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If you're anything like us, you've shot a video for social media that you've wanted to make more interesting. You're not Steven Spielberg, after all. Most of us don't have the magical skill to create the perfect video in one go. It’s always more fun to enhance it and add cool effects, sounds, and filters, right? If you can relate to this, then you've come to the right place. In this guide, we'll take a deep dive into the best free video editing software solutions available today. And, no, this isn't just a long list of video editing software, it's a hand-curated list of the best free video editors that are both easy-to-use and provide value.
We'll include a mix of software for desktop as well as mobile apps you can use to edit and share your videos. Some of these platforms also work on multiple devices and operating systems, providing truly omnichannel video-editing convenience.
Best Free Video Editing Software for 2024:
We're going to start things off by taking a look at two different types of video editing software: standard video editing software and promo video editing software. From there, we'll share 39 additional free video editing software tools that you can use to create awesome, visually appealing messages for your business.
1. Movavi
Movavi Video Editor stands out as a powerful yet user-friendly video editing tool, perfect for creators wanting to bring their ideas to life. Its refined interface is easy to navigate, eliminating the need for a steep learning curve often associated with professional editing software. Notable features like Chroma Key and keyframe animation boost creative possibilities, while lightning-fast processing and rendering ensure a smooth experience. This video editing software is an impressive, feature-rich, and accessible option for those seeking one of the best video editing software solutions.
Features
- Quick editing of videos: cutting, trimming, cropping, and adding music with ease.
- Wide range of over 180 filters, including Glitch, Blur, VHS, and many more.
- Cool intros, titles, and transitions that grab attention.
- Exporting videos at high speed and preparing to receive lots of likes.
Ease of use
The video editor has a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy for anyone to navigate and edit their videos quickly. The software offers a variety of features and tools that are easy to access and use, such as drag-and-drop effects, filters, and transitions. Movavi Video Editor also provides step-by-step tutorials and guides to help users learn how to use the software and create professional-looking videos.
Advanced Editing Tools & Extras
Movavi Video Editor offers a variety of advanced editing tools and extras to enhance your video editing experience. You can replace green or blue screen backgrounds with the Chroma Key feature, stabilize shaky footage, and adjust audio volume, speed, and pitch. You can also add animated titles and captions, use the Montage Wizard to create professional-looking videos with visual effects and transitions, and edit 3D videos with Movavi Video Editor Plus. Movavi Video Editor Plus offers a range of additional media, including stickers, music tracks, and video clips to make your videos more engaging.
? Pricing
Movavi offers annual and lifetime subscription for its Video Editor Software:
Video Editor: $69.95/lifetime
Video Editor + Effect Packs: 154.80/yearly
Pros & Cons
- ? Cross-platform compatibility
- ? Fast export
- ? Wide range of features
- ? Limited color grading options
2. OpenShot
Compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux.
OpenShot is one of the best open-source free video editing software solutions in the market. It’s a powerful video editor packed with numerous useful features and has a simple-to-use, drag-and-drop interface that even beginners can use easily. It provides advanced features like unlimited layers, video transitions with real-time previews, and has lots of options for video effects, animation, and keyframes. Moreover, it is extremely easy to cut and slice any video using this tool.
? Features
- Cross-platform video editor, with support for Linux, Mac, and Windows
- Add as many layers as you need for watermarks, background videos, audio tracks, and more
- Drag and drop video, audio, or images right into the editor
? Ease of Use
OpenShot is easy to use and has an intuitive user interface. You can import your own videos, photos, or music via drag-and-drop or right-clicking on the Project Files tab and choosing Import. Setting up your assets on the timeline is also really easy and you can also trim the music and videos by simply dragging the right slider to the time you want.
? Advanced Editing Tools & Extras
OpenShot offers tons of features from basic to advanced editing. There’s also a great selection of effects like transitions, transforms, titles, and animations easily accessible from the Effects tab. Plus, the developers are super engaged in their work on the platform so new features are always rolling out.
? Pricing
OpenShot is free and open-source.
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy-to-use interface
- ? Unlimited layers
- ? It lags sometimes, which is inconvenient
3. VSDC
Available on Windows.
This is an open-source, free video editor available only on Windows. It’s a good video editing software solution that supports almost all video formats and codecs. VSDC has both free and paid versions. The free version is good enough for almost all of your routine video editing needs. For professionals, the paid version offers more advanced features. It’s relatively simple to use and has features like color correction, visual and audio effects, blending modes and filters, etc.
? Features
- Visual and audio effects
- Blending modes and Instagram-like filters
- Masking
- Motion tracking
- Support of popular formats
? Ease of Use
VSDC has a modern and intuitive interface that makes use of different wizards so video creation and editing are simple and hassle-free. Despite the simplicity of the interface, the program offers plenty of features that allow users to create long and complex videos.
? Advanced Editing Tools & Extras
VSDC is a full-featured video editing tool with visual and audio effects, blending modes, filters, and more. While the Pro version gives you access to even more tools, the free version is by no means lacking.
? Pricing
VSDC Free is the free plan. You can get more advanced features with VSDC Pro for $19.99.
Pros & Cons
- ? Simple to use tool for day-to-day video editing
- ? Available only for Windows users
- ? The free version lags sometimes
4. Lightworks
Compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux.
This is another powerful video editing software solution power-packed with useful features. It has a free as well as a paid version. However, the free version is more than enough for non-professional use.
Some of its best features include high precision video trimming, multi-cam support, and the ability to export to 720p for YouTube. The tool supports a wide variety of video formats and has a lot of video and audio editing options. The paid version of this tool supports 4K videos, but the free version does not.
It’s easy to start using this tool because it comes with many video tutorials to help you understand and work on it.
? Features
- Universal projects
- Social media templates
- Easy timeline editing and trimming
- Royalty-free audio and video content
? Ease of Use
All the tools you need are accessible right from the video timeline. Plus, Lightworks has a ton of tutorial videos that show you how to do just about everything you’d ever need to do.
? Advanced Editing Tools & Extras
Even the free version of Lightworks has all the video editing tools you need. This includes access to more than 100 effects, original production music, and stock video from Audio Network and Pond5.
? Pricing
Lightworks is free to use. You can get access to more features with one of the three Lightworks plans:
- Lightworks Create Monthly: $9.99
- Lightworks Create Perpetual: $154.99
- Lightworks Pro Monthly: $23.99
- Lightworks Pro Yearly: $239.99
- Lightworks Pro Perpetual: $389.59
Pros & Cons
- ? A good tool with numerous video editing features
- ? Perfect tool for YouTube video creators who often want to produce nice-looking movies to share online directly
- ? A bit advanced for beginners, but the video tutorials can help
- ? Only 1 option to save the project to MP4
5. Adobe Premiere Rush
Available on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.
This is a new app launched by Adobe that can meet all your video editing and sharing needs. It’s a mobile app that you can use to edit videos anytime and anywhere. It also has a desktop version that’s compatible with both Mac and Windows PCs.
It has a very easy-to-use interface and color, audio, motion graphics, and other editing options. You can also create a video right from the app itself, making it even more convenient. The features are a bit limited for the free version, but the paid version has a lot more to offer.
Overall. If you’re someone who wants an all-in-one app that you can use to create and share videos on social media, this is the solution for you.
? Features
- Click and drag to add transitions
- Preset and manual color correction
- Wide range of built-in templates
- Export to any social channel in the right aspect ratio
? Ease of Use
It takes just a few minutes to get comfortable with the Adobe Premiere Rush user interface because it’s streamlined to include only the features you really need.
? Advanced Editing Tools & Extras
This tool is designed to be simple and easy to use on desktop and mobile, so it doesn’t have a ton of advanced editing features. However, you’ll be able to use timeline editing, add and adjust audio (including ducking and voiceovers), change the speed, manipulate colors, and more.
? Pricing
Adobe Premiere Rush Starter is free. If you want more exports and more storage, you can upgrade to Adobe Express for $9.99/month.
Pros & Cons
- ? A very convenient tool to create, edit, and share videos on social media
- ? Multi-channel accessibility lets you make videos on one device and edit on another
- ? There are limited features in the free version, but a lot more in the paid one
6. Lumen5
Lumen5 is an online video editing tool and likely one of the most popular options available today. It’s used by the likes of Salesforce, SAP, TIME Magazine, and The Economist. Lumen5 is targeted at content marketing teams that need to churn out quality video content with limited resources, and it’s more than capable of delivering the goods. You’re able to create storyboards, set layouts that incorporate various types of content, include music, and also add text. It also offers hundreds of themes and colors to help you create perfect videos as fast as possible.
? Features
- Media library with millions of photos, video clips, and audio files
- Voiceover
- Brand presets
- Text to video
- Automated workflows
? Ease of Use
Lumen5 is really simple. You upload your text or input a link to the content you want to turn into a video and Lumen5’s AI will automatically convert the text into a video for you. It even creates a storyboard based on the text and chooses what it thinks would be best to include in the video. While you may have to put your own spin on things, it’s pretty accurate.
? Advanced Editing Tools & Extras
Lumen5 offers up standard video editing tools like zoom and pan, and you can add music and effects. It doesn’t have much in the way of advanced editing tools, but it’s pretty cool to be able to turn a blog post into a video!
? Pricing
Lumen5 has a free plan as well as four paid options:
- Basic: $19/month
- Starter: $59/month
- Professional: $149/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Pros & Cons
- ? Feature-pack and has just enough to help marketers develop video content fast
- ? Can export videos with 720p video resolution on the free plan
- ? The free version includes a watermark
- ? Limit of five videos per month
Top Promo Video Editing Software
Video is one of the favorite types of content for consumers. In fact, 53% of consumers say they want more video content and 54% would love more content from the brands they love. But to create the best videos to promote your business, you need the best promo video tools. Here are our picks for the top 5!
| Service | Ease of Use | Pros | Cons | Price | Overall Rating |
| Promo.com | 4.4 | ? Ease of use ? Supportive customer service ? Manage up to 10 brands on one account |
? Does not offer text to video capabilities ? No video capture |
Basic: $49/month Standard: $99/month Pro: $359/month |
4.4 |
| Biteable | 4.5 | ? Easy to use ? Beautiful video ad templates |
? Slow response ? Watermark on free videos |
Free plan available Plus: $19/month Ultimate: $49/month |
4.5 |
| InVideo | 4.7 | ? Easy-to-use for beginners and marketers who need to produce tons of videos to feed their funnels ? Create up to 60 videos a month on the free plan |
? Limited features make this a tool pros may not use ? The free plan comes with a watermark |
Free plan available Business: $15/month (when billed annually) Unlimited: $30/month (when billed annually) |
4.8 |
| Animoto | 4.5 | ? Easy to use ? Perfect for marketing teams |
? Free offering includes Animoto branding on your videos | Free plan available Professional: $15/month (when billed annually) Team: $39/month (when billed annually) |
4.3 |
| Vyond | 4.6 | ? Library of thousands of clothing options, hairstyles, and facial features | ? Essential plan includes Vyond watermark | Essential: $299/year Premium: $649/year Professional: $999/year Enterprise: Contact Animoto for a quote |
4.7 |
7. Biteable
Biteable is an online video editing platform to make social media ads, slideshows, videos, and more. With Biteable’s free plan, you can use their basic video editing tools to export videos with a watermark. However, you can’t upload your own videos to the platform with the free Biteable plan. If you don’t want to export the videos, you can embed the videos or share them with a Biteable link. The premium plan starts at $29 a month and includes more features like over 85,000 extra stock videos, video privacy, and more.
? Features
- Studio-quality animations
- 800,000 stock clips, 1 million images, and royalty-free music
- Custom uploads
- Chat and email support
? Ease of Use
Biteable’s signup is super easy. After completing the survey, you’ll be given an option of five templates to choose from and can create a stellar promo video for your brand in a couple of minutes. The ease of use comes with a bit of a trade-off in limited customization options.
? Advanced Editing Tools & Extras
Aside from changing fonts and adding an image, there aren’t many advanced editing tools that come with Biteable. However, if you want a quick way to create eye-catching video content for your brand, Biteable has you covered.
? Pricing
Biteable has one free plan and two paid plans:
- Pro: $49/month
- Teams: $99/month
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy to use
- ? Beautiful video ad templates
- ? Slow response
- ? Watermark on free videos
8. InVideo
InVideo is an online video editor. It’s perfect for beginners or marketers that need to produce video content fast, without the knowledge of the finer details that go into highly edited and professionally produced videos. While it’s online, it’s still packed with features you’ll love. You get access to over 3500 designed templates to streamline your video creation, can export your videos in HD, leverage the text-to-speech (and URL-to-video) feature for converting blog posts and other text-based content into quick and engaging videos, and access to Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, for royalty-free content.
? Features
- Videos using standard media are free from watermarks
- 3500+ templates
- iStock library of 8M+ and 1M+ premium media (with watermark) as well as 3M+ standard media library
- 60+ video exports per month at 720p+ resolution
- Automated text to speech
- 1G+ cloud storage
? Ease of Use
InVideo includes quite a few tools that make it easy to quickly create an awesome video. There’s a collection of templates to choose from, as well as millions of stock media. You also get access to things like vector shapes, masks, and stickers.
? Advanced Editing Tools & Extras
InVideo lets you create any type of video content you need. The templates are searchable so you can find something that works, fast. The builder has a drag-and-drop interface with a timeline view. You can also use the advanced timeline view and work in layers. InVideo’s Intelligent Video Assistant provides AI-generated suggestions to improve your video.
? Pricing
InVideo offers a free plan and two paid plans:
- Business: $15/month (when billed annually)
- Unlimited: $30/month (when billed annually)
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy-to-use for beginners and marketers who need to produce tons of videos to feed their funnels
- ? Create up to 60 videos a month on the free plan
- ? Limited features make this a tool pros may not use
- ? The free plan comes with a watermark
9. Animoto
Animoto is positioned as a tool designed to help drive marketing results. Like all online video editors, it’s built to streamline video creations. It comes with a stock library filled with videos and photos, the option to upload your own videos and photos, and a music library. To help speed up the video creation process, you have access to storyboard templates, text, and fonts to overlay, can crop and trim video, and add your brand’s colors and logo to each frame.
? Features
- Unlimited video downloads
- 720p+ resolution
- 50+ music tracks, 3+ standard fonts, and 30+ color swatches included
? Ease of Use
When you sign up for Animoto, you’ll be offered two tutorials that are both in-depth and easy to follow. This makes creating your first project on the platform really easy. After that, you’ll be a pro.
? Advanced Editing Tools & Extras
Animoto gives you the ability to trim your footage, crop your photos, and adjust the timing of your media inside the platform as well as customize your text and background colors on every video to match your branding or the colors in one of your ad campaigns. Animoto also makes it easy to share your videos on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more or share links to your videos with family and friends.
? Pricing
Animoto has a free plan and three paid plans:
- Basic: $19/month
- Professional: $39/month
- Professional Plus: $59/month
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy to use
- ? Perfect for marketing teams
- ? Free offering includes Animoto branding on your videos
10. Vyond
Are you interested in creating fun animated promo videos for your business? If so, Vyond is the right video maker tool for you. You can use it to create a wide range of promotional videos for your business such as explainer videos, tutorials, how-to videos, and more.
Templates make it easy to create a video instantly with its simple video maker dashboard. Its realistic lip-syncing is really awesome that makes videos professional.
? Features
- 720p+ resolution
- Color changeable props
- Automatic character lip sync
- Character and object animation
? Ease of Use
Vyond is easy to use even if you don’t have experience with animation. The platform provides an introduction to the interface layout and that’s about all you need to get started. Overall, it’s intuitive and user-friendly.
? Advanced Editing Tools & Extras
Vyond is a robust animation video tool with masking, character rear view, multiple expressions, action vs. motion path editing, and a lot more.
? Pricing
Vyond has four pricing plans:
- Essential: $299/year
- Premium: $649/year
- Professional: $999/year
- Enterprise: Contact Animoto for a quote
Pros & Cons
- ? Library of thousands of clothing options, hairstyles, and facial features
- ? Essential plan includes Vyond watermark
11. Blender
Compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Blender is one of the best, advanced video editing software solutions available on all platforms. It’s an open-source tool that is available for everyone to use. And, it packs some powerful punches in terms of features.
Some key features include live preview, chroma vectorscope, luma waveform, audio mixing, syncing, scrubbing, waveform visualization, and histogram displays. It doesn’t have unlimited layers like OpenShot but has 32 slots for adding videos, images, audio, and effects. It also has a 3D animation suite for professional users.
Pros & Cons
- ? Good enough to be used by professionals
- ? Almost limitless customization
- ? Not as easy to use as other tools on this list
- ? Buggy format support
12. Promo.com
Promo makes the lofty claim that they are the world’s #1 marketing video maker. As its name suggests, Promo specializes in helping you make promotional videos, but you can do much more than that. Promo.com has everything you need in an online video maker: high-quality professional video clips, royalty-free music, customizable video templates, and more.
You can use Promo to make all types of videos, too. Horizontal videos, vertical videos, square videos, and even banner videos. The videos you create are ideal for social media use, and you can post, publish, upload, and share your videos on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, or any other social networks, websites, or blogs.
? Features
- High-quality video library with over 100M clips plus professionally edited music
- Customizable ready-made videos by award-winning designers including copy and matching music
- A team of tech and video experts for high-quality support
- Lifetime license on videos to post online anywhere, anytime
? Ease of Use
Promo.com offers a simple and effective promo video maker that lets users of all skill levels create gorgeous videos in minutes. You start by picking a video from the creative hub (or upload your own). Then, use the editor to add your brand’s flair. Once your video’s ready for the world you can download it in MP4 format to publish wherever you want, or post directly to social media. There’s even a media calendar that automatically suggests a schedule for your content.
? Advanced Editing Tools & Extras
Promo.com has all the advanced editing tools and fun extras you’ll need and want to make your promo videos really your own. You can resize your photos to fit whichever social media platform or channel you’d like and even create powerful videos for your Facebook Page cover.
? Pricing
Promo.com has three pricing plans:
- Basic: $49/month
- Standard: $99/month
- Pro: $359/month
Pros & Cons
- ? Ease of use
- ? Supportive customer service
- ? Manage up to 10 brands on one account
- ? Does not offer text to video capabilities
- ? No video capture
13. Shotcut
Compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux.
This is another open-source, free, cross-platform video editing software solution with decent features. You can simply download it and start using it.
It supports all video formats and platforms, though it was originally designed for Linux. One of its best features is that you don’t need to import your video into the editor, and that saves a lot of time. It provides 4K resolution support, which is another great feature.
Other cool features include audio and video effects, interlacing, color correction, and grading, wipe transitions, etc.
Pros & Cons
- ? 4K resolution support and other useful features
- ? Feature-packed
- ? The interface is not as easy-to-use as for some other tools on this list
14. iMovie
Available on Mac.
This is a sophisticated video-editing tool available only for Mac and iOS users. It also comes in the form of an app and can be used on mobile devices as well. And, it also supports 4K resolution, which is a useful feature for professionals.
It has a clean and minimal drag-and-drop interface that you can use to add titles, music, and effects, etc. to your video clips. You can slow down or speed up the videos and add filters to make them more interesting.
Another interesting feature is that you can change the background location in your videos and place your characters anywhere.
Overall, it’s a good video editing software to start with and later you can move on to a more professional software solution.
Pros & Cons
- ? Good as basic video editing software
- ? Simple drag-and-drop interface
- ? Limited features for professional use
15. VideoPad
Available on Windows.
This is a video editor and movie maker that works only on Windows PCs and is not available for Mac and Linux. However, if you’re a Windows user, this is an amazing tool for you to check out.
This is good for a starter tool that you can use to learn the basics of video editing, without too much hassle. It comes with a whole library of pre-made transitions and sound effects that you can play around with.
It also supports 3D video editing, which is a feature that not all video editors provide for free. And, you can directly export your edited videos to YouTube and other social media platforms.
? Pricing
A free video editor version is available for non-commercial use. Buy VideoPad Master’s Edition for $69.95
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy to edit videos and export directly to social media platforms
- ? Offers 3D video editing
- ? Comprehensive media library
- ? Not suitable for professional use as it does not have many advanced features
- ? No audio tools
16. GoPro Quik
Available on iOS and Android devices.
This is a mobile video-editing tool that you can use to create engaging videos on the go. It has a simple interface and lots of useful features, thanks to the expertise of GoPro.
This app by the camera makers GoPro is essentially meant to provide an easy way to edit the videos shot on the camera. That’s because it can interface directly with a GoPro camera and lets you control things directly from your phone. However, you can edit all types of videos with this.
It has a lot of automatic editing features that let you edit your videos and make them more engaging. There are a lot of presets and you don’t really need to do much to edit your videos with this app. However, this is only meant for beginners and does not offer much for professionals.
? Pricing
Free app. Get access to more features for $1.99/month or $9.99/year. You can get a subscription to GoPro (formerly Plus) for $49.99/year.
Pros & Cons
- ? Lots of options to play around with, especially if you don’t know the basics of video editing
- ? A really good option for editing and posting social media videos on the go
- ? Does not offer many advanced editing options or control to users
17. Filmora
Filmora is a powerful, free and well-designed video editing software tool. You get many of the pro capabilities such as layering clips and sounds, and the chance to create perfect timing with Filmora’s keyframing feature. You’re also able to eliminate pesky background noise and publish your video in 4K. Filmora is available on Windows and Mac, and you’re can export your videos in various frame sizes for online sharing.
? Pricing
Filmora is free to use. You can pay for additional features and functionality:
- Month plan: $29.99
- Annual plan: $69.99
- Perpetual plan: $109.99
- Students get 20% off on all plans
Pros & Cons
- ? Feature-packed
- ? Easy-to-use for experienced video editors
- ? Not available for Linux users
- ? May be challenging to use for new video editors
- ? May not pack all the pro features you need for advanced editing
18. DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve is one of the more professional-grade video editing platforms to make our list. Everything about the tool caters to pros that need state-of-the-art editing software to manipulate every aspect of their product. For example, the Individual User Cache feature is designed to give each user collaborating on a project the chance to generate and manage their own cache files, helping them optimize their system’s performance. You also have the option of protecting projects with the use of user rights. As a bonus, DaVinci Resolve also comes with a collection of 500 royalty-free foley sounds. DaVinci Resolve runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
? Pricing
DaVinci Resolve is free. DaVinci Resolve Studio gives you access to DaVinci Neural Engine, stereoscopic 3D tools, dozens of extra Resolve FX filters, and Fairlight FX audio plugins plus advanced HDR grading and HDR scopes for $295.
Pros & Cons
- ? Built for pros
- ? Feature-packed
- ? Not suitable for beginners
19. Avidemux
Avidemux is the epitome of an open-source project. It’s been built by people from around the world and includes code from other projects, all of which come together to offer a modest, yet functional platform. Avidemux is not meant to be used by production houses. It’s designed to manage small projects and has enough for the novice user to get the job done. Features include cutting, filtering, and encoding. Avidemux also supports AVI, DVD-compatible MPEG files, ASF, and MP4 formats. It’s also available for Linux, BSD, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows under the GNU GPL license.
Pros & Cons
- ? Free and easy-to-use
- ? Doesn’t include features advanced users may need
- ? Limited functionality make this tool less attractive compared to other free options
20. HitFilm Express
HitFilm is a professional-grade editor. It’s part of a collection of projects released by FXHome Limited, a team of coders behind other development of Imerge and Action Pro. FXHome has strong ties to the production community, something that helps them build truly impressive video editing software. They work with Hollywood studios, software companies, and even YouTubers. Feature-wise, you’re getting a tool that’s designed to help produce blockbuster movies. It comes with full 2D and 3D compositing, 410+ effects and presets, free video tutorials and projects, unlimited tracks and transitions, and is available for Windows and Mac.
? Pricing
HitFilm Express has a free plan and three paid plans:
- Creator: €7.5/month
- Pro: €12.5/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Pros & Cons
- ? Feature-packed
- ? Ideal for pros
- ? Overwhelming for beginners
- ? Not available or Linux users
21. Machete Video Editor Lite
Machete Video Editor Lite is the free version of Machete. Its features are similar to Avidemux. This tool is designed to perform simple feats that include cutting, copying, pasting fragments of video files, and editing tags. You’re also able to edit WMV video files (*.wmv, *.asf), WMA audio files(*.wma), and AVIs. Regrettably, you can’t replace or add an audio stream. And, Machete Video Editor Lite is only available on Windows.
? Pricing
Machete Video Editor Lite is free, but they also offer a full version for $19.95.
Pros & Cons
- ? Simple and easy to use
- ? Limited functionality make this tool less attractive compared to other free options
- ? Not available on Mac or Linux
22. Horizon
Horizon is a mobile video editing tool. It’s available on iOS and Android and comes with just enough functionality to help you create simple, yet engaging videos. Features include tilt to zoom, up to 2K horizontal recording, access to eight real-time filters, 60 and 120 FPS slow motion support, and, as the name suggests, the option to capture video and photos horizontally.
? Pricing
Free app. The Premium version can be yours for $1.99.
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy to use mobile app
- ? Allow for quick editing on the go
- ? Not designed for in-depth editing projects
23. VideoStudio
VideoStudio was created by Corel, the brand famously known for Corel Draw. Their video editing tool is designed for beginners. Its easy-to-use layout is almost intuitive, and you have access to filters, can use MultiCam editing, add creative titles, graphics and overlays, use color grading, and more. While not completely free, the 30-day trial is enough to give you a good feel for the tool.
? Pricing
VideoStudio has a free 30-day trial. There are two versions of the software you can buy:
- VideoStudio Pro: $79.99
- VideoStudio Ultimate: $99.99
- Photo Video Bundle Ultimate: $199.99
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy to use
- ? Feature-packed for beginners
- ? 30-Day trial
- ? Limited features for pros
24. Apple Clips
Apple Clips is an iOS-based video editing mobile app. It comes with all you’ll need to quickly record, enhance ad share short videos with the world. Features include the ability to add text, speech-to-text, and add stickers. A feature we think makes Apple Clips a stand-out tool is its TrueDepth camera option. It allows you to use various backgrounds and animated landscapes that appear in 3D.
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy to use and intuitive
- ? Syncs with other Apple devices you own
- ? Sharing video phone apps
- ? Limited to iOS
- ? Can’t add sound clips
25. Kdenlive
Kdenlive is designed for the GNU/Linux platform but also works on BSD and macOS. Work is being done to make it available on Windows. It’s a far more powerful tool than most beginners will be ready for. Features are robust and include everything from multi-track editing to incorporating almost any audio file type, keyframe effects, transitions, and more.
Pros & Cons
- ? Feature-packed
- ? Ideal for pros
- ? Complex for beginners
- ? Not available for Windows users (at the time of this writing)
26. Clipchamp
Like Promo and InVideo, Clipchamp is an online video editing tool. We like that it comes with features you’d expect from more advanced editing tools. These include trimming and cutting, flipping videos, using transitions, and balancing colors.
? Pricing
- Free
- Essentials: $11.99/mo
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy to use
- ? Perfect for marketers
- ? Unlimited video exports
- ? Free (no trial required)
- ? Exports in 480p (SD)
27. Kapwing
Kapwing is an online video editor that comes with just the right amount of functionality to make any marketer smile. You get to add and adjust elements (text, images, and sound) and a trimmer to perfectly size and time your videos. You’re also able to collaborate with team members in real-time.
? Pricing
Kapwing has a free plan. You can get Kapwing Pro for $16/month.
Pros & Cons
- ? No watermarks on free plan videos
- ? No limit on free plan lifespan
- ? Content you save expires after seven days
- ? Video duration is limited to 10 minutes
28. Microsoft Photos
While not the first tool that comes to mind, it’s still free and likely one of the easiest tools to use. Microsoft Photos is designed to edit photos and also makes it possible to create and edit videos and movies. You’re able to include filters, text, add camera motion effects, music, and more.
? Pricing
Free with in-app purchases.
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy to use
- ? Free for Windows users
- ? Not available for Mac and Linux users
29. Free Movie Maker
Free Movie Maker is a basic, yet easy-to-use video editor designed for small projects and video enthusiasts. You can add music, special effects, cut, trim, and join files. It also supports over 500 video formats.
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy to use
- ? Ideal for beginners
- ? Limited features
- ? Not available for Mac and Linux users
30. Movie Maker
Movie Maker comes as a free video editing tool, however, there is a pro version. It has a long list of features, including everything from merging photos and video, overlaying text, animated pan-zoom, along with over 30 transition effects and font captions. You also have access to a music editor with clip trimming, fading-in and fading-out effects, and the option of producing HD quality video. This tool is free to download from the Microsoft Store and isn’t standard on Windows.
Pros & Cons
- ? Feature-packed
- ? Possibly advanced for beginners
- ? Only available on Windows and for Windows 10 or higher
31. Splice (by GoPro)
Splice is a GoPro mobile video editing tool. It comes with a flurry of valuable features, all of which make editing on the fly as easy as possible. With the iPhone and Android app, users can sync video with music, add title slides, text overlays, and even customer outros. In addition to these features, you’re also able to perform all the standard actions one would expect from a video editing tool. You can cut, trim and control the speed between transitions, and even bring photos to life with pan and zoom effects.
? Pricing
Free app. Get full access for $69.99/year.
Pros & Cons
- ? Feature-packed
- ? Features for the free version are limited
32. KineMaster
Like other mobile apps on our list, KineMaster aims to bring as much of the desktop editing functionality to a handheld device, and the results are pretty impressive. KineMaster makes it possible to trim, and split video, preview your works instantly, add multiple tracks to your video, and include multiple layers of text, video, and images. You’re also able to use the art tool to blend backgrounds and control the speed of your videos.
? Pricing
Free app. Get an annual subscription to the full app for $39.99/year.
Pros & Cons
- ? Feature-packed
- ? Possibly too many features to manage on a mobile device
33. Cinelerra
Cinelerra has been around since 1998. While it is used to perform more advanced editing, it’s true that the UI is a little dated. But, it includes a host of features that rival more the high-end video editing tools on our list, and for a free tool, we think it really packs a punch. Features that stand out include motion stabilization, the chance to elevate images and make them appear as videos, pass live input through your timeline, and perform other crucial tasks like syncing video and leveraging optical flow.
Pros & Cons
- ? Feature-packed
- ? Produce videos in 8K resolution
- ? Too advanced for beginners
- ? Dated UI design
- ? Built for Linux
34. Movie Creator
Movie Creator aptly dubs itself a “video editor and slideshow maker app.” Its feature set, while not as robust as other desktop editing tools, is also not the slimmest on our list. In fact, while it’s available for download, its features include many that online video editing tools offer. You can use the app to trim, merge, and mute videos, and add music and extract MP3s. Movie Creator also allows you to add stickers, filters and themes, text, and save your video in a host of formats and resolutions.
? Pricing
Free with in-app purchases.
Pros & Cons
- ? Perfect for beginners
- ? Only available on Windows 10 or higher and Xbox One
35. Headliner
Headliner is one of the more uniquely positioned tools on our list. While it looks and feels like another online video editing app, it’s targeted at marketers who want to take their video, audio, and generally any idea, and transform them using animations, captions, gifs, and other tools. The app allows you to create waveforms, automatically transcribe audio (perfect for social content), clip audio, add text, images, and more, and export your creations in 1080p resolution and various sizes for social media.
? Pricing
Headliner offers one free plan and two paid plans:
- Basic: $7.99/month
- Pro: $19.99/month
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy-to-use
- ? Perfect for marketing teams that need to churn out content fast
- ? Videos are watermarked
36. Moovly
Moovly is an online video editing tool and the perfect solution for producing important content marketing videos like explainers and tutorials for hungry customers. It comes with a health library of video templates, images, sounds, music and motion graphics, drag-and-drop functionality, the ability to animate characters, and add text and synchronize sounds. It also allows you to layer multiple elements along your timeline. The tool is built to make your marketing team’s life easier, and that shines through its look and feel. In fact, Moovly drives this message home by stating that if you can work PowerPoint, you can manage their video editing app.
? Pricing
Moovly has one free plan and three paid plans:
- Pro: $33.25/month
- Max: $49.92/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy-to-use
- ? Perfect for marketing teams
- ? Can only publish videos in SD 480p and with a maximum length of 2 minutes
37. Typito
Typito is an online video editing app. Like others in its category, it’s made to help you quickly and easily adapt ideas from paper into video, without a big studio budget or in-house videographer. Typito comes with live preview functionality, the chance to create square and vertical videos (perfect for social media), the option to upload your own audio, music, and access to over 600k high-quality images. As an online video editor, you also get to leverage their 200+ free motion graphic templates and add video transitions to your creations. You can also add text layers, which is actually one of the app’s core selling points.
While Typito offers many of the same features that other online video tools come with, their UI appears to be one the most simplistic available. And while some may look at it and feel that it may offer far less, it doesn’t. Its minimalist nature makes it a breath of fresh air for beginners who just need to produce something engaging for their audience and continue to do so on a tight budget.
? Pricing
Typito’s free plan includes four videos per month. There are two paid plans:
- Solo: $15/month
- Pro: $29/month
Pros & Cons
- ? Easy-to-use
- ? Perfect for marketing teams
- ? Free plan videos are published in HD
- ? Can only publish four videos a month
- ? All free plan videos include Typito branding
38. Powtoon
Powtoon is a visual communication platform where you can create professional and fully customized videos. It offers a free version and three paid plans. It includes a vast video template gallery. You can easily edit your preferred templates. The app places a real emphasis on animation. With the free plan, you make short videos, lasting up to three minutes. Your production comes with Powtoon branding, and you can use a selection of free soundtracks and select royalty-free objects. The paid plans allow you to make longer videos (up to 30 minutes on the Agencies Plan), without the Powtoon watermark.
Powtoon includes a vast video template gallery, and you can instantly edit your preferred templates to say just what you need to get the word out. You can use their templates to make your message unforgettable. You will find many templates in categories such as Marketing, Sales, Training, Learning & Development, Internal Comms, HR, Industries, and more.
As you can tell from Powtoon’s mission, “So everyone can animate,” the app has a real emphasis on animation.
? Pricing
Powtoon has a free plan and three paid plans:
- Pro: $89/month (when billed annually)
- Pro+: $197/month (when billed annually)
- Agency: $1188/year
Pros & Cons
- ? Different plans to choose from
- ? Simple, easy-to-use interface
- ? Customizable animation templates to help user finish presentation faster
- ? Creating characters is limited
- ? Small selection of background music to choose from
- ? Requires some animation knowledge and patience to achieve property animation
39. AVS Video Editor
AVS produces a range of video and audio software, with their flagship product being the AVS Video Editor. You can use this program to trim, cut, split, merge, rotate, and mix videos. It allows you to apply effects and overlays, insert menus, audio, texts, and subtitles. You can even burn DVD/Blu-ray discs if you still use physical media. You can select between 300 innovative video effects and transitions. Insert menus, audio, text comments, and subtitles. Stabilize video camera shaky recordings.
AVS Video Editor supports all key video formats. Edit and save video files in AVI, VOB, MP4, and many more formats. You can process video with different frame sizes: HD, Full HD, 2K Quad HD, 4K Ultra HD, and DCI 4K.
? Pricing
- 1 year: $149
- Unlimited: $279
Pros & Cons
- ? Easily choose where to place the date and time on the video, the format, and the font
- ? Works fairly quickly
- ? Easy to edit
- ? Unable to choose a time zone for video editing purposes
Final Verdict
All the video editors mentioned on this list have amazing features and are free to use. They all have their good and bad points and you really have to make a decision based on your needs and usage.
As much as we would like to say that Quik is great for mobile users and Shotcut and OpenShot are great for desktops, we really can’t. You need to select the right tool for you, depending on what you want out of it.
Are you going to use it for professional work? Are you looking for a free trial but willing to invest in a paid version later? Do you want the best free tool available for personal use?
Whatever your requirements may be, this list of best free video editing software will have what you’re looking for. Just select the one that you like best and start editing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best free video editing tools?
There is a surprisingly extensive range of free video editing tools on the market today. In this post, we looked at 39 such tools, all of which may be suitable for you.
What do most YouTubers use to edit their videos?
There are many video apps that YouTubers can use to edit their videos. Indeed any of the 39 apps we have covered in this article could be suitable, depending on your needs. Some apps are only available for some operating systems, so check that you can use your preferred app on your device. For instance, VSDC is only available on windows. iMovie, being made by Apple, is only available for their devices: Mac and iOS.
What do influencers use to edit their videos?
Most influencers have had time to build an audience and establish a reputation for the quality of their social posts and videos. They probably began making their online videos using a free app, possibly one of the 39 reviewed in this post. Over time, however, they will likely have upgraded to more professional-quality video editing software. This could be a program like Adobe Premiere Pro (or the full version of Adobe Premiere Rush) or Apple Final Cut Pro.
What free app can I use to edit videos?
There are many free apps you can use to edit videos. We have reviewed 39 of them in this article. Some of these are cut-down versions of professional software, for example, the free version of Adobe Premiere Rush. Others, such as iMovie and Microsoft Photos, are video-related apps from major software and hardware companies. Take a close look at the pros and cons of each review (along with the operating systems for which they are available) to determine the best product for your needs.
Does Google have a video editor?
While Google (and Google-owned YouTube) no longer have their own video editor, you will find many that operate on Google’s Android operating system. The following apps reviewed in this article have a Google Android version:
1. GoPro QuikStories
2. Adobe Premiere Rush
3. Horizon
4. FilmoraGo
While there are not many Chrome-specific apps, you can use any web-based video editor on a Google Chromebook
Is Adobe Premiere Pro free?
Adobe Premiere is a serious video-editing program released by Adobe. It comes in several versions, at varying prices. The full Adobe Premiere Pro is a full-blown video editor with all the bells and whistles and the cost to reflect that. However, you can get Premiere Pro as part of Creative Cloud for US$54.99/month. Adobe Express allows you to create and share online videos and costs $9.99/month. Adobe does offer a free trial on its products.
