Need a good Windows Movie Maker alternative?

Try Movavi Video Editor!
This is what you get:

  • Support for a greater variety of media formats

  • Handy timeline with multiple tracks

  • Wider choice of editing features and effects

  • Comprehensive user support

By clicking the download button, you're downloading a free version of the program.*

Movavi Video Editor as a powerful program like Windows Movie Maker

Despite the fact that it’s free, Windows Movie Maker makes many users search for apps that provide a better choice of different options for creative editing. Another reason for users to look for alternatives to Windows Movie Maker is that this legendary app in no longer available for download. Alternatives to Windows Movie Maker include, for instance, Movavi Video Editor – another great video editing software that is much more than a mere equivalent of the popular Microsoft application.

In this review, we’ll compare Windows Movie Maker 2012 and a program like Windows Movie Maker – Movavi Video Editor. The criteria chosen are as follows:

📰 User interface

User Interface of Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker 2012

User interface of Movavi Video Editor Plus, a program like Windows Movie Maker

Movavi Video Editor 2024

The interface of both apps is very simple and intuitive. Both present no difficulty in navigating through the menus and tools even for a zero beginner in video editing.

🔁 Input and output features

In terms of the supported material, however, the products begin to differ.

Comparison parameters

Windows Movie Maker 2012

Movavi Video Editor 2024

Support for most input media formats

Support for most output media formats

Video: only MPEG-4, WMV; audio: only MPEG-4/AAC

Support for most devices

Support for 4K video

Intel® Media acceleration

Windows Movie Maker allows you to save your files only in either of the two video/audio formats. This is considerably fewer than the number of options available in Movavi Video Editor. Unlike its competitor, the software by Movavi also lets you handle 4K video, which has recently started gaining in popularity. The ability to accelerate the processing via Intel® Media only adds to the advantages of this product.

⏺ Recording tools

The recording tools available in the two video editors also differ significantly.

Windows Movie Maker allows to capture webcam and microphone only
Movavi Video Editor Plus enables recording media output from a variety of devices

Movavi Video Editor once again offers a wider choice of options, compared to the Microsoft app. If you're only using a webcam for capturing video, there's hardly any difference between the two. In all other cases, you'd do better with Movavi Video Editor. It enables recording media output from an extensive number of devices like webcams, TV tuners, HD cameras, and more.

✂️ Editing features

Comparing the editing tools in both programs shows roughly the same tendency.

Comparison parameters

Windows Movie Maker 2012

Movavi Video Editor 2024

Transitions and effects

FEW

MANY

Caption presets

FEW

MANY

Callouts

Stickers

Chroma key and animation

Footage adjustment (flip, crop, and rotate)

Only flip and rotate

Sound adjustment and editing

Also, new features: noise removal and equalizer

Splitting and trimming

Panning and zooming

Footage stabilization

Auto adjustment

Timeline mode

Mask & Highlight

Although the two apps are quite similar to each other in some respects, there are some differences in video-editing features. The set of features found in Windows Movie Maker is quite basic. Only a limited amount of effects, transitions, and title presets are available there, whereas Movavi Video Editor provides a lot more. Also, cropping is a feature for which there’s no substitute in the MS software. The same goes for timeline mode, auto adjustment, mask and highlight, and callouts that are all open to the experimentation of Movavi Video Editor users. What's more, the Movavi program lets you get additional effects packs at Movavi Effects Store.

💬 Help and support

User support is where the difference between the products becomes even more pronounced.

Comparison parameters

Windows Movie Maker 2012

Movavi Video Editor 2024

FAQs and how-tos

Video guides and manuals

Email

Live chat

Forum/Community

Windows Movie Maker lacks any official support in the form of manuals, how-tos, and video guides. And, as we said at the beginning of this article, Movie Maker is no longer available for download. Microsoft also states that websites offering to download Movie Maker for free may contain viruses, malware, or other unpleasant things.

The Movavi website has a variety of materials on various aspects of video editing and other useful functions of the program. Furthermore, Movavi offers an online chat service that’s indispensable if you want to find a solution to a technical problem as fast as possible.

💵 Price

Windows Movie Maker

Microsoft

Movavi Video Editor

Movavi

One attractive advantage of the Microsoft program is that it costs you nothing. Meanwhile, Movavi Video Editor is priced at $54.95, which seems reasonable for all the additional features you get.

In the end, if you’re looking for alternatives, Movavi Video Editor can be a perfect replacement for your standard MS app. Try Movavi and you’ll get:

  • Many more media formats to work with
  • Easy-to-grasp interface
  • Great deal of editing options and effects
  • Comprehensive help and support

Download Movavi Video Editor here and set up your own video editing studio in the comfort of your home.

System requirements: Microsoft® Windows® 7/8/10/11 with up-to-date patches and service packs installed (32 bit or 64 bit); Mac OS X® 10.13.6 or higher (64 bit).

* The free version of Movavi Video Editor has the following restrictions: 7-day trial period, watermark on the output videos, and, if you’re saving a project as an audio file, an ability to save only half the audio length. Learn more

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