After using only Adobe Premiere Pro for 10 years, I tried these 5 video editors

For the past decade, I've been a loyal Adobe fan, and in particular, I've used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit all of my footage. For a long time, it seemed like there were simply no competitors willing to keep up with Adobe. But in 2024, things are different, and there's now a whole market full of free and paid editing software that can provide a similar, if not better, experience than Adobe Premiere Pro.



5 Lightworks

There are better free and paid alternatives

Lightworks video editor

Lightworks is a video editor with quite a prestigious history, as it has been used to edit award-winning films such as Pulp Fiction and The Wolf of Wall Street. The editor looks very basic compared to a program like Adobe Premiere Pro, but it is quite capable of creating new sequences, trimming videos, adding transitions and special effects. The editor also has color correction and audio mixing, but it is not as robust as other options on the list.


The advantage of this editor over other video editors on this list is that Lightworks has more advanced VFX features than other video editors. Unfortunately, the downside of this editor is its export limitations. The free version of Lightworks only allows you to export videos in 720p and your formats are limited to H.264 and MP4. Locking 4K behind a paywall is something we all expected, but locking 1080p behind a paywall feels like a cheap move, especially in this day and age where 1080p is the bare minimum for most people.

The worst part is that the Create version, which includes 1080p, 4K, and advanced tools, is only slightly cheaper than Adobe Premiere Pro's monthly fee. I've seen a lot of people recommend this to beginners as a free video editor to get started with, but there are better alternatives you should check out before you try this.

However, if you want to use Lightworks as your primary video editor, be sure to purchase the Pro version as a one-time payment. It does cost more, but if you're going to pay for a subscription-based video editor, then I think it might as well be Adobe.


A transparent rendering of the Lightworks logo

Lightworks

Lightworks is a self-proclaimed “Hollywood-level” video editor that has been used in numerous popular films and television series for years. The software is available in three versions: Free, Create and Pro.

4 Clipchamp

A great free editor for beginners

Clipchamp Brand Kit

Microsoft seems to have a love/hate relationship with the video editors on its operating systems. In Windows 7 and before, we had Windows Movie Maker, which was a decent video editor for its time. When Windows 8 came out, there was no video editing tool to speak of, and when Windows 10 came out, they simply added a video trimming tool to the Photos app and called it a day. Of course, they later added a web-based version of Clipchamp to Windows 10, but it was too late to generate any interest.


Clipchamp is Microsoft's latest attempt to conquer the video editing market, and quite honestly, it's not entirely unsuccessful. Although the app looks like a Canva clone for video editing, there are some exciting features here, especially for social media creators and independent brands. The best part is that you can export in 1080p completely free of charge. Clipchamp offers premium plans with some advanced tools, but otherwise it's just additional transitions and effects that you can also unlock by using other Microsoft products like Microsoft 365.

Although the Clipchamp app is now installed on Windows 11 devices, it is still only a web-based program, which means you need to have a stable internet connection to use the app. Clipchamp definitely wouldn't cut it in a professional setting, but if you just want to edit a quick video or learn the basics of video editing before committing to a professional video editor, it is definitely a worthwhile tool.

Microsoft Clipchamp video editor

Microsoft Clip Champ

Clipchamp is a feature-rich video editor for Mac users. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, you should have no trouble editing videos with Clipchamp.


3 CapCut

The new guy in the neighborhood

CapCut interface with display of the video and audio track of a project as well as editing tools

Source: CapCut

CapCut is a relatively new video editor that gained popularity with the rise of TikTok. As the preferred mobile video editor for the majority of creators on the platform, CapCut had access to all the trending songs and effects available to users on TikTok for free. Since then, CapCut has evolved into three standalone products: a mobile editor, a web-based editor, and a desktop editor. In this selection, we're talking about the desktop editor.

CapCut is marketed as a free all-in-one video editor and upon further use of the program, it actually seems to deliver on its promises. Although there is a paid Pro version of the application, the free version offers a good selection of editing tools and many different templates that you can use. CapCut, much like Clipchamp, is a great video editor for content creators working on social media.


Another thing that sets CapCut apart from other video editors on this list is the countless AI-based tools, such as image generation, long video to short video conversion, video stabilization, and voice changer. One downside to the application is that you cannot add custom templates. This means you are limited in your ability to customize your videos to make them stand out from other users' videos so easily. Although there are some limitations, CapCut is truly a great all-in-one video editor that is perfect for people who find Clipchamp too restrictive but Adobe too expensive.

Capcut logo

CapCut

CapCut is a great video editor for mobile portrait videos with AI tools and numerous templates.

2 Final Cut Pro

For all Mac users out there

Final Cut Pro video software with video of a forest on the timeline


While many of these video editors are compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac devices, few of them are designed exclusively for Apple Silicon. Although I usually stay away from the Apple ecosystem, I borrowed my colleague's new MacBook and fired up the editor. Aside from having to get used to navigating the MacBook (as a PC user), Final Cut Pro was very impressive. It seems to include elements and features I've come to rely on in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects. Final Cut Pro offers a smooth editing feel with a great set of tools, advanced color correction, a sleek interface, and no real export limitations.

While it's probably not worth buying a Mac just for the program, if you're already in the Apple ecosystem and you're not using this program for some reason, you're really missing out. If you want to try it out for yourself, you can take advantage of the generous 90-day free trial when you sign up with your Apple account. Final Cut Pro costs a one-time fee of $299 from the Apple App Store and can be used on any Apple device linked to your Apple ID.


This software from Apple is available as a standalone purchase and is aimed at professionals and exceptional enthusiasts.

Final Cut Pro

Available as a one-time purchase, this software from Apple is aimed at professionals and exceptional enthusiasts. If you don't want to commit yet, you can use it for free for 90 days.

1 DaVinci Resolve

The undisputed champion

DaVinci Resolve 18.6

After using Adobe for so long, I feel like an idiot for not taking a closer look at DaVinci Resolve sooner. The free version of DaVinci Resolve offers more features than most paid software offers its users, and the paid version, DaVinci Resolve Studio 19, is cheaper than any other on the market.

Where DaVinci Resolve really shines is in its advanced color correction tools, which can transform your videos from boring and flat to a cinematic masterpiece with just a few clicks (and lots of YouTube tutorials). Premiere Pro has amazing color correction tools, but DaVinci Resolve just makes using the tools more intuitive.


DaVinci Resolve is definitely a bit more crude than Premiere Pro, and some features are a bit more awkward to use, but that's a nice price to pay for the professional quality that both the free and paid versions offer. After 10 years of using only Adobe Premiere Pro, I think I've finally found a professional video editor that I don't have to constantly spend money on. Instead of paying $300 a year to use Adobe Premiere Pro, you can pay the same amount to have and use DaVinci Resolve Studio forever.

This video editor is available in two versions – free and paid, so you can choose one depending on your editing needs.

DaVinci Resolve

This video editor is available in either a free or paid version, so you can choose one depending on your editing needs. It offers a balanced mix of editing features, including face refinement, noise reduction, motion effects, and more.

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