't need to learn one.

Its weakest part was features, at 2.5. Templates and licensed music help, but only 6 of our 10 export fidelity checks passed and exports are capped at 1080p. Users are mostly positive but split on billing. On Trustpilot, checked November 3, 2026, Animoto has 3.8 out of 5 from 1,112 reviews, labelled Great, with 30 in the last 12 months. 69% give 5 stars and 13% give 1 star.

Clideo came seventh of nine with 2.5 out of 5. Pro costs $12 a month and there is a free plan, but free exports are watermarked and the results were weak. A beginner reached a first finished piece in 154 minutes, quicker than some rivals, but the full brief still took 303 minutes.

Clideo is a website full of small video, audio and image tools. You open it in your browser, pick a tool such as cut, compress, merge or convert, upload a file and download the result. There is also a basic video editor, which is what we used for our test. It's closer to a collection of one-off utilities than a full editing program. That makes it handy when you just need to shorten a clip, shrink a file to send it, or cut an MP3, and there's nothing to install. It works on any computer with a browser.

Its weakest part was output quality, at 2. Three blind judges gave our finished video an average of 2.0 out of 5, and only 25 of 50 caption checks passed. Users are very positive. On Trustpilot, checked November 3, 2026, Clideo has 4.8 out of 5 from 11,522 reviews, labelled Excellent, with 2,315 in the last 12 months. 92% give 5 stars and 3% give 1 star.

Clipchamp came eighth of nine with 2.5 out of 5. The 5-minute video rendered in 11.8 minutes, with peak memory use of 4,430 MB on our reference machine. Three blind judges gave our finished video an average of 2.5 out of 5, and 30 of 50 caption checks passed.

Clipchamp is a video editor from Microsoft. It runs in your web browser and as an app on Windows 11. You build a video on a timeline from your own clips, stock media, text and templates, and it adds AI helpers that write subtitles, create voiceovers and cut out silences. Personal use is free with a Microsoft account, and free exports go up to 1080p without a watermark. If you have a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, you also get Premium features such as 4K export, premium stock and a brand kit. Some Microsoft 365 work and education licences include a work version.

Its weakest part was ease of use, at 2. A beginner needed 177 minutes to finish a first piece, and the full brief took us 300 minutes. Users are very positive. On Trustpilot, checked November 3, 2026, Clipchamp has 4.8 out of 5 from 7,378 reviews, labelled Excellent, with 2,725 in the last 12 months. 76% give 5 stars and 5% give 1 star.

Wondershare Filmora came ninth of nine with 2.5 out of 5. It exports to MP4, MOV and XML and has a large effects library, but only 7 of our 10 export fidelity checks passed. The 5-minute video rendered in 10.7 minutes, with memory use peaking at 4,567 MB on our reference machine.

Wondershare Filmora is a video editor you install on a Windows PC or a Mac. It's aimed at people new to editing: you drag clips onto a timeline, add effects, text and music, and export. It comes with a large asset library, which Wondershare puts at over 2.9 million items, plus AI helpers such as AI Mate and AI credits for generative features. Free exports carry a watermark. To remove it you pay for an annual plan or buy a perpetual licence, a one-time purchase tied to one version and one device. That choice is one of the main reasons people consider Filmora.

Its weakest part was ease of use, at 2. A beginner needed 187 minutes to finish a first piece, and the full brief took us 355 minutes. Users rate Filmora well overall. On Trustpilot, checked November 3, 2026, it has 4.1 out of 5 from 15,723 reviews, labelled Great, with 479 in the last 12 months. 66% give 5 stars and 13% give 1 star.