Looking for the best YouTube editing software to take your content to the next level? Luckily for you, there is a seemingly endless selection of quality options to choose from, catering to a range of skill levels, budgets, and requirements as a creator.
Choosing the best YouTube editing software for you will depend heavily on all of these aspects, as well as your own personal preferences regarding interfaces and controls. But we understand that it can be difficult to break it all down when there are so many options out there to choose from. That's why we've put together a comprehensive guide to the 11 best YouTube editing software in 2024.
We'll give you a summary of each and list compatible operating systems, pricing, key features, and the skill level for which each software is geared towards, so you can bypass all the boring research and get straight to editing your YouTube videos!
No matter how good an editing software you find, however, nothing can beat leaning on quality equipment to film your YouTube videos, so make sure you invest in a suitable microphone and video camera for your filming set-up, and consider things like lighting and backdrops for your YouTube videos before you film.
Contents:
- Movavi
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Apple Final Cut Pro
- CyberLink PowerDirector 365
- Adobe Premiere Elements
- Blackmagic Da Vinci Resolve
- Apple iMovie
- Pinnacle Studio
- Lightworks
- CapCut
- Wondershare Filmora
1. Movavi Video Editor
Movavi Video Editor stands out as a comprehensive video editing tool designed for creators at every skill level. It's packed with features that cater to both beginners and seasoned video editors, making it a versatile choice for a wide range of projects. With an intuitive interface, Movavi simplifies the video editing process, allowing users to effortlessly apply effects, transitions, and animations to their creations. Its latest version introduces enhanced performance, new special effects, and improved usability, ensuring a seamless editing experience.
Movavi Video Editor is known for its balance between user-friendly features and advanced capabilities, including keyframe animation, chroma key, and motion tracking. Whether you're crafting personal projects, educational content, or YouTube videos, Movavi provides the tools needed to produce high-quality results without a steep learning curve.
- Compatible with: macOS and Windows
- Pricing: Offers a 7-day free trial, with premium access starting from $94.95/year.
- Key features: Extensive media library, built-in intros and outros, special effects, fast processing, 4K video support.
- Skill level: Suitable for beginners to professionals, with tools and tutorials to guide users at every step.
2. Abobe Premiere Pro
Adobe's Premiere Pro is an advanced video editing software used by professionals across the globe. If you're just starting out, you may find Premier Pro a touch intimidating, although it does now offer a Learning Mode, where users can follow along via interactive tutorials. Given its higher price point and advanced controls, it's better suited towards those with more extensive requirements, but if you're a professional YouTube editor and can spare the change, then it's reliable and sophisticated option.
And if our praise isn't enough to convince you, Adobe Premiere Pro has been used to edit a number of notable feature films, including Deadpool (2016), Gone Girl (2014) and Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), as well as by YouTube giant PewDiePie - so you know it's the real deal!
Basically, if you're a confident editor challenged with putting out high-quality YouTube content, Premiere Pro will be your best friend. From simple vlogs to low-budget filmmaking, it has the features to support some really impressive results.
- Compatible with: macOS and Windows
- Pricing: £19.97 p/mo (annual subscription billed monthly); £30.34 p/mo (monthly subscription billed monthly); £238.42 p/yr (annual subscription billed upfront)
- Key features: 3D & Multicam editing, interactive tutorials, auto-reframe, 360-degree editing, colour manipulation, image stabilisation
- Skill level: Geared towards professionals
3. Apple Final Cut Pro
Apple's Final Cut Pro holds its own in any discussion of the best YouTube editing software. Like Premiere Pro, it's suited to those with a higher budget, but if you're a professional or avid hobby-editor, then it has to be considered as a strong contender.
Whilst Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro are often cited in a league of their own, there are of course some notable differences between the two. Many users suggest that Final Cut Pro tends to be more accessible and easier to get to grips with but has less pro features overall. Having said that, others prefer the application for its advanced audio editing features, which many say are superior to Premiere Pro's. It can automatically correct noise interference and isolate specific voices your footage.
Final Cut Pro is likely the ideal choice if you're an aspiring or professional YouTube editor who wants a slightly less intimidating choice than Adobe's Premiere Pro.
- Compatible with: macOS Big Sur 11.5.1 or later
- Pricing: £299.99
- Key features: Object tracking, colour grading, focal point & depth-of-field adjustment, duplicate detection, 360-degree editing, one-step video output, Multicam editing, voice isolation
- Skill level: Geared towards professionals
4. CyberLink PowerDirector 365
Often cited as having the most intuitive interface, CyberLink's PowerDirector is a professional editing software that seamlessly bridges the gap between beginner and professional.
If you're just getting into editing professionally and need advanced tools without an intimidating interface and high price point, then PowerDirector is a really strong option. Its tools may not be quite as advanced as some of the other professional tools on this list, but its capabilities far surpass those categorised for beginners. It's a true middle ground and a universally adored tool for good reason.
- Compatible with: macOS, Windows, iOS and Android
- Pricing: £59.99 p/yr (annual subscription billed annually); £17.99 p/mo (monthly subscription billed monthly)
- Key features: PiP (Picture in Picture) editing, 360-degree editing, motion tracking, 3D & Multicam editing
- Skill level: Geared towards enthusiasts and professionals
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5. Abobe Premiere Elements
If you're looking to ease your way into the world of YouTube editing software, Adobe's Premiere Elements is a strong place to start. The simple, intuitive interface is geared towards beginners whilst still offering a wealth of features and effects.
From the Reduce Noise tool that allows you to correct grainy noise, to the Smart Trim feature which can auto-remove poor quality clippings from your video, Premiere Elements is a dependable assistant for YouTube editors who don't require particularly advanced features.
- Compatible with: macOS and Windows
- Pricing: £86.56 for full license, £70.91 as licence upgrade
- Key features: Motion tracking, auto-reframe, animated overlays, shadow and highlight editing, image stabilisation, PiP (Picture-in-Picture) editing
- Skill level: Geared towards beginners
6. Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve
Blackmagic's DaVinci Resolve is another popular choice among professional editors on YouTube and throughout Hollywood. The best thing about DaVinci Resolve is that there's a free version offering an impressive editing tool catalogue. But if you want access to the advanced version, it caters to a similar budget to the top dogs (Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro).
This award-winning software has been used by video production companies across the world to colour grade and edit a number of hit films and TV shows, including Avatar (2009) and La La Land (2016), and is commonly used to restore classic films and footage, such as Les Miserables (1925). The advanced studio version can be exhausting to get to grips with, but as far as free YouTube editing software goes, DaVinci Resolve is in a league of its own.
- Compatible with: Linux, macOS and Windows
- Pricing: DaVinci Resolve: Free. DaVinci Resolve Studio: £245
- Key features: Colour correction, motion tracking, 3D editing, colour coding, HDR grading, audio editing
- Skill level: Geared towards enthusiasts and professionals
7. Apple iMovie
Apple iMovie was designed specifically to be accessible to those with limited video editing experience or knowledge. And whilst this limits its capabilities, it certainly delivers as a great entry-level YouTube editing software, particularly if you're shooting footage on an iPhone.
If you've been editing for some time and need a wider range of sophisticated tools, you might be better off with something like PowerDirector, but if you're just starting out or are looking for basic editing tools, iMovie is a strong place to start. If your formats are basic and you just want to smooth together a recording or AI-generated video, then iMovie is a well-rounded option for beginners.
- Compatible with: macOS and iOS
- Pricing: Free
- Key features: Colour correction, image stabilisation, video transitions, PiP (Picture in Picture) editing
- Skill level: Geared towards beginners
8. Pinnacle Studio
Pinnacle Studio is an advanced yet user-friendly editing software that caters towards aspiring professionals and editing enthusiasts who want something a bit more robust and sophisticated than those tools specifically aimed at beginners.
Hailed for its accessible interface, Pinnacle Studio has a wealth of advanced features that are well-suited to editing videos for YouTube. It's a sturdy middle ground for editors who want to expand their technical arsenal and improve their skills, without overwhelming themselves with a professional tool.
- Compatible with: Windows and iOS
- Pricing: Pinnacle Studio: £59.99. Pinnacle Studio Ultimate: £114.19
- Key features: PiP (Picture in Picture) editing, Multicam editing, motion tracking, video masking, stop motion video, colour grading, video masking
- Skill level: Geared towards enthusiasts
9. Lightworks
Having been in development since 1989, the system earned itself an EMMY award back in 2017 for being one of the first to create a digital nonlinear editing software. Like others on this list, the software has been used to edit a number of Hollywood movies such as Moulin Rouge (2001) and The King's Speech (2010), evidencing its advanced capabilities.
The tool comes in three grades, with the Pro version catering more towards professionals and the free version to beginners. If you only need basic features such as transitions and audio editing then the free version is worth checking out. However, due to the fact that it's less popular than many on this list, there aren't as many tutorials available online and the interface can take some getting used to.
- Compatible with: Linux, Windows and macOS
- Pricing: Lightworks Free: Free. Lightworks Create: £119.99 or £79.99 per year or £7.99 per month. Lightworks Pro: £249.99 or £159.99 per year or £15.99 per month.
- Key features: Multicam editing, direct export to Vimeo and YouTube (up to 720p in free version)
- Skill level: Geared towards beginners, enthusiasts and professionals
10. CapCut
Capcut is an increasingly popular video editing software for YouTubers. In fact, The Wall Street Journal reported back in March 2023 that CapCut had been downloaded more than TikTok. Apart from the fact that it's completely free, CapCut offers a number of competitive benefits.
It's basic but robust. If you're just getting into YouTube vlogging, for example, then CapCut is a reliable tool that will allow you to easily edit videos from your smartphone. The interface is straightforward and easy to use, but if you're in need of something that produces more professional-looking footage, then you may want to opt for something more advanced.
- Compatible with: macOS, Windows, iOS and Android
- Pricing: Free
- Key features: Auto captions, chroma key, motion tracking, key framing.
- Skill level: Geared towards beginners
11. Wondershare Filmora
Finally, Filmora is a beginner-friendly video editing software with a number of advanced features. Featuring over 100 transitions and special effects such as chroma key and Smart Cutout, Filmora is a suitable option for YouTube video editors looking to impress with some sophisticated effects. The free version gives you access to the full range of features, but your exported video will feature the Filmora watermark unless you subscribe.
Like Lightworks, there isn't a tonne available online as far as tutorials go, but Filmora is designed for beginners who want to create and edit videos with ease, so you shouldn't have too much trouble navigating the interface and different features.
- Compatible with: All
- Pricing: Download: Free. Subscription: £63.96. Or between £37.97 - £47.97 annually, depending on your OS.
- Key features: Colour correction, smart cutout, key framing, mask drawing, PiP (Picture in Picture) editing, chroma key
- Skill level: Geared towards beginners and enthusiasts
Wrapping up
Choosing the right software for YouTube editing can be a difficult decision. Whatever budget you're dealing with, you likely don't want to be flipping between different software, navigating new interfaces, and comparing features until you find the one that works for you. Of course, it's a personal decision at the end of the day, but hopefully, our research of the 11 best YouTube editing software has given you some insight into what each tool caters for and the specific benefits that they bring.
It may be tempting to ignore those aimed at beginners if you're feeling ambitious about your YouTube video editing, however, it's worth bearing in mind that many of the advanced features that you pay for with professional software simply aren't necessary when it comes to basic YouTube video editing. That's not to say that they're never worth the money, as you achieve really impressive results, but it's worth considering what exactly you will be using the software for, so you don't end up paying for unnecessary features.
If you're looking for more ways to grow your channel and keep your audience engaged on YouTube, why not check out our beginner's guide to getting started with live-streaming.
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