Premiere Pro is known worldwide for its video editing capabilities and power, but it is not a program that satisfies all tastes. For some it’s too expensive, for others it’s too complicated and others just want to use something different to edit their videos. Whatever your reason for not using Adobe software, today I present you with the top 10 Adobe Premiere Pro alternatives for Windows and macOS.
Adobe Premiere Pro alternatives
This list includes free and paid programs, with options for Windows and macOS, so it’s safe to say one of them will meet your needs.
1. Movavi Video Editor
The best Adobe Premiere Pro alternative overall
Movavi Video Editor is one of the easiest to use. One of the reasons many people get discouraged in editing activities and the video editing learning process is the complexity of some software interfaces, like those of Vegas Pro or Premiere Pro. This is why Movavi Video Editor offers an intuitive interface, designed for easy handling, with tutorials and an “Easy Mode” that almost makes the video for you.
The interface has some features in common with other video editing programs, but achieves a simpler finish, without overloading the main screen with too many options and features, so people who have never edited a video feel confident anyway with Movavi.
Among the features it offers, Movavi Video Editor 2023 also includes a tool to stabilize videos with motion and reduce the noise in images and videos.
Movavi Video Editor is easy to use but sometimes results in a bit short in performance, so it is surpassed by other programs with greater power of editing and rendering.
2. Vegas Pro
The best Premiere Pro alternative for Windows
Vegas Pro, formerly known as Sony Vegas Pro, is Adobe Premiere’s core competency when it comes to features. It comes with 4K video editing support and editing can be done in 2D or 3D by dragging and dropping elements. One thing I like about Vegas Pro is that its interface is very customizable and gives you total control over how you would like to edit.
Thanks to the OpenFX base, it works perfectly with almost all types of video effects, and Vegas Pro imports the project file and automatically converts it to its native format, saving you time and storage space on your hard drive.
Like other video editing programs, it also includes some unique features. Features include GPU graphics acceleration, multi-camera editing, independent editing windows, masking tools, automatic color selection, plugin support, 3D preview, stereoscopic 3D adjustments, autocorrection of alignments, Dolby Digital surround sound, support for multiple administrators, native XAVC support, Blu-ray Disc authoring, and much more. Overall, Vegas Pro is an excellent alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro that offers very similar features and, undeniably, a friendlier interface.
- Platforms: Windows
- Price: The trial version is free for 30 days. The paid version costs $599
3. Filmora
One of the best Premiere Pro alternatives for novices
Filmora, like Premiere Elements, is designed for inexperienced editors. It has an attractive, visual interface that is very easy to learn and guides you through the editing processes without overloading you with options or explanations. It is designed to be simple and slick while encouraging creativity.
Filmora includes a slew of exciting new features such as motion tracking, keyframing, color matching, and audio ducking. These features, like the basic editing skills, are all simple to use, so even inexperienced editors will be able to add creative touches to their videos with ease.
However, this ease of use comes at the expense of precision, and more ambitious editors will be disappointed by the limited options for fine-tuning edits and effects. In addition, the color and audio tools are rather basic in comparison to some competitors.
You can download Filmora for free and use all of its features, but your finished videos will have a watermark. Removing this requires a one-time fee of $79.99, as well as access to any future Filmora updates. You can also subscribe to an annual plan for $54.99/year, which includes access to all updates.
4. Final Cut Pro X
The best Premiere Pro alternative for macOS
Apple Final Cut Pro X is another software that offers the same editing features as Adobe Premiere Pro but at a lower price. You could say that this application competes face-to-face with Adobe. If you are a Mac user, then you should give Final Cut Pro a try, as it also has a free trial version.
It has one of the best interfaces of the applications in this list, it is simple, interactive, and professional. It uses a magnetic timeline that is very different from Adobe Premiere Pro and other video editors. Instead of separating all video clips, this application adds secondary clips behind the main timeline for individual editing. If you have used any of the other video editing programs, the magnetic timeline of this application will be the first thing you notice.
Apart from the magnetic timeline, Final Cut Pro X also contains many other editing features, including Clip grouping, the ability to individually manage clips and see their effects, multi-camera support with up to 64 angles, automatic metadata reading, automated project management, and keyword assignment.
Now comes also the most interesting, which is the GPU support, effects and transitions, audio editing on the timeline itself, color adjustment, 4K support, and much more. This application is best for you if you’re looking for Adobe Premiere Pro alternatives and are a Mac user.
- Platforms: macOS.
- Price: Trial version and full version with a price of $299.99.
5. Pinnacle Studio
One of the best Adobe Premiere Pro alternatives for non-professional filmmakers
Pinnacle Studio has progressed significantly in recent years. It was once slow, buggy, and feature-limited, but recent updates have transformed it into a serious competitor.
It’s not as sophisticated as high-end programs like Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Final Cut Pro, but it’s a good choice for mid-level editors like small businesses or amateur filmmakers. Its interface is simple, and updates have added useful features in addition to fixing performance issues.
Color grading tools, multi-camera capturing and editing, and precise keyframe controls are among them. There’s also a stop-motion video mode, a title designer with impressive control over animated text, and face-tracking masks that allow you to adjust the lighting or effects on a moving face.
Pinnacle is reasonably priced for such a comprehensive set of features. Standard, Studio Plus, and Studio Ultimate versions are available for a one-time fee of $59.95, $99.95, and $129.95, respectively. Masking and 4K editing are among the extra features available in Ultimate, and it’s worth paying the extra if you’re likely to use them.
6. Corel VideoStudio
An affordable Adobe Premiere Pro choice for beginners
If you’re new to video editing, the apps we’ve listed thus far may be too complicated for you, but Corel VideoStudio may be a better fit. While the interface isn’t the slickest or most modern, it is simple and uncluttered, making it simple to navigate and start putting videos together.
For inexperienced editors, VideoStudio offers three simple template types: Highlight Reel, Fast Flick, and Instant Project. These walk you through the steps of making a basic video while also improving your skills.
And just because it’s simple to use doesn’t mean the program can’t produce high-quality results. Some advanced features have been added in recent updates.
There are two versions available: VideoStudio Pro and Ultimate, both of which cost $79.99 and $99.99, respectively. While these are one-time charges, if a new version of the software is released, you will need to purchase a new license to access it, which will be $59.99 for Pro and $79.99 for Ultimate.
7. CyberLink PowerDirector
A great consumer-level Premiere alternative
CyberLink PowerDirector, like Pinnacle Studio, is a good mid-level editing software option. It has been available for Windows since 2005 and has recently been released for Mac.
It has an easy-to-use interface that allows you to get started editing quickly, as well as an Auto Mode for beginners that guides you through the process of putting together a basic video while also teaching you some skills.
There are some impressive advanced features for more experienced users, including a flexible set of masking tools that allow you to mask out an object within a clip to apply effects. Multi-camera editing, 360° editing, motion animation, and text graphics are also available.
There are two versions available with a one-time license fee, but you will have to pay again for any future updates. You can also opt for the PowerDirector 365 plan, which includes all future updates as well as access to a large library of Shutterstock videos, music, and images.
8. Adobe Premiere Elements
Adobe’s simpler and cheaper version of Premiere Pro
Adobe developers recognize that Premiere Pro is far too complicated for many users, so the company also offers Premiere Elements, a scaled-down version of the software aimed at enthusiasts who want to create simple home videos.
The interface is much simpler than Premiere Pro’s and thus easier to learn, though it isn’t as slick or appealingly designed and can feel clunky. Nonetheless, it’s a competent editing tool. It lacks precise fine-tuning controls when compared to other options, but it does have a few useful features, such as motion titles, face detection, and tracking masks.
It has a Guided Edit mode in which AI-powered tutorials guide you through a task, allowing you to create a video while learning how to use the program. The latest version includes 25 guided edits, which is more than other apps that provide comparable tutorials. They range from simple clip assembly to more advanced effects such as double-exposure videos.
Whereas most other Adobe software requires a subscription, Premiere Elements can be purchased for a one-time fee of $99.99, making it significantly less expensive than Premiere Pro. Upgrading from a previous version to the latest version costs $79.99. Now we explore best free Adobe Premiere Pro alternatives.
The best free Adobe Premiere alternatives
9. HitFilm Express
The best free Premiere Pro alternatives
HitFilm is an editing and even post-production tool that lets you work with your videos for free. HitFilm Express includes the following content:
- 180 effects and adjustments.
- Resolution up to 1080p with 8-bit color depth.
- Editing and composition 3d.
- Keyframe animation and graphic editor.
- Chroma Key and extraction tools.
- 10 built-in premium effect packs.
HitFilm Express gives you up to 1080p editing with a large number of formats at your disposal. You can easily apply color styles from the effects tab of this HitFilm Express version, and even modify them to your liking to customize them.
Without too many complications you can separate a Green screen with the basic tools of the Hitfilm Express version. The quality with which it achieves it is worthy of other software at a much higher price.
When you finish your editing work, you can proceed to export in a variety of formats, and you can even link the program to your youtube account so that it uploads the content directly after rendering.
You also have on their website a list of additions for this free version, which will allow you to add packages of effects and/or tools to improve the software.
If you want to have the complete version, whether because you feel the free version is too limited, or because it is cheaper for you to buy the complete software instead of installing the free one and then adding too many add-ons, you can buy the PRO version.
- Platforms: Windows and macOS
- Price: free
10. DaVinci Resolve
The best Premiere Pro alternative for color grading
Unlike Adobe, whose approach is to develop a complete suite of dedicated applications, Blackmagic has poured all the features of several acquisitions directly into its primary software tool: the DaVinci Resolve. When they acquired Resolve, it was just a gradation and color correction tool. Then an NLE video editor was added with version 10 in 2013. Then came Fairlight, a comprehensive suite of audio tools for manipulating and mastering audio. Now, they have included their latest acquisition in Resolve: Fusion, which is an advanced node-based compositing tool.
Although there are many options for editing video for free and even online that you can use from multiple platforms, few are as complete and powerful as DaVinci Resolve. With its latest release, it has added hundreds of improvements and additional tools.
DaVinci Resolve offers editing tools, visual effects, motion graphics, color correction, and audio post-production, and you can download it for free for Windows, macOS, or Linux.
While the free version of the program includes all the editing features and lets you do projects with a maximum frame rate of 60 frames per second, you should be aware that the free version does not support h26x, so you’ll need to transcode videos of that type before you can use them.
The paid version, DaVinci Resolve Studio, costs $259 and offers multi-user collaboration, 3D tools, and support for 4K and higher-resolution formats as well as frame rates of up to 120 frames per second, and includes other unique features and filters, such as glare or granularity effects.
DaVinci Resolve supports all major formats and the ability to process XML, EDL, or AAF files for import and export between it and other editing programs such as Final Cut Pro X, Media Composer, and Premiere Pro. And, its integration with Fusion allows you to send shots with visual effects to programs such as After Effects or ProTools for audio processing.
Resolve 16 is available for Mac OSX, Windows, and Linux. You can download it from the Blackmagic Design website or the Apple MacStore.
- Platforms: Windows and macOS
- Price: free
Adobe Premiere Pro alternatives | Final words
This list includes the best Adobe Premiere alternatives, and they all include a way to test the software in case you decide to buy a final version, so don’t hesitate to use the free or trial versions.
If you would like to learn more about Adobe software check out our articles:
