The Top 9 Final Cut Pro Alternatives for Windows in 2024

Apple’s Final Cut Pro is a very powerful video editing package for the Mac, but unfortunately, there isn’t a Final Cut Pro X Windows edition or a Final Cut Pro for Windows 10. That’s where the best Final Cut Pro alternative for Windows comes in: there are lots of good programs like it, delivering all the features you need to produce visually stunning videos, and they’re often cheaper too.

Here’s a quick guide to the top Final Cut Pro alternatives for Mac, Windows, and Linux in 2024. Some of these are free, some are paid for, and some are freemium with a free core app and paid-for upgrades that expand the range of available features and tools.

We’ve reviewed each of the programs listed here – scroll down and you’ll see everything you need to know. We’ve also created a guide to choosing the best Final Cut Pro alternative on Mac, PC, or Linux that covers the key things to think about. You’ll find it immediately after the video editor reviews.

If you’re looking for an alternative to Final Cut Pro on the Mac or a Windows program with similar features as Apple’s video editor, the following options include key video editing tools that you can use for free.

There are lots of paid-for programs that offer similar features to Final Cut Pro. Some, like Premiere Pro, are designed for commercial production environments and have a price tag to match; others are for home and hobbyist use and are much more affordable. These are our current favorites on PC, Mac, and Linux.

There are five key things to consider when you’re thinking about choosing an alternative to Final Cut Pro.

• Operating system
  The OS you intend to use will limit some of your choices, so for example, the Final Cut Pro video editor is only available for Mac computers, while many of the quick and simple video editors are for Microsoft Windows 10 only. Although it’s sometimes possible to run Windows programs on the Mac using third-party software, we wouldn’t recommend it for video, which suffers badly from performance issues in emulation software. And sadly, the answer to “can you use Final Cut Pro on Windows” is “no”, because Mac software doesn’t run on Windows: although there are lots of people searching online for how to install Final Cut Pro on Windows 10, you can’t install it on Windows let alone run it.

• Budget
  Not all video editing software comes with a flat price: some of it is subscription-based, which on the one hand can save you money – you can subscribe until the project is finished and then unsubscribe – but can cost you a lot of cash if you’re going to be subscribing for a long period. It’s important to take that into consideration and to include subscription costs in your quote if you’re being asked to take on a project you’ll need to buy or subscribe to software for.

• Video formats
  Although it’s not the end of the world if your preferred program doesn’t import or export in a specific format – there are lots of converters out there, many of them free – it’s an extra step in your workflow that you’d be better off without.

• Your project(s)
  There’s no point getting a Hollywood-grade movie production studio if you just want to edit your home movie of your best friend’s wedding; similarly there’s no point going for a cheap and cheerful basic editor if you’re making a short film or promotional video.

• Your experience
  If you’re new to video editing, a pro-level program is likely to be very intimidating. It’s often better to get an app with a simpler user interface so you can concentrate on learning how to use its features rather than trying to work out what all the buttons and panels are for. However, it’s also wise to choose an app that can grow as you become more experienced: for example, you might not be needing more advanced editing features today, but what about six months from now? This isn’t as important with free apps, although if you switch to another app, you may need to learn a whole new way of working. But it’s crucial with paid apps: think about not just what you want to do today, but what you might want to do in six months or a year too.