Top Editors for YouTube Videos: Choosing the Right Kind for You

Creating a great video is never just about the camera or having a perfect idea. Any professional editor would agree: it’s that moment when raw footage gets turned into an actual story.

The right video editor can do a lot: help you speed up or slow down the pace, create a hook that grabs attention, and generally make your production process a lot easier. These days you can choose from dozens of editing solutions. Some lean on pro-grade editing and color correction, while others are all about making a video fast, using AI magic, or catering to mobile-first types of content creation. 

In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the top video editors for making videos. Whether you’re just starting out, producing Shorts, or repurposing content across multiple platforms, we’ve got you covered with an editing app that matches where you are and what your budget and level of experience are.

Imagine that you did YouTube competitor analysis to stay in trend flow, you shoot a video, you have a lot of wonderful footage on your hands. So where to bring it to do a full-on clip?

Best Desktop Editors for Making Videos

1. Adobe Premiere Pro

Best for: Professional YouTubers, content teams, agencies, and creators looking for maximum options to play with.

Adobe Premiere Pro maintains the title of one of the most used video editing apps in the creator economy. It feels like it can handle everything with how it delivers a pro-grade environment. One of its biggest advantages is how flexible it is. Anyone can use it to work with all sorts of video formats, build out their editing timelines, tweak the color, and add all the motion graphics they need. And with After Effects, Photoshop and Audition all connected up so seamlessly, it’s a perfect tool for YouTubers who want the whole production workflow in one place. Many new things enter its ecosystem: automatic transcripts, text-based editing, audio clean-up and even generating fill for video.

Now, this complexity of options also means it’s probably going to be a bit of a challenge to learn for beginners. The interface and workflow can take some time getting used to. Need more inspiration? Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall used it to cut David Fincher’s Gone Girl.

Price: Starting at $22.99/month (single app subscription)

Platform: Windows, macOS

2. DaVinci Resolve

Best for: Creators looking for professional editing capabilities without paying too much.

DaVinci Resolve has become one of the most respected video editing tools in the industry. Its free version packs an impressive set of professional features. Known for its color grading abilities, Resolve has evolved into a full post-production system, bringing editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics and audio production all under one roof. One of Resolve’s standout strengths is its ability to scale. New creators can start with the basics, while more advanced creators can take advantage of the Fusion visual effects, Fairlight audio tools and color workflows. The software is used by some top film and TV producers too, giving creators access to enterprise-level capabilities without paying a high price for it.

Let’s address the biggest problem in the room — for new users, it is the learning curve. DaVinci Resolve has a million tools on offer, which can initially feel a bit overwhelming. 

You might be interested in knowing that editors Jonathan Redmond and Matt Villa made Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis entirely on DaVinci.

Price: Free version available; Studio version starts at $295 (one-time purchase)

Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux

3. Final Cut Pro

Best for: Mac-based creators seeking speed and performance.

Final Cut Pro has been the popular editing software for Apple fans for years now. As a Mac-exclusive program, it’s been crafted to take advantage of Apple hardware, which is a reason why it still manages to handle those massive video projects with ease. Final Cut Pro gets down to one key point: speed. This software is built to move fast to get through edits, rough drafts and make exports quickly. On the feature front, Final Cut Pro offers advanced options, like multicam editing, HDR, motion graphics and pro-level color grading tools. It found a nice balance between being powerful and being easy to understand, making it a great option whether you’re just getting started or if you have a big channel.

The only real downside is that, just like all other Mac apps, it’s only available on Mac devices.

Do you know who used it? Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall when they edited The Social Network.

Price: $299.99 (one-time purchase)

Platform: macOS

4. CapCut Desktop

Best for: Shorts creators, social media creators, and fast-paced content production.

CapCut has grown from being a decent mobile editing app to one of the most in-demand desktop editing software for content creators. Unlike some of those super-powerful professional editing tools that need years to master, CapCut is all about speed and ease. 

The interface is simple, but what sets CapCut apart is its short-form video production process. You get all sorts of features, like auto-captions, AI-generated effects, image and video background removal, text-to-speech stuff, and intro and outro template-based editing. That makes it the perfect choice for anyone producing YouTube Shorts, TikTok videos, or Instagram Reels on a daily basis.

So yes, MrBeast’s editing team uses it heavily for a reason.

Price: Free version and premium plans are available.

Platform: Windows, macOS

5. Filmora

Best for: New creators looking for an easy transition into video editing.

It’s hard to find a video editing tool that’s as user-friendly as Filmora. Its biggest virtue lies in its ability to make video editing accessible to anyone. The software is built around an incredibly intuitive drag-and-drop system that lets you start making your video clips and putting a narrative together in no time. Beneath its easy-to-use interface, Filmora packs an impressive array of tools, including scene motion tracking, keyframe animation, AI-powered features, screen recording, audio tweaks, and a comprehensive library of effects and transitions.

While Filmora can handle every common YouTube workflow, pro-editors may find its level of customization and advanced features a little limiting compared to the likes of Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve.

Many digital creators love it. For example, Christine Tay uses it on a daily basis.

Price: Free version available; paid plans start at approximately $49.99/year

Platform: Windows, macOS

6. Adobe Premiere Elements

Best for: Creators and beginners who want Adobe tools without the complexity of Premiere Pro.

Adobe Premiere Elements is designed for people who need something special out of their video editing software beyond the basics but don’t want to be spending hours trying to conquer pro editing techniques. It takes the core features of Adobe Premiere and wraps them in a user-friendly interface with a focus on getting the job done. You also get access to all sorts of guided edits to things like trimming clips, applying effects, adjusting the color, and producing content for social media. 

Now, while it’s not going to give the same level of control as Premiere Pro, Premiere Elements is perfect for making vlogs, tutorials, family stuff, and other smaller videos. If you outgrow it later, then this is a great start before switching to more advanced Adobe tools.

Price: Approximately $99.99 (one-time purchase)

Platform: Windows, macOS

7. VEGAS Pro

Best for: Experienced creators who prioritize editing speed and customization and use Windows.

VEGAS Pro has managed to keep a dedicated group of YouTubers, gamers, and indie video pros hooked for years! People love how smooth the editing workflow is and how you can tweak the interface to suit your needs. The software has comfortable multicam editing, smooth timeline adjustment features, compositing and motion tracking. And let’s not forget color grading and audio tools. More recently, VEGAS Pro has incorporated some AI-powered features, like automatic masking, speech-to-text transcriptions, and audio cleanup that makes editing easier. 

Even being this good, the editor still doesn’t have the same base as Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, which means there are fewer tutorials, plugins, and resources for help. 

Many creators use this software. Pyrocynical (known for deep-dive video essays), game reviewer MoistCr1tikal, and popular gaming creator Drae are big fans of it!

Price: Subscription and perpetual license options available

Platform: Windows

8. CyberLink PowerDirector

Best for: Creators seeking a balance between simplicity and advanced features.

PowerDirector is an editing solution built so that anyone can use it. The software packs in features that’ll satisfy even seasoned pros. There are multi-track editing, motion graphics, AI-powered effects, screen recording for making gameplay clips, and exporting options. And all of this is wrapped up in an interface that lets you create a nice video in no time.

One of PowerDirector’s strongest selling points is how well it runs on standard hardware, making it perfect for people who don’t have an editing workstation. Together with its AI tools and impressive effects library, it looks like a great deal for beginners and intermediate users who don’t need anything extra. Now, it’s worth noting that if you’re a total pro, you might want something more than that, something extra.

I’m going to just throw out some names of famous creators who love it: Ray Caniglia, EvanEraTV and Maliek Whitaker.

Price: Free version and premium plans are available

Platform: Windows, macOS

9. HitFilm

Best for: Creators who regularly use visual effects and motion graphics.

What sets HitFilm apart from video editing applications? It is its focus on visual effects. It combines editing with compositing, animation, and VFX tools. You’ll find it a true gift for gaming channels, cinematic projects, and anyone who relies on visual storytelling. With HitFilm, you can edit your video files, make cool transitions, add particle effects, and build motion graphics within the same space. Now, if you’re a YouTube creator making tutorial videos, product reviews, or just talking-head videos, then you might find HitFilm a bit too much.

The downside is that you’ll need to have a bit of technical understanding to make the most of it, and beginners might find the advanced compositing tools complicated (but spoiler: there are tutorials).

This software is heavily used by Corridor Digital.

Price: Free and premium versions available

Platform: Windows, macOS

10. iMovie

Best for: First-time YouTubers using Apple devices.

iMovie is one of the easiest video editors to use! Coming pre-installed on most Apple devices, its basic editing process lets creators make YouTube videos without buying extra software. With iMovie, you can import footage, trim clips, add transitions and background music, and before you know it, you’ve got a video ready to be posted. And even though it is obviously aimed at beginners, it packs nice features, like green screen support, basic color tweaking, and cool templates.

For anyone just starting out and building a new channel, iMovie is a great place to learn the basics of video editing. Once you get an understanding, you can easily transition over to Final Cut Pro and start working with more advanced tools.

YouTubers like Casey Neistat and Baylen Levine tie this app to their YouTube content production process.

Price: Free

Platform: macOS, iOS, iPadOS

Honorable mention: Avid Media Composer needs to be mentioned here as well, since the number of Hollywood editors using this software — its functionality is hardware, really — is immense. People deeply involved in the film and TV series production process always use Avid as a big support in addition to other editing tools.

Keep in mind that even with amazing software, you need to pay attention to your key elements of the video, like thumbnails that attract the audience. To check whether it’s suitable for posting, use a YouTube thumbnail analyzer that checks any possible violations. 

Okay, all the abovementioned was summed up in quite a comprehensive table for comparison of desktop editor tools. By default, all the tools support exporting in 4K and basic multi-tracking.

Editor	8K Export	AI Tools	Color Grading	Motion Graphics	Collaboration	VR Support
Adobe Premiere Pro	Yes	Extensive	Advanced	Advanced	Yes	Yes
DaVinci Resolve	Yes	Moderate	Superb	Advanced	Yes	Limited
Final Cut Pro	Yes	Moderate	Advanced	Advanced	Limited	Yes
CapCut Desktop	Yes	Extensive	Basic	Moderate	No	No
Filmora	Limited	Extensive	Moderate	Moderate	No	No
Premiere Elements	No	Moderate	Basic	Basic	No	No
VEGAS Pro	Yes	Moderate	Advanced	Advanced	No	Yes
PowerDirector Desktop	Yes	Extensive	Moderate	Moderate	No	Yes
HitFilm	Limited	Limited	Moderate	Advanced	No	Yes
iMovie	No	Limited	Basic	Basic	No	No

Best Mobile Video Editing Apps 

1. CapCut

Best for: Shorts creators, mobile-first YouTubers, and creators who prioritize speed.

We’ve already explored the CapCut desktop version, so what is the difference in its mobile version? Firstly, it’s important to highlight that it appeared earlier. CapCut has a large influence in the world of creating and sharing content. At first, it was popular among the TikTok crowd, but has since grown into a big video editing platform that millions of content creators are using to make all sorts of videos. The features remain the same as in the desktop version. The ability to remove backgrounds, text-to-speech, one-tap templates, and others. Users can create and work with lots of different layers, do keyframe animations, apply custom transitions, and export videos in good resolution for YouTube. 

Price: Free; premium subscription available

Platform: iOS, Android

2. InShot

Best for: Beginner creators producing social media and YouTube content.

It’s one of the easiest mobile editing apps to try out. The interface is simple and approachable. You can easily make clips, add music, text, and filters. The app handles both vertical and horizontal formats with ease. Plus, it has transitions, effects, stickers, and audio tools.

There are some features missing compared to CapCut or LumaFusion, for example. But if you’re just starting out, then InShot is still one of the most reliable editing options.

Price: Free; premium subscription available

Platform: iOS, Android

3. VN Video Editor

Best for: Creators seeking advanced editing features without subscription costs.

VN Video Editor has the ability to rival the top paid mobile editing apps, but all for free. It has a multi-track edit environment, timeline control, and all the pro-style features you’d expect to find in top-end editors, but that are often missing in more basic mobile apps. And, of course, a user-friendly interface.

So for anyone looking for a free alternative to expensive premium editing apps, VN is probably the strongest option right now.

Price: Free

Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Platform: iOS, Android

4. Adobe Premiere

Best for: Creators working with desktop and mobile devices.

Mobile version of Premiere was built specifically with content creators in mind. It’s the opposite of traditional mobile editors that are only focused on editing on a smartphone. With Premiere, you can start a project on a phone, and easily pick up where you left off on a desktop. The interface intentionally hints at Premiere Pro, so it’s a lot easier for beginners to start a regular YouTube production. You can work with multiple tracks, tweak your audio levels, add some motion graphics. And because it’s part of the Adobe CC family, it’s a great option for anyone already using Adobe tools.

Since it’s directly integrated with YouTube Shorts, it’s one of the popular tools for Shorts creators.

The thing is that this verrsion won’t give you professional video editing software. It’s still a tool that is way more geared towards social media type of production.

Price: Free plan available; Adobe subscription required for full functionality

Platform: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS

5. KineMaster

Best for: Mobile creators who want professional-level control.

KineMaster has been very popular in the world of smartphone and tablet video editing apps for a long time. It has features that are similar to the desktop editing software. Users can play with multiple video and audio tracks, add chroma key magic, create keyframe animations, add blending modes right from their mobile device. These capabilities make KineMaster appealing to anyone making tutorials, gaming videos, educational content, or more advanced YouTube videos. 

Despite a pro-level feature set, it’s still pretty user-friendly compared to the popular editors on the desktop.

Price: Free version available; premium subscription required for full access

Platform: iOS, Android

6. LumaFusion

Best for: Professional creators and filmmakers editing on iPhone and iPad.

LumaFusion is considered the most powerful video editing app available for Apple devices. Instead of going for speed and simplicity, like a lot of other mobile apps, LumaFusion’s focus is on a proper professional editing experience on your tablet or smartphone. The app has a pretty impressive array of features: a multi-track timeline, advanced color grading tools, detailed audio editing, keyframe animation. Content creators, journalists, documentary filmmakers, and YouTubers use it on a daily basis. Having a pretty decent interface, it manages to make a project full of complex features — loads of video layers, different effects and graphics, and various audio tracks.

If you’re just starting out and eager to learn, you’ll find yourself with access to one of the best editing software.

Price: One-time purchase (approximately $29.99)

Platform: iOS, iPadOS

7. PowerDirector

Best for: Creators who want desktop-style features on mobile devices.

PowerDirector takes a lot of good from its desktop equivalent (which is not as popular among users) to smartphone and tablet versions. It manages to strike a nice balance between being easy to use and still offering a lot of features. You can try out AI-powered editing tools, pre-made motion graphics templates, precise keyframe controls, green screen effects, and other advanced export options. 

As usual, some of the premium tools require a subscription to access, but all things considered, PowerDirector offers many useful features to those who want to work with more than just the basics.

Price: Free version available; premium subscription available

Platform: iOS, Android

8. Splice

Best for: Vloggers and lifestyle creators focused on efficient editing.

Splice was designed to be easy to use and fast! It takes a rather straightforward approach and helps creators produce professional-looking videos in no time. The app has all the useful tools on board: intuitive trimming tools, transitions, music. You can add text overlays and visual effects. Its interface is super clean and distraction-free, so you can focus on telling your story, even if you’re only a beginner. Splice is especially loved by vloggers, travel YouTubers, fitness people with lots of followers, and anyone who needs to produce videos on a regular basis and needs something that will move quickly. 

Price: Subscription-based

Platform: iOS, Android

9. GoPro Quik

Best for: Travel creators, action sports channels, and creators who want automated editing.

GoPro Quik leans heavily on automation. Rather than building every sequence from scratch, you can let the app do the work for you, choosing your clips, music, and effects from a menu. Travel vloggers, cyclists, and sports fans who have a lot of action footage use it actively. Quik has some manual editing tools too, but let’s be honest, the real strength of the app is its ability to automate the whole process, saving you time and letting you focus on capturing more footage.

It won’t replace a pro editor for anything too complicated, but Quik is a fantastic tool to have for times when you need to make a video fast.

Price: Free version available; premium subscription available

Platform: iOS, Android

10. YouCut

Best for: Budget-conscious creators who need simple editing tools.

YouCut is a top choice for new creators. It focuses on the essentials, where the software lets you process footage, trim multiple clips, add audio, transitions, text, and export the finished video in high quality. It’s very lightweight, easy to use, and runs fast even on lower-end hardware. For anyone making basic YouTube clips, Shorts, tutorials or just personal videos, YouCut offers a solid and simple editing solution.

Of course, more experienced creators may find themselves outgrowing YouCut, it still remains one of the best entry level video editors.

Price: Free; optional premium features available

Platform: Android, iOS

When you struggle with ideas and need to find some inspiration and find out what trends are in demand now, begin with a YouTube growth insights tool that actually tells you what ideas can help you grow based on your channel analytics and market research.

To conclude all of the above, let’s check a video editor for mobile devices comparison table, where we collected all the important features that may influence your decision. All of those allow exporting in 4K, but 8K is not supported.

Editor	Multi-Track Editing	AI Tools	Color Grading	Motion Graphics
CapCut Mobile	Yes	Extensive	Basic	Moderate
InShot	Limited	Limited	Basic	Basic
VN Video Editor	Yes	Limited	Moderate	Moderate
Adobe Premiere	Yes	Moderate	Basic	Basic
KineMaster	Yes	Limited	Moderate	Moderate
LumaFusion	Yes	Limited	Advanced	Moderate
PowerDirector Mobile	Yes	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Splice	Basic	Limited	Basic	Basic
GoPro Quik	Yes	Extensive	Basic	Basic
YouCut	Yes	Limited	Basic	Basic

Editor’s Choice: Our Top 5 Picks

Today there are an immense number of different apps for editing. We think of the availability on any device at any time, fast workflow, and, since we’re moving into the future, AI features that make the creative process as easier as they make it faster. 

Simply the Best: DaVinci Resolve

Why? DaVinci Resolve has that almost unachievable balance of functionality and comfort with a reasonable price. The set of features makes it possible to start from scratch when it’s your first try as a creator, or keep evolving in your professional path.

Best for Beginners: Filmora

There is nothing overly complicated with Filmora. The interface is simple, AI tools are right at hand to help out, and there are templates that make the creative process faster. Most first-timers love it.

Best for Professionals: Adobe Premiere

This software is on top for a reason and for the foreseeable future, it will remain so. It’s flexible, has an endless array of plugins, supports collaboration, and links up with the rest of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite.

Best for Mac Users: Final Cut Pro

To pay respect to the ones who have tied their lives to Apple products, we want to highlight Final Cut Pro. It does the job with ease and speed, and it’s pretty awesome for both simple and complicated projects.

Best for Shorts Creators: CapCut

Arguably the best one out there for making short clips and doing it on desktop, laptop, and mobile. The AI tools save you hours of editing time, automatic captions are nice to use, and the templates help you to make videos in no time.

How to Choose a Video Editor for YouTube

To find the best doesn’t mean spending all your money on it or the necessity to be a pro to use it. The right choice for you depends on your personal content style, how much video editing you’ve done in the past, and what your goals are for your video productions.

Different types of content call for different sorts of editing tools.

• If you’re making short-form clips, then CapCut and VN Video Editor are probably your best choice.
• If you’re doing vlogging, then something like Filmora or one of the more advanced tools like Final Cut or Premiere may be more your style.
• Educational content creators will probably love the organization tools that come with Premiere Pro.
• And if you’re doing long-form stuff like documentaries or cinematic films, DaVinci Resolve is a top choice.

Lots of creators choose software based purely on their current needs, only to find out later that they’ve outgrown it. Consider where your channel’s going to be in 12 or 18 months from now. A tool that can grow with you can save you lots of effort in the long run. 

Pro tip: remember to update your software. We promise, using the latest version is so much more comfortable.

Another pro tip: pre-licensed audio tracks are available in many video editing tools, allowing users to easily incorporate music into their projects without copyright issues.

If you want to be sure where you are heading with your channel and your creative strategy, you can always partner with a CSP like Mediacube. Here, our team always strives to make the life of creators better in every professional aspect.

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FAQ on Best Video Editing Software

It’s very easy to lose yourself in the sea of so many options. But we’re here to help you out in choosing the right one for you. Below are the most popular questions people ask in a desperate search for the best software. 

Making Videos As If It’s Your Second Nature

To find the best video editor for your channel means to find the one that lets you turn your ideas into published videos smoothly and quickly. For some YouTubers, that means using an extra editing suite like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. Others might prefer something a bit easier like CapCut, Filmora, or InShot. Whatever you choose, the key thing is picking software that fits the way you work, so you can focus on coming up with great ideas rather than getting bogged down in technical issues.

As your channel starts to grow, you can be sure your editing needs are going to change too. That’s why Mediacube exists. We can help you navigate your way with more clarity, flexibility, and the avoidance of common issues, like copyright, SEO improvements, growth, and monetization. Our evergreen experience working with many creators has made it possible to see the opportunities to become better even when it’s not so obvious to the common eye.