The power of Windows 10 gives video editors a lot of freedom to create everything from short clips to feature-length films, but to create professional-level videos, you need the best video editor for Windows 10. In this article, we’ll review and compare the top 10 choices for video-editing software for Windows 10 – let’s get started!
App | Features | Download | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for professional-level video editing: Movavi Video Editor Plus | Includes all popular professional features and effects Limited color grading options | ||
| Best for creating simple clips: Microsoft Photos | Simple interface and OneDrive integration No panorama stitching feature or color correction | ||
| Best for professional-grade movie editing: Adobe® Premiere® Pro | Easy integration with other Adobe tools Steep learning curve |
| Best for beginners: CyberLink PowerDirector | Simplified editing module for beginners Poor color matching | ||
| Best free video editor: OpenShot | Free and easy for beginners Unintuitive for experienced video editors | ||
| Best for beginners and experts: Shotcut | Free and highly customizable No previews for transitions or effects, slow rendering | ||
| Best for quick and easy edits: Hitfilm Express | Playback options for quicker editing No green screen editing features or tools | ||
| Best for small video projects: Avidemux | Simple cutting and trimming in an intuitive interface Limited transitions and video effects | ||
| Best for simple video editing: Adobe® Premiere® Elements | Lots of video effects and font tools Slow rendering speeds and no screen recording feature | ||
| Best for professional video editing: DaVinci Resolve | Easy editing tools and great color grading Slow loading and rendering times |
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OS: Mac OS X 10.10 or higher, Windows 7/8/10 (with all current updates)
Price: Free trial, from $59.95
Best for: Professional-level video editing for beginners and veteran video creators
PCMag review: 4 out of 5
Movavi Video Editor Plus is a robust Windows movie editor with a Mac-compatible version available as well. Movavi offers a free download and trial period, and users can choose to purchase a one-year license or a lifetime license. The base version of this video editor includes key features, such as keyframe animation, effects and transitions, cutting, trimming, and joining, and fast processing for high-definition (4K) videos. The premium version includes all that, plus media file conversions and screen recording – features that stand out to a lot of streamers.
Pros
- Free download
- User-friendly
- Includes key features and effects for professional videos
Cons
- Limited control for some effects
- Limited color grading options
OS: Windows 10 version 17763.0 or higher
Price: Free
Best for: Creating simple clips and photo montage videos with soundtracks
PCMag review: 4 out of 5
Microsoft Photos is a basic photo and video editing tool that’s available for free from the Microsoft store. It excels at photo montages and gives users a quick and easy way to create nostalgic videos with fun soundtracks from their digital photos. It lacks a lot of the functionality of other video-editing software options, but it offers beginners a simple video editor for Windows 10.
Pros
- Simple interface
- OneDrive integration for storage
- Soundtrack, text, and transition features
Cons
- No panorama stitching feature
- No color or geometry correction
- No effects preview feature
OS: Windows 10 (64-bit) version 2004 or higher
Price: $20.99-$31.49/month
Best for: Professional-grade movie editing for PC
PCMag review: 4.5 out of 5
Adobe® Premiere® Pro is a professional-level platform for editing videos on Windows computers. For PC users, Adobe® Premiere® Pro has been a go-to editing tool for years, with a wide range of features, tools, and effects. Some users have reported that it may crash when processing larger files, and it has a bit of a learning curve. However, once they learn how to edit videos on Windows with Premiere® Pro, many users find it to be user-friendly.
Pros
- Supports multiple file formats
- Easy integration with other Adobe tools
- Custom keyboard shortcuts
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Limited graphics customization
- May crash when processing large video files
OS: Windows 10/8/8.1/7 (64-bit only)
Price: $139.99-$169.99 or $96.99/year
Best for: Quick and easy video editing for beginners
PCMag review: 4.5 out of 5
CyberLink PowerDirector is a comprehensive platform for professional video editing, but it’s also a top pick for many amateurs as well. Key features include motion tracking, color correction, and filters and transitions. If you’re in a hurry or you’re a beginner just beginning to get into video editing, you may want to check out PowerDirector’s “magic movie wizard” feature, which offers a simplified option for cool video edits. While beginners often love PowerDirector’s easy interface, it differs a great deal from other editing tools’ designs – making it unintuitive for more experienced editors.
Pros
- User-friendly
- Simplified editing module for beginners
- Fast rendering speeds
Cons
- Poor color matching
- Unintuitive interface for experienced editors
OS: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit), Linux, Mac OS X
Price: Free
Best for: Editing video clips and adding effects to videos for free
Capterra review: 4.2 out of 5, 42 reviews
OpenShot is freeware video editing software for Windows 10, Linux, and Mac OS X. While the software is robust and offers a lot of effects and tools to edit clips, like PowerDirector, it may be harder for experienced editors to use. At the same time, because OpenShot is open-source software, it doesn’t come with a lot of support or documentation. So, the ideal user would be someone who has a lot of experience working with open-source software but who doesn’t have much (if any) experience with video editing tools.
Pros
- Free
- Easy for beginners
- Easy access to all editing tracks on one screen
Cons
- Unintuitive user interface
- Lacks customer support
- Slow export times
OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (64-bit), Mac OS X 10.10-10.15 (64-bit)
Price: Free
Best for: Free video editing for beginners and experts
TechRadar review: 4 out of 5
Shotcut is open-source video-editing software for Windows and Mac. Of the free video-editing apps available, Shotcut stands out for its frequent updates and relatively good level of documentation and support. The user interface is fairly simple and straightforward, with a wide array of features and effects to choose from. Many newer users enjoy the option to allow Shotcut to automatically choose the best resolution for video projects, and veteran video editors enjoy the manual options for many features.
Pros
- Freeware
- Highly customizable
- Lots of editing features
Cons
- No previews for transitions or effects
- Slow rendering
- Must manually create new layers
OS: Windows 10/8 (64-bit), Mac OS X 10.14 and higher
Price: $299 after free demo
Best for: Editing clips that do not require green screen features
TechRadar review: 4.5 out of 5
Hitfilm Express bills itself as “free video editing software with professional-grade VFX tools.” While it does boast professional tools and a robust platform, the “free” part of this statement isn’t entirely true. While Hitfilm Express offers a free download, there is no free version beyond the trial period. However, many users love the built-in effects and transitions, and the platform offers playback options that expedite editing processes. Support is limited, though. Users who aren’t accustomed to doing their own troubleshooting and fixing software issues may want to think about a different option.
Pros
- Multiple built-in effects and transitions
- Playback options for quicker editing
- Editing capabilities during export
Cons
- Limited support
- Steep learning curve
- No green screen editing tools
OS: Windows 10/8/8.1/7/XP/Vista
Price: Free
Best for: Fast and easy cutting, trimming, and merging for small video projects
TechRadar review: 4 out of 5
Avidemux is a free video editor with compatible versions for Windows, Linux, and BSD. It boasts a simple user interface, but some users have had difficulties with transcoding and other features. This is not a robust video editing tool, and it’s not really designed to be a professional video editing platform. As such, it’s probably best used for quick edits and cutting clips for personal use. If you want to do more in-depth editing, you may want to consider a different Windows 10 video editor.
Pros
- Easy for beginners
- Simple cutting and trimming
- Free
Cons
- Difficulties with transcoding features
- Limited transitions and effects
- No timeline tool
OS: Windows 10 version 1903 or higher, 64-bit only (version 1909 recommended), Mac OS X 10.14/10.15/11
Price: $99.99 after free trial
Best for: Learning how to edit videos on Windows on a budget
PCMag review: 3.5 out of 5
For video creators looking for a more affordable version of Adobe® Premiere® Pro, Premiere® Elements might be a good option for a video editor for Windows 10. The platform is user-friendly and simple to get started with. It also includes multiple tutorials and guided editing features to help new users create videos that look and sound more professional. That said, this is not a fully professional-level video editing platform. If you want to do the most with your video creations, you may want to go with one of the more robust programs we’ve discussed here.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Lots of visual effects and font tools
- Robust tutorials for beginner editors
Cons
- Slow rendering speeds
- No screen recording feature
- Lacks 3D editing functionality
OS: Windows 10/8/7, Mac OS X, Linux
Price: $0-$295
Best for: Professional-level video editing on computers with plenty of processing power
TechRadar review: 4.5 out of 5
Davinci Resolve is a video editing mega-tool. It includes all of the most popular editing tools and features, and adds color correction, motion graphics, and audio post-production features, as well. For professional editors, DaVinci Resolve is a good option for editing videos on Windows. However, if you’re doing more casual editing and/or you’re working on a Windows 10 laptop or a less powerful desktop, this may not be the best option. It’s highly resource intensive, and may crash some laptops and desktops.
Pros
- Great color grading
- Easy editing tools
- Includes multiple special effects
Cons
- Slow rendering and load times
- Steep learning curve
- Uses a lot of memory
Summary: choosing the best Windows 10 video editor for you
With the information in this article, you should have everything you need to compare the best software to edit videos on your Windows 10 PC. But, as you compare and contrast, you may still be wondering which is the top choice for you. Do you need a professional video editing platform that will turn your video footage into a polished film? Or are you looking for something that will help you crop smartphone videos and add some cool transitions for TikTok or Instagram? To help you make the right choice, here are a few things you should consider before you decide on which software is best for your next video project:
- User interface: Are you a seasoned video editor, or is this your first time cropping, merging, and adding transitions to your videos? If you’re new to video editing, you may want to prioritize a program that’s known for being user-friendly with an easy learning curve. Likewise, if you’ve been editing for a while, make sure you choose one that has a familiar interface that you can easily adjust, too.
- Features and tools: What do you want to do with your videos? Will you be adding a lot of video effects? Do you need pre-made transitions between clips? What about text and captions? Make a list of your must-have features, and make sure that your preferred video editing program has everything you need to produce the kinds of videos you want to make.
- Video file formats: What type of video files are you working with? Check out which formats your software choice supports – so you don’t accidentally purchase or download a program that doesn’t work with your video files. You don’t want to end up with a $300 purchase for a program that doesn’t support WAV files, for example.
- Customer reviews: Finally, don’t hesitate to scour the internet for customer reviews of any video editing platform you’re thinking about downloading. And don’t just look at how many stars a program received. Instead, dig into the actual reviews and what people have to say. If a veteran movie maker is saying that a program is resource-hungry and will crash your computer, keep that in mind. But always remember that there are always outliers with any program. Look for multiple positive and negative reviews, and see if you find any trends that steer you toward or away from a particular program.
Movavi Video Editor Plus
Make videos. Create. Inspire.
* The free version of Movavi Video Editor Plus 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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