DaVinci Resolve pricing

Is DaVinci Resolve free?

Yes, and it isn't a trial. The free version of DaVinci Resolve is a complete professional editor with colour grading, and it exports up to Ultra HD at 60 frames a second.

What it leaves out is mostly the AI Neural Engine tools, such as Smart Reframe and Magic Mask, plus 10-bit video and very high frame rates. Those need Studio, which costs $295 once.

Free or Studio?

Start with the free version. For cutting, colour and export up to Ultra HD it's all there, and many working editors never pay. Buy Studio when you hit a specific wall: you need Smart Reframe for vertical versions, Magic Mask, or 10-bit footage from a newer camera.

The real cost of Resolve isn't money. It's a suite built for film and TV work, and learning it takes weeks. That's time well spent if editing is your craft, and a lot to ask if you only want a talking-to-camera video finished.

Which should you pay for?

Pay for DaVinci Resolve if you want professional-grade editing and the best colour tools without paying monthly. It's a complex professional suite that needs a strong computer, and nothing in it edits for you.

Pay for Krafto if you film yourself talking and the editing is what you want gone: it makes the first cut from your clips, with the pauses and retakes out and the captions on. No free plan or trial, no phone app, and no template library: you film, Krafto cuts, and you check the result in a browser.

Where Krafto fits

Krafto works differently from every editor on this page: you upload your clips and say what you want, and it cuts the retakes and pauses, adds captions and hands you a first cut. You change things by asking, and the timeline is still there if you want it. It costs $25 a month. There's no free plan, so it only makes sense if editing is the part you want off your plate.