iMovie alternatives

Why people look for a iMovie alternative

People leave iMovie for two reasons. Either they're not on an Apple device, or they've started making social videos and found what's missing: its App Store pages list no automatic captions, no pause removal and no one-tap resize to vertical.

It also moves slowly. The iPhone version's last update was in December 2024.

CapCut: hands-on editing for TikTok and Reels

CapCut is a timeline editor for social videos, known for its templates, effects and one-tap AI tools. Pick it if you enjoy editing and want the biggest library of trending templates and effects.

Free plan: yes, with paid tools locked. Paid from $9.99 a month, on iPhone, Android, Mac, desktop and web. It's still a timeline: you choose every cut yourself, and the captions most creators want are listed under the $19.99 plan.

Clipchamp: a free, simple editor in the browser

Clipchamp is Microsoft's simple video editor that runs in a browser, with templates, stock media and a few free AI helpers. Pick it if you want a free, watermark-free editor in your browser, especially if you already pay for Microsoft 365.

Free plan: yes: 1080p, no watermark. Paid from $9.99 a month, with Microsoft 365, on Web and Windows. You still build the video yourself on a timeline, and silence removal only catches pauses longer than three seconds.

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.

InShot: cheap, quick editing on a phone

InShot is a phone video and photo editor for quick social clips, with a cheap Pro upgrade and a pay-once option. Pick it if you edit on your phone and want the cheapest upgrade around: $19.99 a year or $49.99 once.

Free plan: yes, with some effects locked. Paid from $4.99 a month, or $19.99 a year, on iPhone, iPad and Android. Everything is done by hand on a small screen, and there's no desktop or web version.

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 iMovie alternative should you choose?

Choose CapCut if you enjoy editing and want the biggest library of trending templates and effects.

Choose Clipchamp if you want a free, watermark-free editor in your browser, especially if you already pay for Microsoft 365.

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

Choose InShot if you edit on your phone and want the cheapest upgrade around: $19.99 a year or $49.99 once.

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

When iMovie is still the right choice

For family videos, school projects and anything where you just need to join clips and add music, iMovie is all you need, and it's free with no catches. There's no reason to pay for more until you feel a limit.