11+ Best Video Editing Software in 2024 [Free and Paid!]

Did you ever dream of editing a video so well that it bags you an Oscar? Unfortunately, there isn’t a category for “Best YouTube Video” (yet)!

Even if you don’t harbor ambitions to earn a golden statue, a well-edited video can take you places (or earn you followers)—if you use the right software.

What Are the Best Video Editing Software Options?

The best video editor in the subscription-based paid category is Adobe Premiere Pro. Other amazing options include Final Cut Pro X (exclusive to Mac users only) and Avid Media Composer. If you’d prefer to pay a lump sum for your software, then DaVinci Resolve Studio is an excellent choice.

In contrast, the best free video editing tools are Lightworks and iMovie (Mac users only).

For those looking for a good option for social media videos, invideo is my top choice!

OpenShot distinguishes itself from other free video editing software with its powerful features like timeline editing, unlimited tracks, and video effects.

Its open-source nature ensures that it is always updated and improved by a community of contributors.

After reading this guide, you’ll have all the information necessary to choose the best video editing software program for your needs.

It reveals over eleven incredible free and paid options in 2024. So get your camera out, shoot something, and get ready to edit the hell out of it!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

What Are the Best Video Editing Software Options?

The best video editor in the subscription-based paid category is Adobe Premiere Pro. Other amazing options include Final Cut Pro X (exclusive to Mac users only) and Avid Media Composer. If you’d prefer to pay a one-time-fee for your software, then DaVinci Resolve Studio is an excellent choice.

In contrast, the best free video editing tools are Lightworks and iMovie (Mac users only).

*Pro Tip: The free version of DaVinci Resolve Studio is actually very capable of producing high quality videos… and might I add that I think it’s even better than the free version of Lightworks.

For those looking for a good option for social media videos, InVideo is my top choice!

How to Choose Video Editing Software

When choosing video editing software for your project, make sure to consider the following factors:

User-Friendly Interface

User-friendly implies that you can begin using the software without prior knowledge or video editing skills. Everything you need to make adjustments, add audio, insert titles, and so on should be within arm’s reach so you don’t have to pore over an instruction manual or documentation before starting your video projects.

Advanced Editing Features

As you build proficiency with a software program, your projects will become more ambitious and creative. When that happens, you’ll ideally be using software that provides advanced tools and editing features.

Compatibility With Various File Formats

Video files come in different file formats. Some common ones include MP4, AVI, and MOV. Regardless of the format your video is recorded in, your chosen video editing software needs to be compatible with it.

Pricing Options

Multiple pricing tiers are necessary because customers have different needs, i.e., the more expensive the pricing tier, the more features are at the customer’s disposal. Therefore, if you don’t need all the bells and whistles that come with a software, you should have the choice to pay for a lower subscription tier.

Is a Free Trial Available?

Typically, free trials last 30 days, which is enough time for you to test-run the product. When you’re given a choice to trial software and ample time to do so, it’ll help you make an informed purchasing decision.

Top Video Editing Software for Professionals

The mobile and desktop video editing software applications listed below are among the best you can use to edit your videos this year!

Note: If you are specifically looking for programs that use artificial intelligence for video editing, you can also check out my article on the best AI video editing programs!

Overview

An interesting fact about Adobe Premiere Pro is that it was used to cut the Oscar-award-winning movie, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” The picture took home several awards, including the “Best Film Editing” category. That’s right: Adobe Premiere Pro is the Hollywood standard for editing movies and Oscar winners.

Top Benefits

• Audio Tools: Adobe Premiere Pro provides audio editing tools (like Adobe Sensei) with advanced features like automatic ducking, which lowers a music track when it detects speech.
• Graphics Templates: This video-editing software provides motion graphics templates that let you add custom titles, graphics, etc., to your videos.
• Remote Collaboration: The software’s collaboration tools make remote collaboration between video editors in different geographies possible.
• Color Correction: The color correction and grading tools let you create moods in the different scenes of your videos.
• Automatic Transcription: Its built-in speech-to-text feature lets you automatically transcribe YouTube videos, documentaries, etc.
• Text-Based Editing: One of its newest AI tools lets you transcribe the video using speech-to-text, and then you can actually delete parts of the text and it will delete that part of the video from your timeline. Super useful if you have long talking videos you need to cut down!

Pricing

Adobe Premiere Pro provides three subscription methods:

• Monthly – It costs $34.49 for a monthly subscription. You can cancel at any time with no additional fee.
• Annually, but paid monthly – You can subscribe to an annual subscription and pay $22.99 monthly. However, you may need to pay a fee if you cancel.
• Annual, prepaid – You can pay a lump sum of $263.88 for an annual subscription, but you only have two weeks to cancel if you want a full refund.

Adobe gives you the option of adding a free 30-day trial of Adobe Stock to each plan. You can cancel anytime before the trial expires risk-free.

My Experience Using Adobe Premiere Pro

I know a number of filmmakers who use Premiere Pro for their video editing needs. There’s a reason why they swear by it (and keep paying for it)!

Once you learn how to use the software, it has everything you need as a video editor. You can color your footage, add grain for a cinematic touch, use effects to make the audio sound perfect, change the colors in the video, etc.

Another great thing about Premiere is that almost everyone in the post-production space is familiar with it. So if you’re working with other editors, chances are 75% of them will also be using Premiere. This makes it so much easier to share and collaborate on projects.

Premiere Pro has some exciting developments in store, especially as Adobe has announced some pretty cool plans for AI tools to start coming into the program.

Final Thoughts

Even if you don’t plan to edit movies, Adobe Premiere Pro is the best video editing software application to have in your corner. This software is the gold standard in video editing and is suitable for editors of all skill levels and ambitions.

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Overview

DaVinci Resolve Studio is a great all-in-one video editing software option for professionals who want tons of options for their film editing and who want to be able to try the software out for free before they buy it.

Top Benefits

• GPU Support: DaVinci Resolve Studio is built with performance in mind. It supports multiple GPUs, including Metal for Mac operating systems and CUDA on Windows and Linux systems.
• Advanced Noise Reduction: The software offers spatial and temporal noise reduction for cleaning up noise in images. You can use them independently or in combination.
• Scripting and Automation: DaVinci Resolve Studio supports LUA and Python scripting for custom encoding and workflow integrations. As such, studios of all sizes can create custom workflows for their teams.
• Remote Color Grading: Its remote grading technology lets you synchronize two DaVinci Resolve Studio systems over the internet so colorists can work with clients remotely. The changes made on one system sync with the other automatically.
• Lens Distortion Tools: You can use DaVinci Resolve Studio’s lens distortion tools to analyze and correct spherical lens distortions in your videos.

Pricing

DaVinci Resolve Studio (version 18) costs $295 (at the time of writing). It includes the DaVinci Neural Engine and other advanced features not included in the free version.

My Experience Using DaVinci Resolve

I’ve used DaVinci Resolve with my production team for everything from commercials to short films to music videos to feature films and it has always really impressed me. I will say that there’s definitely a learning curve, and I did watch and follow along with YouTube tutorials whenever I got stuck.

DaVinci definitely has a solid editing program that will let you do whatever editing you need, but where it really excels is in its advanced coloring section (which is still free!).

My favorite part of the coloring system is the tracking window, which lets you track tiny details that you want to change the color of, like changing the color of someone’s shirt or eyes in a scene. The tracking is super good, unlike some other softwares that lose the tracking point half way through the scene.

Final Thoughts

DaVinci Resolve Studio’s free version is excellent, but you’ll get the most out of this software when you upgrade to the paid version. It’s worth considering if your workflow requires advanced features for noise reduction and the like.

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Overview

Using Final Cut Pro means you’ll be in good company: Apple’s partnership with Future Media Concepts (FMC) makes it possible for aspiring post-production experts and film and video editors to earn certifications in the software. So you can use your Final Cut Pro know-how to signal your expertise and possibly land a paying gig. 

Top Benefits

• Object Tracker: Final Cut Pro leverages machine learning to detect objects and faces in your videos, matching their movement to titles and effects.
• Cinematic Effects: You can transform videos shot with your iPhone 13 in Cinematic mode by changing their focus points, adjusting their depth-of-field, and tweaking the blurring in specific parts of the video.
• Magnetic Timeline: You can move and trim clips without experiencing issues with syncing or collisions with Final Cut Pro’s Magnetic Timeline. The feature also supports color coding for organization and the use of Compound Clips to bundle disparate video and audio clips into a single package.
• Duplicate Detection: This feature lets you spot video and audio that appears multiple times in your project.
• Motion: Final Cut Pro’s Motion feature makes creating effects and graphics for your videos intuitive.

Pricing

Apple charges a one-time payment of $299.99 for Final Cut Pro. You can try the software for free for 90 days.

My Experience Using Final Cut Pro

Personally, I wasn’t a huge fan of Final Cut Pro, but maybe it’s because I’m a DaVinci Resolve user.

I couldn’t find the button to cut my clip in half, so I had to Google it. Most of the other softwares, I felt like it was pretty easy to find what I was looking for.

But that being said, I have heard that Final Cut Pro is great for newbies or people who just need to edit content occasionally because it’s so user friendly.

So I think that if you spent the time to watch a few short tutorials on the basics, then you could easily find your way around the interface and turn your footage into something great in no time!

Final Thoughts

Consider getting Final Cut Pro if you aspire to get paid work as an editor someday. Earning a certificate from Apple’s authorized certification provider, FMC, will help your career ambitions.

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Overview

An Avid Media Composer subscription gives you access to amazing features. For example, its Avid Edit on Demand virtual editing suite lets teams access projects in the cloud.

When you’ve made your first cut, you can gather feedback through Avid Link, a community of video creators. And its automation tools speed up your workflow, making for happy editing.

Top Features

• Intelligent Media Handling: Avid Media Composer is one of the best video-editing software tools for large source files. It’s able to handle files shot in 8k and beyond, letting you edit high-resolution video without worrying about freezes that interrupt your workflow.
• Symphony: Its Symphony feature makes it possible to stylize shots and correct colors “with ultra-precision.”
• Automation Tools: Avid Media Composer automatically handles video transcoding, rendering, consolidation, and relinking in the background. In addition, the software automates bin saving, audio/video syncs, audio mixes, etc.
• Avid Nexis | Edge: This feature enables seamless remote working, allowing video editors to collaborate with showrunners, producers, and other production staff wherever they are.
• Live Timeline and Unlimited Playback Streams: These two features let you edit videos on the fly and make changes during playback.

Pricing

Avid’s video editing software has four plans:

• The Media Composer First plan is the software’s free version.
• The Media Composer plan costs $23.99 monthly or $239 for the entire year.
• The Media Composer Ultimate plan costs $49.99 monthly or $499.99 yearly.
• There’s no pricing information for the Media Composer Enterprise plan. Consider contacting the sales team for its pricing information.

Both the Media Composer and Media Composer Ultimate tiers offer special discounts for teachers and students and provide flexible licensing for teams.

Final Thoughts

Avid Media Composer is an excellent video editing software for new and advanced users. Inexperienced video editors will appreciate having access to a community of like-minded individuals in Avid Link. Consider trying the software’s free tier before upgrading to a paid plan. 

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Top Video Editing Software for Personal Use

Overview

With InVideo, you can use AI to beautify your videos with bespoke graphic assets and record voiceovers in-app. And if you need help with any issues, you can easily get the support you need. Meanwhile, the software provides 500+ tutorials for making videos for platforms like Instagram and YouTube to make publishing videos as simple as ABC.

Top Features

• Massive Template Collection: InVideo offers 5,000+ templates for YouTube videos, shorts, etc. All the templates are professionally designed and customizable.
• Text-to-Speech Tools: This software offers text-to-speech functionality. Also, you can record voiceovers for your videos.
• Bespoke Graphic Assets: You can liven up your videos with custom captions and graphic assets like animated icons.
• InVideo Mobile App: You can bring video-making to your phone by downloading the InVideo mobile app. It lets you edit on the go while providing access to mobile-exclusive filters and royalty-free music.
• Collaboration: InVideo supports remote collaboration between teams.

Pricing

InVideo has three plans:

• Free Plan: You can sign up to use it in a web browser or download the app on your Android or iOS-powered mobile device.
• Business Plan: The Business Plan costs $30 per month.
• Unlimited Plan: The Unlimited Plan costs $60 per month.

You can save 50% of the above prices by paying annually, in which case the Business Plan costs $15 a month or $180 annually, while the Unlimited Plan costs $30 per month or $360 when billed annually.

Final Thoughts

Are you new to video editing? InVideo is for users like you. Consider getting it if you want to learn the ropes or create videos as quickly as possible. Its paid plans aren’t expensive, and the free plan lets you test the waters.

To see my full review of this program, check out this article: InVideo Review: An Easy-to-Use AI Video Generator

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Overview

Notable Filmora features that make this video editor beginner-friendly include its auto-reframe and motion-tracking tools. If you make YouTube videos that feature product comparisons, you’ll love how easily you can create a split screen by putting clips of each product side by side.

Top Features

• Auto Reframe: Filmora’s auto frame feature lets you resize your video even if you don’t have editing skills to speak of. This makes creating videos for different social media dimensions accessible to all.
• Screen Recorder: Video game streamers, mastermind group leaders, teachers, and more can use Filmora’s screen recorder to share their screens. It supports audio recording and provides tools for post-air editing.
• Motion Tracking: The motion tracking feature lets you follow a moving object’s trajectory in a video, making it easy to pin interesting graphics to the object to create impressive effects.
• Keyframing: Filmora’s keyframing capabilities let you create exciting animations in your videos.
• Split Screen: You can position multiple clips within the same screen to create reaction videos, comparison videos, intros and outros, and more.

Pricing

Filmora has plans for individuals, teams and businesses, and educational institutions:

• Individual Plans: You can choose to pay for an annual plan ($49.99/year), a cross-platform plan ($54.99/year), or a perpetual plan ($79.99).
• Teams: This plan costs $155.88 yearly and lets you manage licenses across teams. Meanwhile, the business plan doesn’t have any pricing information, meaning you’ll have to contact the Filmora sales team for the details.
• Education: Students can pay $19.99 monthly, $40.99 annually, or $49.99 for the perpetual plan. Educators will have to contact Filmora for the price.

Final Thoughts

Filmora is excellent for individuals, teams and businesses, and educational institutions. Its intuitive controls and ample asset libraries make this one of the most beginner-friendly video editors you can use.

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Overview

As one of the best video editing software tools on the market, Premiere Elements is packed with features galore. For example, you get access to a template library that makes creating collages, slideshows, social media posts and more straightforward. Its 26 guided edits save you time by offering super-quick fixes to everyday editing tasks. And it’s got a web and mobile app.

Top Features

• Auto-Reframes: This feature lets you resize your videos for different social media channels while keeping the most important and action-packed parts and subjects within the frame.
• Noise Reduction: If parts of your video appear grainy due to being shot in low light, Adobe Premiere Elements has a fix for that. Its noise reduction feature helps you get crisper-looking videos via simple drag-and-drop functionality.
• Precise Selections: Its tools for precise selection make it easy to select parts of a video and apply effects to them. You can brighten, blur, or even add animations and composite elements to parts of your video.
• Smart Trim: Powered by AI, Adobe Premiere Effect’s Smart Trim feature locates the best bits in your video and brings them together using the video’s style as inspiration.
• Freeze Frames and Motion Titles: You can use one of its many templates to create freeze frames and work in visually-pleasing motion titles for emphasis.

Pricing

Adobe Premiere Elements costs a one-time fee of $99.99. Adobe offers a 30-day free trial of the software.

Final Thoughts

Adobe Premiere Elements is for the beginner video editor. Its features are geared toward making video editing accessible to all. Also, people who want to improve their skills while using the best video editing software tools will love its one-time payment model.

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Overview

The VEED video editing software provides access to a vast template library that can help to inspire your next video project. You can use it to transform your video clips into shareable GIFs. And it excels at standard video editing tasks like noise removal, audio syncing, and resizing.

Top Features

• Video Reframes: VEED can resize videos for different platforms. Whether you publish to YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook, the software will resize to fit the platform’s video dimensions.
• Automatic Subtitles: This software can automatically add subtitles to videos with speech. It also has translation capabilities.
• Green Screen Editing: Need to put your video’s subjects in an environment that comes straight from your imagination? VEED makes the feat possible via green screen editing.
• Noise Removal: If you find that background noise drowns out the audio in your video, VEED provides the tools to get rid of it.
• Progress Bars: You can keep your audience engaged by adding a progress bar to your videos. It should keep them from checking their wristwatches or playing with their mobile phones.

Pricing

In addition to a free plan, VEED has four paid pricing plans:

• Basic – The Basic plan costs $12/month.
• Pro – The Pro plan costs $24/month.
• Business – The Business plan costs $59/month.
• Enterprise – This plan starts from $100/month.

All paid plans remove VEED’s watermark and can handle video sizes starting from 720p.

Final Thoughts

VEED is one of the most beginner-friendly video editing tools, so it’s worth a look if you want to practice your video editing skills. You can start with the free plan and work your way up to the Pro plan as you get more proficient.

To see my full review of this program, check out this article: VEED.io Review: An Impressive AI Video Editor

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Overview

You can use iMovie’s collection of high-fidelity filters to give your videos specific looks (e.g., comic book), add one of 100 soundtracks, include personalized title cards, and more. It also has a green screen effect that lets you place yourself in any scenery. These features make iMovie one of the best free video editing software tools available.

Top Features

• Magic Movie: iMovie’s Magic Movie feature lets you create amazing videos complete with transitions, visual effects, music, and more in a few taps.
• Storyboards: You can choose one of iMovie’s 20 templates to storyboard your video. Each template corresponds to a type of video (e.g., product reviews), reducing the time it takes for you to plan your presentations. 
• Cinematic Mode: iMovie lets you import shots captured on your iPhone 13 in Cinematic Mode and edit them. You can adjust the depth of field, alter or delete focus points, etc.
• Trailers: You can turn your disparate video clips into a trailer with iMovie. The software provides several trailer templates and you can add your branding (logo) to the mix.
• Multiple Sharing Options: After creating your movie, you can share it in multiple ways, including mail, message, and social media uploads.

Pricing

iMovie is 100% free. You can download it from the Mac App Store for your iPhone or Macbook.

Final Thoughts

iMovie is for Apple fans who want to try video editing without having to spend money immediately. The app is a worthy gateway product to Final Cut Pro, so consider using it if you plan to pay for the latter software someday.

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Overview

You can bring your videos to life using one of HitFilm’s many built-in visual effects (vfx). Use lens flares, lighting, color grading, and more to transform scenes into evocative visuals that wow your audience. Meanwhile, plugins like Mocha HitFilm and Boris 3D Objects let you incorporate rotoscoping and 3D titles into your videos.

Top Features

• Drag-and-Drop Transitions: The software includes transitions that are professional and ready to use, letting you move seamlessly from one scene to the next.
• Creative Assets: You get access to a huge library of assets that includes stock footage, SFX, music, and more.
• Automatic Audio Syncing: HitFilm automatically lines up your audio and video, providing a smooth and swift workflow.
• Text Tools: With HitFilms text tools, you can easily add professional 2D or 3D subtitles to your videos.
• Ultra-Fast Technology: HitFilm is incredibly fast, meaning you won’t experience lagging while editing, trimming, syncing, and exporting your videos.

Pricing

HitFilm Express has three plans:

• Free Plan: This is the software’s free version, and it provides basic editing functions.
• Creator Plan: The Creator plan costs $7.99/month and is excellent for social media content creators (e.g., creating YouTube videos).
• Pro Plan: The Pro plan costs $12.99/month and provides advanced video editing features like 8K video exports and a 3D Camera Tracker.

Both paid plans include premium support and offer discounts when you pay their annual subscription prices.

Final Thoughts

HitFilm Express is a good video editing software for beginners and professionals. You can use it when working on small productions or massive movies, and the software will come through no matter what. 

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Overview

Despite its age, Lightworks has modern features. For example, its ioGates React technology makes remote workflows with the software possible. Its social media exports let you deliver videos destined for your audiences’ social media feeds. And it handles HD, 4K, and 8K videos just fine.

Top Features

• Drag-and-Drop Editing: Lightworks makes video editing a breeze. It offers drag-and-drop functionality that makes working with your timeline straightforward. Need to rearrange content in the timeline? Drag it where you need it to go.
• Titles and Motion Graphics: Thanks to a library of over 700 pre-built customizable titles and motion graphics, you can easily bring your videos to life when editing. This feature is incredible for YouTube videos.
• Color Correction: You can use the color correction tools Lightworks provides to make adjustments to your video’s scenes.
• Voiceover: Recording voiceovers in Lightworks is straightforward. You can record them while your timeline is playing.
• Multi-Format Support: Lightworks can import any common video file format. 

Pricing

Lightworks offers free and paid versions of the software. Its paid plans include:

• Lightworks Create: This plan costs $9.99 per user per month and is best suited for YouTubers, video game streamers, and advanced editors.
• Lightworks Pro: The Lightworks Pro plan costs $23.99 per user per month. This plan offers all of its features, making it suitable for filmmakers and broadcasters (whether current or aspiring).

You can purchase either plan outright without expiry. It costs $154.99 for the Create plan and $389.99 for the Pro plan.

Final Thoughts

Lightworks is for anyone who aspires to work in Hollywood. The software’s developers generously offer it for free, meaning cash-strapped aspirants can get comfortable with it and upgrade to a paid plan when their skills and financial fortunes improve.

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Overview

OpenShot is available in 70+ languages. It offers a straightforward user interface and plenty of features. Some of the notable ones include a video effects engine that makes it possible to remove backgrounds from videos and slow-motion and timing effects.

Top Features

• FFMpeg Library: The software’s powerful FFMpeg library makes it possible for OpenShot to read and write a wide range of video and image formats.
• Unlimited Tracks and Layers: In OpenShot, you’ll use tracks to layer video, audio, images, and text when working on a typical project. The software lets you create an unlimited number of tracks, depending on your project’s complexity.
• Transitions and Previews: OpenShot provides 400 transitions. As such, you can transition from one scene to the next in a variety of ways. In addition, it’s easy to initiate transitions: when you overlap two clips, the software will automatically make the transition.
• Audio Mixing: The developers behind OpenShot understand that videos aren’t complete without audio. Thus, they’ve endowed the software with excellent audio-editing capabilities.
• Compositing: OpenShot recognizes images on higher tracks as being in the foreground and the ones beneath as being in the background. This feature lets you add watermarks to your videos, create composites, and so on.

Pricing

OpenShot is a 100% free video editing software. With that said, if you find the software useful, you can donate to the organization here. 

Final Thoughts

For free video editing software, OpenShot packs a punch. Normally, the worry with free software is that it can be discontinued at a moment’s notice. However, since OpenShot is open-source, developers worldwide contribute to the software to improve it, meaning it’ll be around for a long time.

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What Is Video Editing Software?

Video editing software is an application that provides tools for editing recorded videos. While some basic video editing software lets you create clips, add audio, and so on, other options have more advanced features like motion tracking and rotoscoping. You can learn more about video editing and its associated software in this guide.

How to Choose Video Editing Software

When choosing video editing software for your project, make sure to consider the following factors:

User-Friendly Interface

User-friendly implies that you can begin using the software without prior knowledge or video editing skills. Everything you need to make adjustments, add audio, insert titles, and so on should be within arm’s reach so you don’t have to pore over an instruction manual or documentation before starting your video projects.

Advanced Editing Features

As you build proficiency with a software program, your projects will become more ambitious and creative. When that happens, you’ll ideally be using software that provides advanced tools and editing features.

Compatibility With Various File Formats

Video files come in different file formats. Some common ones include MP4, AVI, and MOV. Regardless of the format your video is recorded in, your chosen video editing software needs to be compatible with it.

Pricing Options

Multiple pricing tiers are necessary because customers have different needs, i.e., the more expensive the pricing tier, the more features are at the customer’s disposal. If you don’t need all the bells and whistles that come with a software, you should have the choice to pay for a lower subscription tier.

Is a Free Trial Available?

Typically, free trials last 30 days, which is enough time for you to test-run the product. When you’re given a choice to trial software and ample time to do so, it’ll help you make an informed purchasing decision.

Common Questions About the Best Video Editing Software Options

Final Thoughts: The Best Video Editing Software

As this guide has revealed, there are plenty of incredible video editing applications on the market. Not all of them require you to take out your credit card, and you can try some of them for free.

Whatever your decision, make sure your chosen software is user-friendly, has advanced features, is compatible with different file formats, and offers multiple pricing tiers.

Interested in video editing? Check out these other articles:

The 9+ Best Cheap Stock Video Sites [HD & 4K]

The Best Tablet for Video Editing: 5+ Options Reviewed