dockpicks

Video editing

Video editors for everything from family clips to pro color grading.

6 apps, listed best first · prices checked October 2026

  1. DaVinci Resolve

    Free tier

    Pro editing, color, audio and effects, with a generous free tier

    A professional editor that combines non-linear editing, color grading, Fairlight audio and Fusion visual effects in one app. The free version handles up to Ultra HD at 60fps; Studio adds AI tools, more effects and higher resolutions.

    Our take The best free video editor available, and the top choice if you care about color grading. It is demanding on hardware and has a steep learning curve for beginners.

    Free; Studio $295 one-time as of Oct 2026by Blackmagic Design

    Website Mac App Store

  2. Final Cut Pro

    $299.99

    Apple's pro video editor, fast and tightly tuned for Mac

    Apple's professional editor with the Magnetic Timeline, automatic captions, object tracking, Magnetic Mask and voice isolation. It is sold as a one-time purchase or as part of Apple Creator Studio.

    Our take The natural upgrade from iMovie, which can send projects straight to it. It only runs on Apple devices, which matters if you collaborate with Windows users.

    $299.99 one-time; or $12.99/mo Creator Studio as of Oct 2026by Apple

    Website Mac App Store

  3. Shotcut

    FreeOpen source

    Free, open-source editor with wide format support

    A free, cross-platform video editor that supports hundreds of formats through FFmpeg and edits files directly on the timeline without importing. Projects can mix formats, resolutions and frame rates.

    Our take A good free middle ground between iMovie and Resolve, and lighter on hardware than Resolve. The interface is functional rather than polished.

    FreeGPL-3.0 licenceby Meltytech

    Website Source

  4. CapCut

    Free tier

    Easy editor for social video with templates and AI tools

    A video editor geared toward short-form social video, with trending effects, auto captions, keyframes, color tools and AI features. Projects sync across devices through cloud storage.

    Our take The quickest way to make captioned clips for TikTok, Reels or Shorts. Many effects and AI tools sit behind the subscription, and projects rely on a cloud account, which may matter to privacy-conscious users.

    Free; Standard $9.99/mo, Pro $19.99/mo as of Oct 2026by ByteDance

    Website Mac App Store

  5. Kdenlive

    FreeOpen source

    Free, open-source editor with multicam and color scopes

    KDE's free non-linear video editor with multicam editing, nested sequences, proxies, hundreds of effects, LUTs, color scopes and automatic transcription. Native builds exist for Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

    Our take More feature-rich than Shotcut and fully free, a good fit if you want advanced tools without Resolve's hardware demands. It comes from the Linux world and feels less at home on macOS than Mac-first editors.

    FreeGPL-3.0 licenceby KDE

    Website Source

  6. Adobe Premiere

    $22.99/mo

    Industry-standard editor for teams already on Creative Cloud

    Adobe's professional video editor covering editing, color grading, audio mixing, effects and animated titles, with AI tools. It is also available on iPhone and Android.

    Our take Pick it if your clients, school or team already work in Adobe's apps. For solo editors on a Mac, Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve cost less over time.

    US$22.99/month (annual, billed monthly) as of Oct 2026by Adobe

    Website
Compare all 6 side by side
AppPriceModelOpen sourceApp Store
DaVinci Resolve Free tier Free tier – Yes
Final Cut Pro $299.99 Paid – Yes
Shotcut Free Free GPL-3.0 –
CapCut Free tier Free tier – Yes
Kdenlive Free Free GPL-3.0 –
Adobe Premiere $22.99/mo Subscription – –

Not sure which video editor to pick?

Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude or any AI assistant that can open links. It reads the list, asks about your Mac and budget, and suggests a short list.

Help me choose the right video editor for my Mac. Read https://dockpicks.com/video-editing/ and its plain-text version, https://dockpicks.com/video-editing.md. Ask me which Mac I have, what I use it for and my budget, then recommend a short list from that page with the free and paid trade-offs, and say if the tool built into macOS is enough.

Or open it in ChatGPTPerplexity