Final Cut Pro alternatives

Why people look for a Final Cut Pro alternative

The usual reason is the computer. Final Cut Pro runs only on Mac and iPad, so anyone on Windows, or working with people who are, needs something else.

The other is the price of entry: $299.99 up front, or a subscription, for a professional tool that takes time to learn. For simple talking videos that's a lot of editor.

DaVinci Resolve: professional editing and colour, without a subscription

DaVinci Resolve is a professional suite for editing, colour grading, effects and audio, with a free version and a paid Studio version you buy once. Pick it if you want professional-grade editing and the best colour tools without paying monthly.

Free plan: yes: a full editor, free. Paid from $295, once, on Windows, Mac and Linux. It's a complex professional suite that needs a strong computer, and nothing in it edits for you.

Premiere Pro: professional editors who want full control

Premiere Pro, which Adobe now calls simply Adobe Premiere, is the professional desktop editor used across film, TV and YouTube. Pick it if you edit for a living, or want to, and need full control and the rest of Adobe's apps alongside.

There's no free plan. Paid from $22.99 a month, on a yearly plan, on Desktop, plus a free phone app. It has a steep learning curve and no free version, and its AI tools still leave every editing decision to you.

iMovie: simple, free editing on Apple devices

iMovie is Apple's free, simple video editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad. Pick it if you have an Apple device and want a free, no-strings editor for simple videos.

Free plan: yes: completely free. Paid from Nothing: it's free, on Mac, iPhone and iPad. It only runs on Apple devices, and its App Store pages list no automatic captions or pause removal, so talking videos take manual work.

Filmora: an easy desktop timeline at a low yearly price

Filmora is Wondershare's desktop and phone video editor: an approachable timeline with a long list of AI tools that run on credits. Pick it if you want an easy desktop timeline with plenty of effects, at a low yearly price or a one-time licence.

Free plan: yes: exports are watermarked. Paid from $59.99 a year, or $79.99 once, on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android. Free exports are watermarked, the AI tools cost credits on top of the plan, and you're still editing on a timeline yourself.

Krafto: describe the edit instead of making it

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.

Where it loses: no free plan or trial, no phone app, and no template library: you film, Krafto cuts, and you check the result in a browser.

Which Final Cut Pro alternative should you choose?

Choose DaVinci Resolve if you want professional-grade editing and the best colour tools without paying monthly.

Choose Premiere Pro if you edit for a living, or want to, and need full control and the rest of Adobe's apps alongside.

Choose iMovie if you have an Apple device and want a free, no-strings editor for simple videos.

Choose Filmora if you want an easy desktop timeline with plenty of effects, at a low yearly price or a one-time licence.

Choose Krafto if you film yourself talking, you'd rather describe the edit than make it, and $25 a month with no free plan is acceptable for not editing. No free plan or trial, no phone app, and no template library: you film, Krafto cuts, and you check the result in a browser.

Stay with Final Cut Pro if you have a Mac and want a fast, polished professional editor you can buy once.

When Final Cut Pro is still the right choice

If you're on a Mac and edit regularly, Final Cut Pro is one of the fastest editors there is, and paying once is rare now. Its captions and Smart Conform cover the basics of social video.