Getting to grips with the best video editing software is a huge part of the video-making process and you need look no further than the original Star Wars trilogy for proof. It’s often said that legendary film editor, Marcia Lucas, saved her then-husband, George Lucas’s, space opera in the edit. And that’s before you consider the plethora of coveted films that have received additional cuts that are considered superior to theatrical release, such as Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, and Metropolis (1927).
Thankfully, the digital age has made video editing accessible for everyone. If you’re looking for the most widely used video-editing packages on the market, then it’ll probably come as no surprise that I recommend Adobe Premiere Pro or Apple's Final Cut Pro. But Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve Studio is used throughout Hollywood, too, thanks to its wide range of features and unrivaled color grading capabilities.
For those on a budget, I can recommend CyberLink PowerDirector 365, but this isn’t the simplest software to get to grips with. If you’re an intermediate, you may prefer Corel VideoStudio Ultimate, but an easy recommendation for beginners is Adobe Premiere Elements. It’s not necessarily the slickest option, but guides will give you a helping hand and it’s fairly priced, especially if you opt for the Photoshop Elements bundle. So, if you’re looking to pick up your first video-editing application or are thinking of upgrading, you’ve come to the right place.
The Quick List
Premiere Pro is pretty much the industry standard, and for good reason. It’s packed with features and integrates seamlessly with Adobe's Creative Cloud, which is a boon for content creators Read more below
DaVinci Resolve started out as a color-grading tool but has since become an industry-standard editor. If you’re already a Premiere Pro user, the familiar interface will make you feel at home
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Apple’s Final Cut Pro is perfectly optimized for Macs. If you’re running a decent enough machine, it should be more stable and quicker to render projects than if you were using Premiere Pro
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CyberLink PowerDirector 365 is affordable, a cheap source of stock footage, and makes combining clips quick and easy
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Corel VideoStudio Ultimate is a great option for those who are getting into the more serious side of filmmaking, but want an affordable, Windows-only option that they can grow with
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It’s a shame about the three-year license, but if you get the Adobe Elements bundle with Premiere and Photoshop, it’s hard to fault the value
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Movavi Video Editor 2026 is simple to use, feature rich and comes with some very handy AI-powered tools
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It might be GoPro by name, but the Quik app works with footage from a variety of devices. If you want to auto-generate highlight videos, this is a great shout
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Best video editing software
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Best video editing software for pros
Probably the best video editing software for filmmakers and Professionals, Premiere Pro is pretty much the industry standard, and for good reasons. For starters, it integrates seamlessly with Adobe's Creative Cloud which includes software such as Lightroom, Photoshop, and After Effects.
If you already have a full all-apps subscription to Creative Cloud you'll already have access to Premiere Pro, you might just have to download it to your computer. This is a professional-grade video editing tool that offers lots of customizable options with its interface or you can select from predefined workspaces.
It's brimming with handy tools, pre-installed effects and transitions, an audio alignment feature and you can download third-party effects if it doesn't have quite what you need. Premiere Pro will take a while to get your head around as it has so many features but once you've sussed it, it's a powerful tool for video editing.
The past year has seen some substantial upgrades, and don't forget these are all included in the subscription. They include a speech-to-text feature for captioning, Apple M2 support, a Sensei-powered Remix feature to make your music fit your clips, and, more recently, Frame.io integration for cloud-based collaboration, and Sensei Auto Color adjustments.
Read the Adobe Premiere Pro review
Best alternative to Adobe for video editing
DaVinci Resolve initially started out as a color-grading tool but has since become an industry-standard editor. If you've moved across from Premier Pro, the familiar interface complete with timeline, monitor window, and media pool should make you feel at home.
It also has a lot of more advanced features such as a new 'cut page' in Dual Time and its new Neural Engine uses machine learning to apply advanced effects such as removing objects from a scene and morph transitions focusing on a face.
The Pro version also supports HDR color grading, collaborative working and so much more. There's a one-time purchase fee but after that, it's yours so you don't have to worry about paying for a monthly subscription.
DaVinci Resolve 18 is a major update that adds a cloud-based workflow via Blackmagic Cloud, automatic proxy generation linked to original files, optimization for the Apple M1 Ultra, new Resolve FX features, and more besides.
Read the DaVinci Resolve Studio 19 review
Best iMovie upgrade for professionals
Final Cut Pro X is the video editing software created by Apple. It's perfectly optimized for Macs so so long as you're running on a new enough machine, it should be more stable and quicker to render projects than if you were using Premiere Pro. It's jam-packed with pro-grade features such as multi-camera edits to HDR support, in-app color grading, and even 360-degree video.
Its image-heavy user interface might have startled seasoned video editors when it was first introduced but for anyone just starting out in video editing who wants a more professional program, it makes the process a lot simpler.
If you already own a Macbook or iMac and want someone more advanced than iMovie, there's a good chance that Final Cut Pro X will provide the upgrade you're looking for.
The latest features include the ability to drag effects titles and graphics into the viewer to automatically detect and track objects and faces, editable focus points for iPhone 13 Cinematic movies, and optimization for the latest Mac M2 Pro and Max chips.
Read the Apple Final Cut Pro review
Best budget video editing software
CyberLink is recognized for its range of reliable creative applications. PowerDirector is a popular video editing suite and the choice of many enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Each year a new release adds functionality and incremental improvements to the software and version 19 welcome's a raft of useful tweaks including a new, simpler interface, cleaner timeline controls, and the ability to easily duplicate title attributes and clips allowing users to edit footage efficiently.
There are also updates to PowerDirector's keyframe tools, color matching, and motion graphic titles. Cyberlink still offers PhotoDirector as a perpetual license – but the subscription offer is the best overall value, as it gives you free access to Shutterstock HD clips, making it one of the best video editing software programs for those on a budget.
Read the CyberLink PowerDirector 365 review
Best intermediate level video editing software
With expanded color grading options and a range of automatic filters, VideoStudio Ultimate is seriously competitive. It gives you control of highlights, mid-tones, and lowlights, just like Lightroom does for photos and the pricier Premiere Pro for videos. It even offers control over specific colors, so you can make a shade of green pop without affecting the rest of the scene.
The software also supports the creation of text masks, so you can easily overlay dynamic titles on your videos without having to jump into another application. Even transitions are handled in a novel, customizable way, so you can align elements across scenes so the fades, blurs, or wipes happen exactly how you want them to.
With a core interface that’s very similar to much of the more premium competition, it’s a great gateway editor for beginners to get started with. Recent versions add face effects, a new speech-to-text converter, animated AR stickers, GIF creator, camera movement transitions, and more besides.
Read the Corel VideoStudio Ultimate 2021 review
Best value video editing software
If you’re looking for something more substantial than iMovie, but don’t want to tackle the learning curve of a professional editor like DaVinci Resolve or Adobe’s own Premiere Pro, then Premiere Elements is worth considering. However, its pricing is a little odd in that it’s subscription-free, but is only available as a three-year license.
Premiere Elements arguably works best as a bundle with its photo-editing software counterpart Photoshop Elements, whereby you can take advantage of a healthy discount on each product’s RRP. But even if Elements isn’t the best value video editor out there, its greatest strength is that it caters for a wide variety of needs, allowing users to grow with the software. Quick, Guided and Advanced modes allow you to rattle through your edits at speed, learn the ins and outs of video editing, or take full control of your creations.
For more experienced or ambitious video types, know that the software is capped at 4K / 60p and although you can edit 10-bit files, the 8-bit processing engine will ultimately throttle them. Limitations are also present when it comes to the new 360 and VR editing features. My reviewer failed to edit any Insta360 footage, because it wasn’t already stitched.
If your aim is to use Elements to learn the video editing processes, I wouldn’t be too worried about the three-year license. The likelihood is that you’ll want to progress onto Premiere Pro within that timeframe anyway. However, Premiere Elements isn’t always as simple to use as I’d like it to be. Get beyond the Quick mode and things can get complicated, fast. As such, those who aim to progress onto more advanced software may be better off taking the plunge and opting for Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve right out the gate.
Read the Adobe Premiere Elements 2026 review
Best video editing software for beginners
Movavi Video Editor’s gentle learning curve makes it a great choice for those beginning their video-editing journey. Unfortunately, pricing plans can prove confusing and slightly pricey, which could end up dissuading newcomers.
Still, the beauty of Movavi Video Editor is its easy-to-use interface and wealth of AI-powered tools that can turn laborious and time-consuming tasks into manageable processes in just a few clicks. Auto subtitling, AI background removal, AI motion tracking, and AI audio enhancement all work very well indeed, upping the production value of projects with the user having to invest very little time.
Some effects packs do sit behind a paywall, which can increase costs, but Movavi Video Editor is still packed full of free effects and you can filter out the paid effects so you know exactly what you can add to your projects. It might not be the biggest name on this list, but it’s worth trying out Movavi Video Editor’s seven-day free trial. It might surprise you.
Read the Movavi Video Editor 2026 review
Best video editor for GoPro footage
Based on the premise that your best photos and videos can get lost in the dross, GoPro’s reimagined Quik app works as an effective private content feed and makes it easy to produce slick-looking auto-generated highlight videos set to music.
Initially a free download, Quik automatically pulls photos and videos from your smartphone, whether the original source was a GoPro, a DSLR, or any other device. It’s completely device agnostic, as the previous iteration of the Quick app was, though the new version can also be used to operate a GoPro, transfer content to a phone, and live stream.
Much improved on the original Quik app and a total refresh for all GoPro users, the action camera maker’s new device-agnostic app has a slick new user interface, including new filters, tools, and music. Star of the show is a ‘mural’ page for keeping track of your favorite photos and videos, though it’s video-centric and you do have to subscribe to get unlimited access to its editing tools, which will put off many.
Read the GoPro Quik review
FAQs
What software is best for video editing?
Right now, Adobe Premiere Pro tops my list of the best video editing software. Premiere is the industry-standard subscription model aimed at professionals and video editing enthusiasts.
It's brimming with handy tools, pre-installed effects and transitions, and an audio alignment feature and you can download third-party effects if it doesn't have quite what you need. Premiere Pro will take a while to get your head around as it has so many features, but once you've sussed it, it's a powerful tool for video editing.
If you're looking for a video editor to support your hobby of video making, then Cyberlink PowerDirector 365 is a better option. It's cheaper and easier to use while maintaining some pro features, and it's always available to buy with a one-off payment.
What is the easiest software to edit video?
If you're just starting out in the world of video editing and using a desktop, PC, or Mac, my top recommendation is Premiere Elements from Adobe. It's a simplified version of its more powerful rival, Premiere Pro, so there won't be as much of a learning curve, plus it's cheaper too. Unlike most Adobe tools out there, Premiere Elements can be bought for a lump sum, rather than a continuing monthly subscription. However, do note that this is a fixed three-year license term, not a perpetual license.
